Adrian Christy, the sport's chief executive, said he is looking for the right person to develop new talent to succeed Gail Emms, who retired after the Beijing Olympics with a 2004 mixed doubles silver medal and 2006 world title to her name.

 

England are looking to be the world's top nation by 2016 and also Christy wants medal prospects ahead of the London Olympics in 2012.

 

Christy wants to target next February's European Team Championships in Liverpool and in April 2010 the European Individual Championship in Manchester, as well as the World Championships at Wembley, as the perfect build-up to London 2012.

 

He said:  "It's a chance to make home advantage count in our quest for medals and success and we can't afford to waste this opportunity.

 

"I want to see us up there as the best in the world by 2016."

 

Since badminton made its debut in the Olympics at Barcelona in 1992, Britain have won two medals.

 

Simon Archer and Joanne Goode won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles at Sydney in 2000 and Nathan Robertson and Emms went one better in Athens four years later when they claimed the silver.

 

The best British performance at this year's Olympics in Beijing came from Robertson and Emms, who were knocked out in the quarter-finals by South Korean pair Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung, who went onto win the gold medal, as Asian countries dominated the tournament.

 

China won eight of the 15 medals available, including three gold, to top the medals table ahead of Indonesia and South Korea, who won three each, and Malaysia, who won one.

 

Christy said: "After our Olympic medal success in Sydney and Athens, we missed out disappointingly in Beijing.

 

"We want to more than make up for that in London.

 

"We saw what sports like cycling, swimming and rowing achieved in Beijing and we are looking for a person with the same drive and passion to produce medals for England and for Great Britain in badminton."

 

Christy wants to have appointed someone by Christmas, he said.

 

He said: "The successful applicant will be responsible for two World Class programmes – England’s and Team GB.

 

"We are looking for a highly-motivated, strategic leader who can bring an unparalleled attention to detail to the role.

 

"It is a tremendous opportunity for someone to make a significant contribution to our aspirations.

 

“We want someone with significant experience in elite sport, someone with highly-developed leadership skills who has achieved success as a medal-winning leader at Olympic and World level. We are determined to find that person - and quickly.”

 

More details are available from www.badmintonengland.co.uk/jobs.