BWF Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Reporting to the Secretary General, the COO is responsible for the day-to-day administration and operations of the BWF, providing management, guidance, oversight and support for a range of functional areas.

Overview - BWF  

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the world governing body for the sport and has its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

Badminton has been an Olympic Games sport since the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 and a sport on the Paralympic programme since 2014. The BWF has 201 Members responsible for regulating and developing badminton in their territory. 

Continental Confederations administer, manage and develop the sport together with the national federations in their region. There are five Continental Confederations: - Badminton Africa, Badminton Asia, Badminton Europe, Badminton Oceania, Badminton Pan America

The BWF, its Members and Continental Confederations work together in a coordinated approach to development the sport worldwide.  

The BWF Council is the governing board and is responsible for strategic direction, policy development and administrative guidance and oversees the work of the BWF between Annual General Meetings (AGMs). 

The Council is appointed by the AGM for a four-year term. The Secretary General, responsible for day-to-day operations, is accountable to the Council. The BWF currently has a staff of 52. The BWF corporate website provides a wide range of information on BWF’s governance, operations, regulations, as well as annual plans and activities.

 

Position Overview  

Position Title: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Part / Full Time: Full time

 Location: BWF Headquarters - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Reports To: Secretary General

Overall Duties Reporting to the Secretary General, the COO is responsible for the day-to-day administration and operations of the BWF, providing management, guidance, oversight and support for a range of functional areas:

• Finance Department
• Administration Department
• BWF digital development projects.
• Integrity Unit

The COO provides leadership for the BWF office functions, facilities and services, administrative support services as well as the implementation of programmes and projects to deliver on key areas of the BWF Strategic Plan and Strategic Implementation Plan.

The COO is responsible for the planning and servicing of BWF Council Meetings, including coordination of agenda’s and ensuring legal and governance areas are addressed and implemented. With the administration team the COO ensures that all logistical planning for Council and AGMs are effectively dealt with. 

The COO leads the team dealing with Membership servicing. Hereunder also involved in the overall governance implementation and development for BWF and the Membership. 

In connection with Olympic/Paralympic Games the COO is responsible for the planning related to institutional meetings and hospitality activities. 

As a member of the Management Team, the COO supports the functions of the Secretary General, especially in areas of governance and annual planning, holistic and connected strategic planning, policy development and staff management. The COO is responsible for coordination of all BWF insurance activities.

Depending on the expertise and experiences of applicants, there may be other areas included under the responsibility of the COO.

Internal Liaison

• Secretary General
• Directors
• Chairs of Committees
• Council Members
• Continental Confederations
• Member Associations

External Liaison

• Malaysian Government Departments 
• Contractors, Suppliers, Consultants
• Digital agencies
• WADA 
• IOC Integrity Unit

Corporate / Office Operations & Administration / Staff Servicing / Management
Ensuring effective support services, external compliance and oversight of programmes, projects and teams.

• Office procedures and management.
• Physical set up of office, upkeep, maintenance, servicing.
• Provision of office equipment, amenities, supplies.
• IT set up / security, maintenance, servicing / procurement - hardware & software.
• Staff health insurance programme.
• Corporate insurance programme – office, group travel, general comprehensive liability insurance, association liability, staff health insurance.
• Compliance with regulatory obligations – BWF registration as an International Organisation, office operations and management, human resource. management including SOCO and EPF.
• HR management - Administration & Services / Finance / Integrity Unit / Legal.
• Orientation programme – new staff / interns.
• Internship programme.

Membership Services
Oversight of services to the BWF membership related to governance, administration and corporate communications:

• Record keeping of the status of members throughout the year, communication of this.
• Day to day corporate and membership communication.
• Identifying membership issues, supporting the resolution of these.
• Members’ Forum planning and delivery in close coordination with other departments.

Governance
Ensuring compliance with BWF constitution, BWF regulations and policies and supporting the day-to-day implementation of governance processes:

• Compliance with BWF constitution, regulations, policies.
• Support the development of governance rules, policies, guidelines.
• Coordination of the governance, finance and integrity sections of the annual report.
• Annual Meeting planning and delivery. Nominations and election processes – BWF Council, Athletes’ Commission elections.
• Council / Executive Board Servicing – communication, meeting planning, meeting preparation.
• Support of various Committees / Commissions / Working Groups.
  • Governance and Ethics Committee.
  • Governance and Ethics Technical Commission.
  • Awards Commission.
  • Heritage Working Group.
  • IOC, IPC and International Relations.
  • Finance Committee.
• Strategic Plan – lead / support development, progress review, communication.

