Member Engagement Manager

COMPANY DESCRIPTION:

The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) has been a steadfast advocate for the Texas restaurant industry since 1937, providing essential resources to drive success and growth. TRA helps its members increase sales, reduce costs, and boost profitability. Membership with TRA also includes benefits from the National Restaurant Association and access to local chapters across Texas, significantly enhancing the value of the investment.

JOB SUMMARY:

Membership is at the core of the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA). A strong member engagement and retention strategy is essential to building an effective association that supports our mission. To drive this effort, Member Engagement Managers are positioned in each of the TRA’s four offices—Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio—providing direct support to our membership. This role requires a detail-oriented individual with exceptional sales, interpersonal, and organizational skills to manage membership needs, retention, and help oversee the metropolitan office. The ideal candidate will be outgoing, proactive in making business calls, and comfortable engaging with members in person. Additionally, this position will support special events and functions tied to the TRA’s initiatives. This role is based in the San Antonio office.

DUTIES:

Member Engagement (80%)

Member Engagement is central to the success of the TRA, driving growth and sustainability through member count, engagement strength, and utilization of available benefits, products, and services. Member Engagement Managers play a key role in the success of both membership development and retention efforts.

Key activities include:

• Execute the Association’s member acquisition strategies and promotions across the metro market, driving new membership sales and supporting partner organizations offering TRA dual memberships.

• Earn commission based on member acquisition, retention, product and service adoption, and new membership growth.

• Promote the adoption of TRA member benefits, products, and services, encouraging immediate adoption by new members and increasing overall adoption among existing members.

• Collect, analyze, and review member feedback on products and services with the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Member Value Manager to refine offerings that best serve TRA members’ needs.

• Collaborate with the Executive Director to plan and execute membership growth events, followed by targeted outreach to non-member attendees to maximize event-driven membership acquisition opportunities.

• Implement a comprehensive internal and external communications strategy to engage industry professionals, convert new members, and provide existing members with valuable information. This includes social media, blogs, newsletters, webinars, and more, always in coordination with the TRA Events Marketing Team.

• Assist in managing local association functions, including invitations, registration, RSVP lists, documents, name badges, and other event-related tasks for committee meetings, board meetings, organizational functions, and special events.

• Execute elements of the engagement plan to improve the quality and accuracy of member information (e.g., locations, location managers, etc.), with success measured by meeting the annual member retention targets.

• Support timely news alerts and other urgent communications to keep members informed.

• Aggregate events and activities across the market into a unified calendar and assist with coordinating travel for Association and Foundation Chairs during a given board term.

• Manage internal chapter development programs, including member referral incentives and other initiatives designed to grow membership.

Metropolitan Office Support and Local Chapter Board Management (20%)

Supporting strong member engagement and retention requires a well-organized and effective metropolitan office team, led by the Executive Director. Member Engagement Managers play a key role in supporting the chapters within their market, helping ensure that the TRA maintains its position as the leading provider of information and support for Texas' foodservice industry. Duties in this area may be adjusted based on the skills of the candidate and those of other Member Engagement Managers in the office, at the discretion of the Executive Director.

Key activities include:

• Answer phones, process incoming and outgoing mail, manage and order office supplies, and maintain organization of important files, ensuring they are current and easily accessible.

• Attend and support the successful execution of functions and special events sponsored by the Association or its Chapters within the metro market, ensuring contract obligations are met, payments are current, and maximizing opportunities for member acquisition as outlined above.

• Assist with Chapter Board support for local Texas ProStart educators, students, and the Texas Restaurant Foundation within the metro market.

And all other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 3 years’ experience in membership engagement and sales, or at least 5 years of experience in special events and sales within the hospitality industry.

• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Office 365); Salesforce/CRM experience is preferred.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present confidently to large audiences.

• Bilingual in Spanish is preferred.

• Proven attention to detail, exceptional organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Ability to maintain a consistently positive attitude when interacting with members and colleagues.

• Previous experience in the hospitality/restaurant industry and/or association management or leadership is a plus.

• Some local travel and occasional weekend work required for events.

The role requires some local (Texas) travel to support Association activities, not exceeding 15-20% of total hours worked.

As the industry the Association serves operates 24/7/365, the role may occasionally require availability outside of standard "9 to 5" business hours, including for special events, meetings, or to respond to emergency situations, as needed and/or directed by the C-Suite.