Director, Membership

Role context and purpose:

The Director of Membership and Volunteer Engagement is a senior leader responsible for developing strategies that engage, retain and grow our diverse membership community, while also strengthening the impact and reach of our valued volunteer network. The role holder is a confident and adept relationship builder and communicator, comfortable in representing BCS with external stakeholders and with a track record of delivering impactful outcomes through wider internal teams through a matrix structure and through volunteer communities.

The Director of Membership & Volunteer Engagement leads the strategy, planning and delivery of all activities that engage, retain, and grow BCS's membership base. This role ensures members are valued, supported, and connected, enhancing their experience, maximising their lifetime value, and aligning membership services with organisational objectives. The role acts as the voice of members within BCS, driving insights-led improvements in member benefit offerings, communications, events, and services.

Key Responsibilities:

• Working with the Product team, represent the needs/wants of current and future members in the development of the BCS membership proposition, in turn ensuring it remains relevant, compelling, and reflective of the needs of IT and digital professionals at every career stage.
• Oversee the support, recognition, and coordination of our extensive network of volunteers, who play a vital role in championing our purpose and driving grassroots activity across specialist groups, branches, and partner communities.
• Oversee the management of our member facility and staff, located in Moorgate, London, ensuring the facility is well utilised and makes a positive contribution to the member value proposition and the bottom line.
• With a strong focus on member value, inclusivity, and engagement, work collaboratively across departments - particularly Marketing, Product, External Affairs and Operations to shape an outstanding member and volunteer experience that aligns with our strategic objectives and reinforces BCS's role as the professional body for IT.

Membership & Volunteer Strategy

• Work across the directorate and organisation, to develop and implement long-term membership and volunteer engagement strategies, covering recruitment, retention, renewal, onboarding, recognition and lifecycle management.
• Align membership strategy with BCS's overall strategic objectives.

Member Experience and Value Proposition

• Work with Product and Marketing to deliver and refine compelling value propositions for different member segments (students, fellows, professionals, organisational members, etc.).
• Work with Product to continually review and improve member benefits, services, and offerings to ensure relevance and excellence.
• Oversee onboarding, engagement and renewal journeys, ensuring new members are welcomed, informed, and integrated.

Retention & Renewal

• Monitor member satisfaction, retention and churn; identify risk areas and lead initiatives to reduce attrition.
• Use feedback, surveys, data analytics to understand member needs, pain points, and opportunities.

Recruitment & Growth

• Work with Marketing to identify new target markets and channels to grow membership.
• Work with Marketing and contribute to the development of campaigns and partnerships to attract members.

Communications & Engagement

• Work with Marketing to ensure all member communications are up to date, relevant, targeted, compelling and timely.
• Work closely with Marketing, Communications & Events teams to deliver member events, webinars, networking, and learning experiences.
• Promote community-building and peer-to-peer engagement.

Data, CRM & Insights

• Use systems to track membership metrics, engagement levels, renewal pipelines, etc.
• Oversee KPIs/dashboards for membership performance (e.g. growth, retention, engagement, net promoter score, etc.).
• Use data to drive decision-making: segmentation, personalisation, predictive churn analysis etc.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Provide inspirational leadership by upholding BCS values, setting clear expectations, and leading by example to coach and develop others toward excellence.
• Lead, develop, and motivate a team responsible for membership and volunteer engagement.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with other senior leaders: Marketing, Events, Product, External Affairs, Digital, Governance etc.
• Influence internal culture to ensure member-centricity in all parts of the organisation.
• Foster a continuous improvement mindset by encouraging innovation, challenging the status quo, and supporting learning and development within the team.
• Model flexibility and adaptability by remaining open to change, supporting others through transitions, and maintaining focus on outcomes.

Financial & Operational Oversight

• Manage budgets and resources for membership engagement activities.
• Working with Operations and Finance, ensure operational processes and policies deliver excellent member experience.
• Oversee risk areas relating to membership (e.g. data, reputational, regulatory).

Stakeholder Management

• Act as senior champion for members and volunteer members, representing their views within BCS.
• Regularly engage with members and volunteer members at external events.
• Build external partnerships that enhance membership benefits or reach.
• Maintain awareness of sector trends, competitor membership bodies, changes in technology / digital engagement best practices.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education & Qualifications

• Membership of a Professional Body (e.g. CIM, IDM) or equivalent
• Bachelor's degree in a related field, or equivalent professional experience

Experience

• Significant senior leadership experience in a membership-focussed organisation (e.g. professional body, institute, trade association).
• Experience in non-regulated membership environments where membership is not a licence to practice.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful membership engagement, recruitment and retention strategies.
• Solid experience with data analytics and use of CRM tools to drive engagement and measure impact.
• Experience of operating within a committee-based governance structure in a professional body, charity, or similar organisation.
• Experience with organisational membership or partner relationships is desirable but not essential, as is experience of change management and/or product/service innovation.

Competencies & Skills

• Strong commercial and strategic thinking: able to balance strategic priorities with operational delivery.
• Skilled at leading, managing and developing teams; strong interpersonal skills; ability to inspire.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral; able to engage with diverse audiences.
• Good stakeholder management; able to influence at senior levels; able to represent membership voice.
• Decision making and judgment, able to make timely, evidence-based decisions, balancing risk with opportunity
• Collaboration and influence, able to build effective relationships across departments at various levels of the organisation
• Financial acumen; experienced in budget management.

Knowledge

• Understanding of the IT / computing professional landscape (careers, skills, training, accreditation etc.).
• Experience in digital engagement tools / platforms, member communities, online learning, virtual events etc.
• An understanding of the strategic potential of technology and AI is desirable but not essential.

Special Conditions:

• Hybrid working with regular travel within UK for member-facing events.
• Out of "normal" hours work (evenings / weekends) for events/meetings.
• Responsibility for performance metrics and reporting to senior management.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Work Location: In person