Finance 
Oversight and support of the day-to-day financial processes.

• Day to day sign off / approvals of claims / expenses / weekly payment batches.
• Overall budget development process.
• Oversight of preparation / performance against budget – Administration / Integrity / Governance / General Operations and support of the audit of the annual accounts.
• Support responses to compliance surveys banks require.
• Coordination of all insurance policies – review, renewal, claims, communication .

Integrity Unit Oversight 
Oversight and support of the integrity programmes.

• Oversight and support to ensure KPIs are met – education, testing, investigations.
• Support in the development and planning of the education courses / activations annually.
• On-going World Anti-Doping compliance and reporting on such every four years.

Digital Development Projects / Servicing
Support and oversight of the digital projects planning and implementation.

• Planning and prioritising of needs, determining schedule of projects.
• Oversight of projects.

Olympic & Paralympic Games Planning – Hospitality

Planning, managing and oversight of the processes leading up to the Games (Guidelines for Participation, accommodation, transport, ticketing, accreditation, hospitality) and delivery of the hospitality programme and Council servicing during Games time.

Qualities / Attributes  

The successful candidate will have excellent written and spoken English language skills, be a good planner, have excellent organisational skills and be an effective communicator with good interpersonal skills.

You will have been involved in sports operations and management, and have comprehensive knowledge around the institutional sports world. Experience and knowledge from badminton organisations is an advantage, but equivalent knowledge from other sports is necessary. 

High level of understanding of governance in sports organisations is necessary and having some legal experience or being legally trained in relevant areas will be considered an advantage. 

Having worked in a multi-cultural environment will be an advantage. The candidate must have experience and have personal management skills to manage the BWF multi-cultural staff team and interact with event organising teams. 

Having experience around contractual/legal areas and/or worked with contract development and the legal events/commercial area would be a significant advantage.

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Selection Criteria      

Candidates for the position will require a range of personal and professional skills to be considered for the role. The key criteria below will be used as a basis for short listing candidates for the interview phase. 

Applications for the position must address each criterion, providing examples from their experience / employment background.

a) Qualifications and Experience

1. Relevant formal qualifications – a degree in events/business/marketing/ communication, management or general sports administration.
2. Significant and relevant experience in administration, management (preferably badminton or as a minimum other sports organisations), including experience in governance and preferably relevant legal areas.
3. Experience in working in multi-cultural work environments.

b) Knowledge and Skills

1. A solid understanding of sports administration and governance areas – preferably from badminton organisations or as a minimum from other similar sports organisations. 
2. Excellent interpersonal skills and proven capacity to support the work of others.
3. Strong planning and organisational skills. 
4. Demonstrated ability in problem solving.
5. Ability to prioritise large volumes of work and manage priorities.
6. Excellent English (written and spoken) language skills and superior presentation skills. 
7. Understanding of the events/commercial/media/broadcast areas, sports industry and the role of an international federation / world body in the structure of an Olympic/Paralympic Games sport.

c) Personal Attributes

1. You will have a positive outlook to employment and be a person that takes pride in the quality of work.
2. Strong, effective leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate others as a key management tool.
3. An ability to build a team ethos and a sense of team ownership among staff and other internal/external stakeholders.
4. Capacity to work independently with minimal supervision and having a strong work ethic. 

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Remuneration      

Negotiated with the successful candidate dependant on qualifications and experience, but appropriate to remuneration of high quality candidates.  An expected remuneration should be stated in the application.

Contract      

A contract period will be offered to the successful candidate. Length of the contract to be discussed.   

Performance appraisals, against mutually agreed performance objectives will be a regular part of employment.

Hours of Work

The position is contracted and full time. The nature of the work requires flexibility during busy periods and will involve work on weekends and at times during holidays. The position will also require travel overseas. No time in lieu arrangements exist for additional hours worked. The remuneration package will reflect experience, the extent of the role, level of responsibilities and the work requirements needed.  

Required Format for Applications      

1. An email application or letter applying for the job;
2. A statement addressing each Selection Criteria (a, b and c above) giving examples from your employment background and life experiences;
3. A brief CV / resume of no more than two pages with the current employment / most recent employment experience listed first. 

At the time of application, you are required to indicate your current remuneration level and your expectations in terms of salary. 

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