Gloucestershire have advertised for a new performance director and head coach, with the ambition of winning a white-ball trophy in the next two seasons and the club's first-ever County Championship by 2025.
Richard Dawson, the club's long-standing head coach, was appointed as the ECB's elite performance pathway coach in March, with his assistant Ian Harvey promoted to interim head coach for the 2021 season.
Gloucestershire were well placed to qualify for both the top division of the County Championship and the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast but missed out after a poor week of results in mid-July. ESPNcricinfo understands the club have been in constant discussion with Harvey throughout the season about his future and he will be considered a strong candidate if he applies for the head coach role.
The club have never previously employed a performance director and have made clear that they see the role as differing from a traditional director of cricket role, inviting applications from those involved in other sports and with backgrounds in talent identification and development.
Gloucestershire confirmed that they will follow the principles of the "Rooney Rule" and interview candidates from a number of different backgrounds for both roles. An appointment is expected to be made before the end of the season.
"These two roles are fundamentally important for the success of the club and we're really excited to be making this announcement today," Will Brown, the club's chief executive, said in a statement. "For both positions, we're looking for innovative, excellent communicators who place player welfare and creating the right culture at the heart of their approach.
"As a new position, there is an incredible opportunity for a performance director to come in with new ideas to really make their mark and help take us forward as we continue to grow, both on and off the field. They will work closely with a head coach, who will ultimately be responsible for creating sustained success on the pitch and across all competitions and formats of the game."
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98
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