A search to find a chief executive for Birmingham 2022 has been launched ©DCMS

Birmingham 2022 have officially launched the search to find a chief executive to organise the Commonwealth Games via executive search company Odgers Berndtson.

In a post on its website, Odgers Berndtson revealed "candidates will have a strong track record overseeing the operational delivery of complex, multi-stakeholder projects in the public eye".

Other criteria include being "a strong advocate for sport and be passionate about the Commonwealth Games movement and its ambitions for positive social and economic benefits for individuals and communities, nationally and internationally".

Earlier this month, Birmingham 2022 appointed local businessman John Crabtree as chairman.

The chief executive will face a difficult task as Birmingham was only awarded the Commonwealth Games last December after Durban were stripped of them following its failure to meet a series of financial deadlines.

Tomorrow marks exactly four years until the start of the Games on July 27 in 2022.

According to Odgers Berndtson, the main responsibilities of the chief executive will be "overall accountability for building and leading an effective OC (Organising Committee) that delivers a successful event, within budget, that meets all contractual obligations but also leverages the opportunity to showcase Birmingham and the Midlands in a sporting and cultural context".

Headhunters Odgers Berndtson help recruit Paul Deighton as chief executive of London 2012 and are now searching for someone to fill the same role for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham ©Getty Images
Headhunters Odgers Berndtson help recruit Paul Deighton as chief executive of London 2012 and are now searching for someone to fill the same role for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham ©Getty Images

The successful candidate must be able to "develop and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders including the OC Board, especially the Chair, Ministers, West Midlands Combined Authority, police authorities, the Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Games England and representatives of funding groups".

There is no salary figure mentioned in the advert but the successful candidate will be expected to be based in Birmingham and it reveals the Organising Committee will wrap up operations by the end of March 2023.  

Odgers Berndtson previously worked with London 2012 and helped put Paul Deighton into his role as chief executive.

They also worked with Paris 2024, where Etienne Thobois was appointed as director general having been chief executive during the French capital's successful bid. 

Other prominent positions they have filled recently include the English Football Association, helping recruit Martin Glenn.

Applications for the role at Birmingham 2022 is due close on August 10. 

Full details of the position can be read here.