Commonwealth Games Scotland is searching for a new athlete director who must have represented the country at Gold Coast 2018 or Birmingham 2022 ©CGS

Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) has begun the search for a new athlete director with a call for applications before a deadline set for next week.

Candidates must be a current or retired athlete who competed for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games at either the Gold Coast 2018 or Birmingham 2022.

The successful applicant will play a central role in the governance and decision-making of the CGS in addition to representing athlete interests in the organisation's policies and programmes, according to the job specification. 

They will also sit on the CGS Board of Directors.

"The role requires a strong leader with good communication skills, the ability to work collectively with key stakeholder groups and an understanding of commitment to Board decision-making," a CGS statement read.

"You will also need to have empathy for, and understanding of, the needs of high-performance athletes from across our member sports.

"You will learn new skills and also be charged with recruiting and leading an athlete advisory panel to support your efforts in representing the collective interests of a wide range of athletes."

Scotland is riding high in the Commonwealth Games after its most successful performance outside its own country at Birmingham 2022 ©Getty Images
Scotland is riding high in the Commonwealth Games after its most successful performance outside its own country at Birmingham 2022 ©Getty Images

The Commonwealth Games is in jeopardy as hosts for the event are proving challenging to pin down. 

Victoria was due to stage the 2026 edition but pulled out due to concerns over the rising costs and no concrete option has emerged for 2030.

The Canadian province of Alberta appeared to be a front-runner but also opted against staging a bid this year.

The CGS is optimistic that solutions will be found.

"We really value having positive athlete input and experience at the centre of what we do, which is why the role of athlete director is so important," added the CGS statement.

"While we face uncertainty over host nations over the coming cycles as we approach the Games centenary in 2030, we see a healthy and successful future for the Games and know that Scotland and its athletes will have a key part to play in delivering this vision."

The new athlete director will succeed Colin Gregor who captained Scotland's rugby sevens team at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games ©Getty Images
The new athlete director will succeed Colin Gregor who captained Scotland's rugby sevens team at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games ©Getty Images

Following the deadline to apply for the role (September 18), shortlisted candidates will be invited for an in-person interview in Stirling which is planned to begin on October 2. 

The successful candidate will then be invited to join the next CGS Board meeting on November 9. 

They will succeed Colin Gregor in the role, who played for Scotland's rugby sevens team at Melbourne 2006 and captained the side at Glasgow 2014.

Scotland enjoyed their best performance in a Commonwealth Games outside Scotland at Birmingham 2022.

They won a total of 51 medals, including 13 gold. 

The team's best performance was at Glasgow 2014 when they won 53 medals, with 19 of them gold.