Director, Member Services and Engagement

The National League of Cities (NLC) is a prominent membership-based organization representing the interests of over 19,000 cities, towns, and villages across the United States. With a dedicated team of over 150 professionals, NLC provides a comprehensive range of services through specialized centers focused on leadership development, policy research, federal advocacy, member engagement, operations, and communications.

Based at NLC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Director, Member Services and Engagement role is consistent with the mission, vision, and values of the National League of Cities and lead the member engagement & service team. The Member Services and Engagement team is responsible for member recruitment, retention and engagement and includes vital member engagement opportunities such as NLC’s constituency groups and member councils.

Key Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Business Development & Strategic Growth
  • Serve as a lead ambassador for NLC’s membership program, representing the organization to external stakeholders, prospective partners, and large city leaders with a focus on building strategic relationships that drive organizational growth.
  • Identify and cultivate new business opportunities that align with NLC’s mission and provide added value to members, particularly in coordination with the Strategic Partners, Enterprise Programs, and external collaborators.
  • Develop and implement strategies that connect member recruitment and engagement efforts with measurable revenue and membership growth.
  • Monitor and analyze market trends, city demographics, and emerging needs in the municipal sector to inform membership and partnership strategies.
  • Proactively pursue opportunities to expand NLC’s reach into underrepresented areas or city segments, with a focus on scaling programs and services.
  • Collaborate cross-departmentally to develop new programs, resources, and initiatives that serve member cities while also contributing to organizational revenue goals.
  • Report on key performance metrics related to business development, including new member conversions, partnership growth, and related financial impacts.
• Large Cities Engagement
  • Nurture strong relationships with large city members and maintain continuous engagement activities, serving as the lead contact for cities with populations over 200,000.
  • Lead efforts to improve large city engagement with NLC through effective communication strategies and by creating new avenues for meaningful large city involvement.
  • Develop relationships with key city officials, including mayors, council members, city managers and other elected and appointed officials. Solicit feedback and identify areas of opportunity to improve engagement and outreach efforts.
• Organizational & Team Leadership
  • Participate in the development of overall strategic plans for NLC, aligning the organization’s unique strengths and resources to meet the needs of cities.
  • Create a continuous learning environment on the MSE team. Ensure that all staff have opportunities for professional development, mentoring, and leadership development.
  • Guide and direct assigned staff members to plan and complete the necessary work in support of overall strategies. Define individual work goals, expectations, priorities, and measures for success.
  • Promote member engagement and customer service across NLC. Develop and implement training and communication initiatives to educate NLC staff at large staff about key member programs and benefits.
  • Represent the membership perspective on NLC task forces, committees and through interpersonal engagement across the organization.
  • Maintain close awareness of NLC programs and adopt effective communication strategies to share NLC resources with member cities and constituency groups.
  • Serve as mentor and coach to staff providing knowledge and technical expertise. Plan and deliver professional development to staff based on their current work assignments and long-term goals.
  • Educate MSE staff on development in NLC’s services, programs, opportunities and challenges with MSE team.
  • Achieve team goals within budget.
  • Deliver presentations on programs, activities, and services at various conferences and events.
  • Support the NLC Board of Directors’ Membership Committee.
• Collaborate with Strategic Partners
  • Collaborate with the Strategic Partners and Enterprise Partners staff to create new, exclusive member benefits. Seek dynamic, mutually beneficial growth opportunities that enhance resources for NLC’s member cities.
  • Collaborate with NLC’s State Municipal League staff to maintain and strengthen symbiosis between NLC and state leagues. Seek mutually beneficial opportunities to integrate membership growth, improve service to members, increase member participation, and to enhance member recruitment and retention.
  • Collaborate with business partners on member outreach activities.
• Member Recruitment, Retention and Engagement Leadership
  • Collaborate with the Member Service and Engagement Program Director to ensure the development of robust strategies for growth in new member acquisition, retention, and engagement.
  • Oversee the development of cutting-edge communication strategies and programming that generates robust membership growth, enhances member retention, and increases member participation in NLC services and programs.
  • Analyze existing data and generate new data as needed to identify member needs, challenges and opportunities for new NLC benefits to meet those needs.
  • Participate actively in internal NLC task forces and committees, representing the membership perspective. Promote the membership perspective across the organization to staff at all levels. Increase awareness across the organization of the importance of member engagement.
• Manage Constituency Groups
  • Lead overall strategy for NLC’s constituency groups.
  • Create communications strategies and tactics to increase constituent group membership and enhance CG profile and voice within NLC at all levels.
  • Oversee regular reporting to Constituency Group Presidents regarding membership statistics/budget.
  • Facilitate cross-pollination between the constituency groups managers and the regional membership specialists to maximize the effectiveness of both.
  • Develop and oversee constituency group budgets.
  • Monitor city conditions and activities that may impact member engagement and take appropriate corrective actions to mitigate concerns

To be Successful in the role:

Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree in strategic communications, public relations/marketing, business administration, or public administration plus 5 years of practical experience, or Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 10 years of practical experience.
• Strong relationship management skills and ability to interact effectively with members, representatives of other organizations, elected officials, consultants and all levels of NLC staff
• Strong computer skills required, including intermediate and advanced MS Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and a knowledge of customer management systems
• Experience managing and leading a diverse team
• Proven success in developing and executing strategies and tactics for recruiting, engaging, and retaining members of an association or similar organization
• Proficiency in managing personal and maximizing staff professional growth and development
• Budget management and project management experience
• Familiarity with local government operations and issues of interest to local governments preferred
• Demonstrated experience making written and oral presentations

Key Competencies:

• Critical Thinking - advanced level
• Building Relationships – advanced level
• Business Acumen – advanced level
• Communication – advanced level
• Collaboration – advanced level
• Drive for Results – advanced level
• Project Management – advanced level
• Leadership – advanced level
• Innovation – advanced level
• Stewardship – advanced level

NLC INCLUSION STATEMENT

NLC is committed to fostering a culture that values diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.

NLC is dedicated to ensuring that our hiring practices and workplace policies provide equal access to opportunities, skill development, and merit-based advancement.

By embracing inclusion, we foster a work culture of continuous learning, innovation, creativity, and understanding which are essential to our success supporting cities, towns, and villages.

NLC will take steps to ensure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. Accordingly, if a reasonable accommodation is required to fully participate in the job application or interview process, to perform the essential functions of the position, and/or to receive all other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Human Resources at hr@nlc.org

WORK LOCATION

This hybrid position is based in Washington, DC, and requires three days on-site at our NLC headquarters.

Target Hiring Range: 140-160k

OUR BENEFITS

• Competitive benefits and retirement package
• Generous paid time off and holidays
• Hybrid work environment
• Professional Development

EOE/M/F/D/V