Director, Community & Membership

The Director, Community and Membership is the leader responsible for shaping SHPE’s end-to-end individual member experience across the full lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding through engagement, retention, lifetime membership, governance participation, and alumni connection. This role serves as SHPE’s primary owner of member strategy, digital member systems (MySHPE), and nonprofit partnership development, ensuring that the voice of the individual member is consistently represented in organizational decision-making, national programming, and board-level initiatives.

This position operates as a peer to the Director of Regions & Chapters, with complementary ownership: the Director of Regions & Chapters champions the regional and chapter ecosystem, while this role champions the individual member experience nationally. Together, these leaders ensure alignment between grassroots engagement and enterprise strategy.

This is a full-time, contract role for a remote position requiring travel 2-5 times per year.

Core Responsibility Pillars

1. Member Strategy & Lifecycle Leadership
   • Lead the design and execution of SHPE’s national member engagement strategy, covering recruitment, onboarding, engagement, retention, renewal, and lifetime member pathways.
   • Develop and maintain a multi-year roadmap for member growth and revenue generation, with a specific focus on sustainable lifetime membership conversion and value creation.
   • Serve as the primary staff liaison for individual member strategy to executive leadership and the National Board of Directors.
2. MySHPE Platform Ownership & Digital Community Leadership
   • Serve as SHPE’s owner for MySHPE (association management system, CRM, and digital community platform), including final design, testing, launch, adoption, and continuous optimization.
   • Lead member engagement within MySHPE communities, supported by cross-functional staff, ensuring consistent, high-quality communication and community management.
   • Partner with IT, Marketing, and Programs teams to integrate MySHPE with communications, learning systems, events, and data analytics.
3. Member Voice in Signature Programs & Events
   • Represent the individual member perspective in the design and delivery of SHPE’s signature events, including National Convention, NILA, and national leadership programs.
   • Collaborate with Events, Programs, and Advancement teams to ensure member value, accessibility, and engagement are embedded into event strategy and sponsorship models.
   • Develop mechanisms to capture, analyze, and report member feedback and satisfaction at scale.
4. Nonprofit Partnerships & MOU Leadership
   • Lead the development, negotiation, and management of MOUs and strategic partnerships with nonprofit and mission-aligned organizations.
   • In collaboration with Sr Director of Programs, identify non-profit partnership opportunities that expand member access to resources, professional development, and community impact.
   • Ensure partnerships align with SHPE’s strategic plan, governance standards, and member value proposition.
5. Governance, Advocacy & National Engagement
   • Support the Government Relations Committee’s local advocacy and member engagement initiatives, ensuring alignment with SHPE’s national strategy.
   • Lead the national elections process, including systems, timelines, volunteer/intern support, and compliance with governance standards.
   • Design and implement a national strategy for meaningful engagement between members and the National Board of Directors.
6. Membership Growth & Revenue Strategy
   • Lead national member recruitment campaigns in partnership with Marketing and Advancement, with a focus on both volume growth and diversified revenue streams.
   • Develop data-informed strategies to maximize renewals, upgrades, and lifetime membership conversion.
   • Monitor membership performance, trends, and financial impact, producing regular executive and board-level reporting.
7. People Leadership & Cross-Functional Integration
   • Directly manage the Membership Coordinator and provide primary leadership support to the Director of Regions & Chapters.
   • Provide indirect leadership to the Member Engagement Coordinator, ensuring alignment across the centralized volunteer management program and chapter, regional, and individual member initiatives.
   • Serve as a cross-functional partner to Finance, Marketing, Programs, Advancement, and IT to align systems, campaigns, budgets, and reporting.

Qualifications

Required

• • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  • Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in nonprofit leadership, membership-based organizations, or community engagement strategy.
  • Demonstrated success leading enterprise systems, CRM/AMS platforms, or large-scale digital community initiatives.
  • Proven ability to develop and execute national growth and engagement strategies tied to revenue and impact.
  • Experience working with boards, governance committees, or senior volunteer leadership.
  • Strong data literacy with the ability to translate analytics into executive-level insights and decisions.
  • Exceptional communication, customer service, stakeholder management, and public-facing leadership skills.

Preferred

• • Experience in STEM-focused, professional, or affinity-based associations.
  • Background in partnership development, MOUs, or cross-sector collaboration.
  • Experience leading remote, distributed teams.

Leadership Profile

The ideal candidate is a strategic operator who can move fluidly between enterprise design and hands-on execution. They are systems-minded, member-centered, and governance-aware, with the credibility to partner with executive leadership, board members, corporate and nonprofit partners, and grassroots volunteers alike. This leader brings a strong equity and access lens to community design and is energized by building scalable platforms that deepen belonging and impact.

Work Environment

• • Fully remote position with access to reliable internet.
  • Ability to travel for national events, partner meetings, and leadership convenings.
  • Ability to participate in virtual meetings on camera.

Submission Requirements

Please submit your application https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Community_Membership. Below are the materials that you will include as part of your application:

• • Resume- required
  • Cover Letter- optional but highly encouraged
  • Contact information for 3 Professional References

Priority will be given to applicants who apply by March 1. After that date, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Please send questions to research@shpe.org

EEO Statement

SHPE is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of SHPE not to discriminate against any individual or group for reasons of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, age, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, physical or mental or sensory disability, genetic information, military status, or any other consideration protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. SHPE is committed to providing equal opportunities in all employment-related activities including, but not limited to recruiting, hiring, advancement, compensation, training, benefits, transfers, and terms of employment.