The Welsh Rugby Union has begun advertising for the biggest jobs in the national game.
It comes days after the member clubs voted in favour of governance change to modernise the board, following a series of damaging allegations of sexism, misogyny, homophobia and racism within the governing body.
At last Sunday's EGM, a huge majority of 97.22% voted to approve the WRU's proposals to increase the number of skilled independent people on the board and slash the number of elected members from clubs. An independent chair and a desire for at least five of the 12 WRU board members to be women were also part of the proposals, which have been backed.
And now the WRU has posted vacancies for the independent chair and independent non-executive director (INEDs) positions. The position of chief executive officer (CEO) has also been advertised following the resignation of Steve Phillips in January.
Since then, performance director Nigel Walker has served as an interim CEO. An advert for a six-month interim performance director had previously been placed but has since closed.
Current chair Ieuan Evans, who was elected rather than appointed, will be replaced.
In addition to these roles, the WRU are looking for a non-executive director to promote the advancement of Women’s rugby in Wales, while they also advertised for a finance manager earlier this week.
But what do these jobs, some of the most important in Welsh rugby, actually ask for and how much would they pay?
The chair
Starting with the independent chair, the WRU's job listing states the purpose of the role is to "lead an inclusive, cohesive, and effective Board that supports and helps shape the strategic agenda, provides both support and challenge for the WRU Executive, and supports the WRU in building effective working relations with its multiplicity of stakeholders".
They will also be expected to "create a culture which is open, transparent and built on integrity and trust", as well as "enhance the credibility of the WRU through their standing and reputation".
They will serve an initial term of three years and can be re-elected up to two further times, subject to Board approval, with a maximum tenure of nine years.
In terms of the wages on offer, there's no mention on the listing - but in last year's annual report it was stated the chair at the time, Rob Butcher, was being paid £73,000-a-year. While current chair Evans will be replaced, it's feasible he'll still retain some place at the top of Welsh rugby.
The new independent board members
As part of the governance change, the number of INEDS will double from three to six. One of those new INEDs will be the independent chair, with two more to be appointed.
Reporting to the Chair, they will be a full voting member of the WRU Board of Directors, with the job advert saying the role will involve "considering key strategic and managerial issues to ensure that the Union meets its performance objectives and national governing body obligations" as part of their responsibilities.
They will also provide expert advice on all matters of the Board business, in particular on governance and organisational change matters, drawing on their experience and proven ability.
One of the current INEDs is billionaire Henry Engelhardt, the former head of Admiral - Wales' most successful business, who is likely to be heavily involved in the new appointments.
Like the chair, the initial term will be three years - with the prospect of two further re-elections up to a maximum term of nine years.
No salary is listed for the role. However, back in 2022, Engelhaart confirmed that he was not remunerated for his service.
The CEO
As for the CEO role, the advert states the Union now "seek an exceptionally talented Chief Executive to lead it through a critical and challenging time in its evolution.
It adds that it is "looking to hire a CEO to drive a large-scale transformation of its culture and effectiveness, built on a robust and transparent strategy, best-in-class corporate governance, and a strong set of equitable and inclusive values. They will be a motivational leader, an astute stakeholder manager, and a person of the highest integrity".
In terms of the salary, former CEO Phillips was taking home £359,000-a-year before he resigned at the start of the year.
All three jobs have a closing date of April 16 for applications - but the dates for the interview process differ, something interim CEO Walker alluded to last week when asked about which vacancy will be filled first.
He said: "Independent chair (will be first) because you'd expect the independent chair to have a say on the independent non-executive directors and the chief executive officer.
"Certain parts of the process will move forward together, then once the chair is identified the other parts will then be concluded."
The final round of interviews for the independent chair will take place in May, with the interviews for the INEDs and CEO roles being conducted in June.
International headhunters Odgers Berndston - who have a long track record of working with the WRU and led the search to replace former CEO Martyn Phillips ahead of the appointment of Steve Phillips - have been tasked with conducting the search process for the three vacancies above.
The other roles currently being advertised by the WRU are the women's non-executive director and finance manager.
The former is intended to promote the advancement of Women’s rugby in Wales. The role is a new board vacancy that forms one of three new roles as part of the governance change.
The role is salaried at around £15,000 and the chosen candidate will be a non-executive director on the main WRU board.
As for the finance manager, the job will consist of leading the "accounting of the Group’s commercial and stadium activities, including balance sheet management, management accounts, budgeting, forecasting and business partnering to the Executive Board members and managers". The salary will be between £45,000-50,000, depending on experience.
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