DIRECTOR OF CRICKET

Organisation

Kent County Cricket Club

Salary

Negotiable

Location

The St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury

Contract type

Closing date

7 October 2026

Interview date

22 October 2026

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Director of Cricket
REPORTS TO: CEO
CONTRACT: Full Time/Permanent

SALARY: Competitive, commensurate with experience

BASED AT: The St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury (with occasional travel)

An opportunity to lead the cricket strategy of Kent Cricket
Kent Cricket is seeking an outstanding leader to become the Club’s next Director of Cricket, taking responsibility for the strategic leadership and development of cricket across the Club.
Our ambition is clear:
Enduringly competitive and financially sustainable: trophy-winning cricket teams, predominantly with players ‘Produced by Kent’, inspiring all our communities to play, follow and watch cricket.
As one of the 18 first-class county cricket clubs in England and Wales, Kent Cricket has a proud history and an equally strong ambition for its future. We are responsible for the growth and development of cricket across Kent and the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham, from community and schools’ cricket through to the professional game.
The Director of Cricket will play a central role in delivering that ambition.
The Role
Reporting directly to the CEO and forming part of Kent Cricket’s senior leadership structure, the Director of Cricket will be the Club’s lead executive voice on cricket matters.
The successful candidate will lead our long-term performance cricket strategy across the Men’s First XI and Second XI, Women’s programme, Academy, talent pathway and wider cricket operations, creating clear alignment from the development of young players through to professional cricket.
This is a broad leadership position combining cricket strategy and performance, player development, recruitment and contracting, people leadership, financial management, governance and operational oversight.
A central priority will be building a sustainable model for success: developing and retaining Kent-produced players, strengthening the pathway into professional cricket and ensuring our men’s, women’s, Academy and pathway programmes operate as one connected cricket system.
The role will also provide senior leadership for the continued development of women’s cricket, including Kent’s strategic progression towards Tier 1, alongside development of the women’s Academy and Emerging Player Programme(s).
Key responsibilities
The Director of Cricket will:
• Lead and deliver Kent Cricket’s long-term performance cricket strategy and establish clear cricketing standards, direction and playing identity across the Club.
• Lead professional squad planning, player recruitment, retention, succession planning and contract management across all formats.
• Work closely with Head Coaches and senior cricket staff on performance, selection frameworks and player development.
• Provide strategic leadership for the Men’s and Women’s professional programmes and create a joined-up “one club” approach across professional, Academy and pathway cricket.
• Set the strategic direction for Kent’s talent pathway, ensuring effective progression from County Age Group and Kent Regional Development Programme(s) (KRDP) through Academy, Second XI and professional cricket.
• Lead cricket budgets and resource planning, balancing performance ambition with long-term financial sustainability.
• Ensure high standards of governance, safeguarding, welfare, regulatory compliance and risk management.
• Lead, develop and hold to account senior cricket staff, building a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture.
• Champion the effective use of data, technology and evidence-based decision-making across cricket.
• Represent Kent Cricket with the ECB, Cricket Regulator, PCA, other counties, overseas boards, agents and other key stakeholders.
The breadth of the position, including financial management, governance, technology and stakeholder responsibilities, reflects Kent Cricket’s expectation that the Director of Cricket is both a senior cricket leader and senior organisational leader.
About you
We are looking for an experienced and credible leader who can combine a strong understanding of high-performance cricket with the strategic, commercial and organisational skills required in the modern professional game.
You will bring significant experience from professional cricket, high-performance sport or an equivalent performance environment, together with a strong understanding of player development, talent pathways and Academy structures.
You will have experience of leading people, managing budgets, making strategic decisions and working at senior leadership level, alongside strong experience in areas such as player recruitment, contracting, performance management and stakeholder engagement.
Just as importantly, we are looking for someone who:
• thinks strategically but can turn strategy into practical delivery;
• communicates and influences effectively at every level;
• has strong negotiation and relationship-management skills;
• is comfortable using data and evidence to inform decisions;
• combines performance ambition with financial and commercial awareness;
• creates clear accountability while developing and supporting people; and
• can lead calmly and effectively through the demands and complexity of a professional cricket season.
What success will look like
Success will mean creating clear and aligned cricket strategies across our men’s, women’s, Academy and pathway programmes; delivering sustainable improvement in team performance and player development; increasing the progression and retention of Kent-produced talent; managing squads and resources effectively within agreed budgets; and creating a strong, accountable and inclusive cricket culture.
Ultimately, this appointment is about helping Kent Cricket build a cricket system capable of delivering sustainable success on the field while developing the next generations of players Produced by Kent.
How to apply
Please submit your CV and a short supporting statement explaining your suitability and motivation for the role to jobs@kentcricket.co.uk, using the subject heading “Director of Cricket”.
Closing date: Thursday 22 October 2026
Further information about the role and Kent Cricket is available in the full Director of Cricket job description.
Safeguarding Statement:
Kent Cricket is committed to safeguarding and protecting children, young people and adults in cricket and we expect all employees to share this commitment. All posts are subject to a process of vetting with references taken up and where the role involves working in Regulated Activity with children, we require a current ECB DBS with relevant barred list check. If you are invited for interview, as this role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order 2023, you will be required to declare all spent and unspent convictions and cautions, but not any that are protected or filtered.
Please note it is an offence to apply for this role if you are barred from engaging in Regulated Activity with children.
Candidates invited to interview should note we may conduct online searches as part of pre-recruitment checks. If you are invited for interview, you will be required to complete a self-declaration form.
If you have any information to disclose, please provide this under separate, confidential cover, to HR Manager - omolola.oshinlaja@kentcricket.co.uk.
If you wish to discuss your criminal record, or whether you need to disclose something, please contact Bridget Owen, the County Safeguarding Officer for Kent – safeguarding@kentcricket.co.uk.
Having a criminal record will not necessarily prevent you from working with us; this will depend on the nature and circumstances of the offence. We undertake to discuss your criminal record with you before any withdrawal of a job offer. Kent Cricket complies with the DBS Code of Practice, and a copy is available on request

How to apply

How to apply Please submit your CV and a short supporting statement explaining your suitability and motivation for the role to jobs@kentcricket.co.uk, using the subject heading “Director of Cricket”. Closing date: Thursday 22 October 2026 Further information about the role and Kent Cricket is available in the full Director of Cricket job description.

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