Director, Membership

Primary Purpose

The Director, Membership, is the owner of NEI’s membership strategy, systems, and performance. This role is accountable for defining, protecting, and evolving NEI’s member value proposition; ensuring excellence and discipline in membership operations; and providing executive leadership with timely, credible intelligence on membership health, risks, and opportunities.

The Director sets standards for member engagement, data integrity, and service delivery across the organization, holds the membership function accountable for measurable outcomes, and serves as a trusted advisor to the Executive Leadership Team on membership growth, retention, revenue stability, and long-term sustainability.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Accountability

• Own and continuously refine NEI’s membership strategy, including recruitment, retention, engagement, and value articulation.
• Serve as a senior advisor to the Executive Leadership Team on membership performance, member sentiment, market shifts, and emerging risks and opportunities.
• Establish and enforce organization-wide standards for member engagement, responsiveness, and use of membership data.
• Proactively identify threats to member value or membership revenue and elevate risks with clear recommendations for action.

Membership Growth, Retention & Revenue

• Set and execute strategies to achieve net membership growth, high retention, and long-term financial stability.
• Lead the evolution of NEI’s dues model to reflect industry changes, new markets, and member expectations.
• Define and assess member value propositions; propose and implement enhancements to benefits, services, and engagement models.
• Monitor member and market trends affecting NEI’s financial and strategic position and develop mitigation or growth strategies accordingly.

Executive Reporting & Decision Intelligence

• Produce clear, decision-ready membership dashboards and reports for ELT and senior leadership, translating data into actionable insights.
• Ensure membership metrics inform organizational planning, conference strategy, communications priorities, and leadership engagement.

Operational Excellence, Process Ownership & Risk Management

• Design, document, and maintain robust standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all core membership processes.
• Own the accuracy, reliability, and governance of NEI’s Association Management System (AMS) and all related membership data tools.
• Conduct regular audits of data integrity, workflows, member-facing assets, and task completion to ensure consistency and accountability.
• Implement proactive risk identification, contingency planning, and structured after-action reviews to drive continuous improvement.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, manage, and develop the membership team, setting clear expectations, performance standards, and accountability.
• Design the future-state membership function, including skills, roles, and capabilities, and recommend structural or capability changes as needed.
• Take full responsibility for performance management, coaching, and corrective action to ensure a high-performing, reliable team.

Cross-Functional Integration & Influence

• Partner with the Communications Division to set and execute a cohesive membership marketing and member experience strategy.
• Work in conjunction with the ELT to ensure organizational initiatives, events, and communications align with membership strategy and insights.
• Integrate products, services, and intelligence from across NEI to strengthen member engagement and value delivery.

Technology, AI & Data Standards

• Serve as the organizational owner of membership intelligence, analytics, and data standards.
• Identify, adopt, and require the use of AI and automation tools that improve responsiveness, data quality, and operational efficiency.
• Ensure ethical, responsible, and effective application of AI in membership operations and reporting.

External Leadership & Representation

• Represent NEI’s membership function with credibility to senior executives, Board members, and prospective members.
• Articulate NEI’s membership value proposition to external audiences and contribute thought leadership on the future of association membership.