Digital and Communications Lead - ChildFund Rugby

Application deadline: 26th January 2026.

No phone calls, emails or messages please. To apply please submit a cover letter responding to the requirements below with a CV.

BACKGROUND

ChildFund Rugby partners to use rugby as a powerful tool to create positive social impact that supports children and young people to play, learn, and lead.

ChildFund Rugby’s partners use Pass It Back, a set of integrated rugby and life skills learning products, so that children and young people in vulnerable situations have the opportunity to develop critical social and emotional skills, which ensure they are better equipped to overcome challenges, inspire positive social change, and take leadership roles in their lives.

ChildFund Rugby is World Rugby’s global Social Impact Partner, a multi-year partnership that builds on previous partnerships across five consecutive Rugby World Cup events. For more information on ChildFund Rugby’s partnerships, visit here.

ChildFund Rugby is led by ChildFund Australia on behalf of the ChildFund Alliance - a global network of 11 organisations which assists almost 36 million children and their families in 66 countries. ChildFund values Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, Change, Empowerment, and Excellence.

The solicited services operate at the intersection of two domains:

• Evidence-driven Sport for Development - safeguarding, impact reporting, ethical storytelling, community voice, and equitable representation.
• Commercial sport - partner amplification, brand growth, campaign execution, media operations, fan engagement, and content that aligns with major sports events.

ChildFund Rugby is entering a critical phase of growth, focused on demonstrating how global sport can translate visibility, partnerships, and major moments into measurable supporter engagement, lead generation, and revenue to drive impact.

OVERVIEW

Services are required to design and deliver a digital and communications strategy that converts global rugby visibility into measurable supporter engagement, qualified leads, and revenue for ChildFund Rugby. This role will operate at the intersection of social impact and commercial sport, leveraging major partnerships and platforms including national, regional, and global sport partners, commercial partners, Ambassadors, influencers, and fans to drive action across priority revenue channels. Services will ensure that all communications activities, creative, digital, media-facing, and operational, are performance-oriented, directly supporting lead generation and revenue targets through to the conclusion of Rugby World Cup 2027.

REPORTING

The position will report to ChildFund Rugby's Co-Directors.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy

Lead the development and execution of ChildFund Rugby’s global communications for impact strategy to:

• Strengthen visibility and brand equity, while consistently and ethically reflecting robust international development principles and supporting revenue generation.
• Engage audiences across sport, government, and international development.
• Support priority revenue-generation pathways, with clear and measurable routes from awareness to audience action.
• Position impact communications as a strategic asset for funding, partnerships, and licence to operate.
• Ensure a through-line across channels from storytelling to media to digital to commercial partnerships and engagement of donors.
• Engage social impact partnerships with international sports federations across major event and always-on platforms.
• Support delivery of sponsorship and partnership obligations through creative storytelling, campaign assets, visibility reports, and evidence-backed impact communications.

Narrative and Messaging

• Building on ChildFund Rugby’s global narrative, build out messaging and ethical, evidence-based stories that authentically centre children and youth, reinforce key Sport for Development outcomes meeting public, commercial partner and revenue generation expectations.

Digital

• Manage the ChildFund Rugby digital ecosystem, including website, social media channels, CRM-linked communications, digital campaigns, paid media and analytics.
• Shape and deliver a global content calendar integrating delivery milestones, partner activations, rugby events, and audience engagement trends, ultimately designing and optimising digital journeys that convert rugby audiences into supporters, donors, and qualified leads.
• Test, refine and report on performance to improve.

Media Relations

• Manage proactive and reactive media engagement across sport, international development, and mainstream outlets.
• Building and leveraging relationships with sport, international development, and other news media.
• Pitching and preparing media releases, op-eds, and other features; developing talking points, speeches and briefing notes.
• Leading crisis communications and issues management in close coordination with leadership.

Content Development

Create engaging multi-format content (video, editorial, graphics, campaign assets) that resonates with diverse audiences across both rugby and international development stakeholders, including government. This includes:

• Translating Sport for Development into compelling, insight-led, multi-platform communications aligned to major rugby moments, tournaments, and campaigns.
• Translating Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) data into accessible, compelling communication products for donors, government partners, and sport bodies.
• Coordinating communication packages for delivery partners, Ambassadors, and rugby stakeholders to ensure brand alignment and message consistency.
• Supporting campaign-specific landing pages, donation flows, sign-up mechanisms, and calls to action linked to priority revenue generation channels.

Team Management

• Work effectively across a multi-country, multi-disciplinary team, operating within agreed timelines and performance expectations, engaging key staff and external collaborators (designers, videographers, agencies).
• Oversee comms budgets, procurement, and contracts.
• Provide senior-level counsel on communications risks, issues, and opportunities.

DELIVERABLES

• A clear, actionable Global Communications for Impact Strategy aligning brand, narrative, digital, media, and partnerships.
• Narrative and messaging framework that speaks to different audiences and maintains ethical communications principles and child rights.
• Digital strategy, including paid, and global content calendar, that integrates messaging and storytelling to drive engagement and support revenue generation.
• Proactive and reactive earned media engagement strategy and content spanning sport, international development, and mainstream media. 
• Suite of stories and communications assets, targeting different audiences. 
• Regular reporting and analytics that will inform shifts in strategy and approach as needed.
• Other deliverables as agreed upon and identified in work plan.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in senior communications, digital strategy, sport communications, or related roles.
• Experience in international development or social impact is desirable - an understanding of ethical storytelling and social change is essential. 
• Experience within sport organisations and/or within major sporting event environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing agencies, vendors, and production teams.
• Authentic, creative and compelling storytelling skills.
• Digital channel management experience.
• Strategic thinking, forward planning, and strong analytical capabilities.
• Ability to operate across commercial, sport, and international development.
• Excellent relationship-building skills across cultures and sectors.
• High resilience, adaptability, and ability to manage competing deadlines.
• Fluency in English, with French an advantage.
• Apple user.

OTHER INFORMATION

Location: open globally with a requirement to work regularly with stakeholders across Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Contracting: consultancy from January 2026 to December 2027. Open to individuals, groups or businesses/agencies. This is a fixed-term output-based consultancy and does not constitute a staff or employment position.

All candidates are expected to remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding and Sexual Exploitation, Abuse or Harassment (SEAH) risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the child safeguarding and PSEAH policy and procedures, and ensure conduct consistent with those policies.