International Rugby Players seek ‘Head of Legal’

An exciting new opportunity has come up at International Rugby Players in the form of a full time ‘Head of Legal’ role, primarily based out of its Dublin offices, however with flexibility to spend blocks of time abroad.

About International Rugby Players:

International Rugby Players is the global representative body for professional rugby players on international issues of importance. The organisation works alongside international, national and competition governing bodies to ensure comprehensive player representation and involvement in the key decision-making processes of the game.

National rugby players’ associations worldwide are members of International Rugby Players, with coverage extending across all the major rugby competitions, countries and markets and the 4,000 professional rugby players worldwide.

About the Role:

As Head of Legal, you’ll join a small team that is extremely passionate and connected to its work. You’ll manage a diverse range of areas relating to player representation, including numerous player welfare and player rights matters.

These include:

• direct liaison with northern hemisphere IRP member bodies.
• assisting in individual player matters where national players’ associations are not in place.
• ongoing relationship management with World Rugby in conjunction with the CEO, including in relation to the Working Agreement between IRP and World Rugby, as well as Rugby World Cup and other competitions’ terms of participation.
• player representative on the World Rugby Regulations Committee, including ongoing interaction with IRP member bodies to gather views and drafting of submissions as required. Key regulatory issues include player movement, player release and player eligibility.
• central role, alongside Head of High Performance and Player Welfare and Head of Women’s Rugby, in the evolution of the game’s laws, including liaison with member bodies, players and World Rugby.
• involvement, alongside Head of High Performance and Player Welfare and Head of Women’s Rugby, in the development and assessment of injury management, player load management, concussion and head injury protocols.
• oversight of data and image rights issues.
• central role in development and implementation of global player agent registration scheme.
• ownership of governance/ constitutional matters.

What you’ll bring

• a keen interest in sports related legal matters. Prior understanding of the game of rugby is advantageous but not essential.
• at least 3-5 years legal experience either in-house or in private practice.
• an ability to build rapport and understanding with players / member representatives.
• an ability to manage external relations with senior World Rugby representatives and other key rugby stakeholders.
• availability to travel as required (although the travel burden on the Head of Legal is limited relative to other roles in the business).
• advanced communication, negotiation, influencing and drafting skills.
• a strong team player attitude with the ability to work closely with different colleagues but also autonomously as required.

What you’ll get

As a member of the International Rugby Players team, you’ll not only be instrumental in reshaping the landscape for professional rugby players globally but you’ll also enjoy various rewards and benefits, including:

• a hybrid working model that offers flexibility and promotes work-life balance.
• a generous annual leave offering, including 5 weeks annual leave, all Irish public holidays and parental leave for all new parents.
• the payment of annual fees to ensure renewal of qualification to practise as a lawyer in the Republic of Ireland.
• a competitive salary package plus pension contributions

Next Steps:

Take the next step in your legal career today by clicking on the link above to apply. For any inquiries, please contact omar@rugbyplayers.org