Director Membership and Events

Association for Consultancy and Engineering

About the Organisation

Association for Consultancy and Engineering and the Environmental Industries Commission (“ACE Group”) memberships comprise companies providing infrastructure solutions to some of the most high-profile topics of our time, such as economic growth, climate change and biodiversity net gain, housing, and regional development, creating social value for communities. Membership includes major global brands, including ARUP, WSP, and AECOM, and a large proportion of medium and smaller businesses across the UK. The 400-member companies we represent enable the infrastructure and buildings we depend on, providing the expertise and innovation to help deliver projects of every scale.

They are part of the engineering design sector, a cornerstone of our economy, employing over 470,000 people and contributing more than £39.2bn to GDP annually. This sector makes a real difference to people’s daily lives - improving it, making it safer and easier. As the leading business association for this sector, our mission is to advocate, anticipate, and educate on behalf of our members. That means proactively engaging with governments and stakeholders about challenges and opportunities, ensuring our members of all sizes have a voice.

About the role

The Director of Membership and Events plays a pivotal role in developing and implementing a comprehensive membership strategy that attracts, engages, and retains members and delivers revenue growth. With the confidence to network, the post holder proactively builds strong relationships with current and prospective members, promptly addressing their inquiries, needs, and providing exceptional customer service. The Director leads on member services, including the ACE event program, agreements, and our affiliate member offer. They identify and secure sponsorship for our activity from key industry partners. The post holder will design, program, manage, and deliver the ACE and EIC event program, including flagship conferences, Awards, and Parliamentary Receptions.

They will work in partnership with other Directors to deliver Nations and Regions, Advocacy and Operational Groups, ensuring timely promotion and a high standard for all events. In addition to core business development, programme management and planning skills, this role requires leadership, financial, and creative skills to continually innovate and enhance member services, striving to consistently exceed expectations. The post holder will conduct regular surveys to gauge member satisfaction levels and stay informed about industry trends and developments, ensuring that the ACE Group offer remains competitive and aligns with the changing needs of our members. As a member of ACE’s Leadership Team, the incumbent will contribute to the overall leadership of the ACE executive. They will develop and motivate their team and embed a positive and high-performing company culture.

Responsibilities

Membership:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive business development strategy to attract, engage, and retain association members in the built environment industry.
• Personally lead on identifying and securing new members.
• Increase the association’s revenue through membership growth and diversify commercial income opportunities in line with agreed financial targets.
• Lead on attracting sponsorship for the ACE Group activity.
• Manage the Directorate budget – including membership and events cost and revenue lines, ensuring effective supplier management.
• Foster strong relationships with current and prospective members, ensuring their needs are met and exceeded.
• Implement a company-wide key account management programme to ensure members feel valued and are successfully engaged in the work of the ACE Group.
• Analyse membership data and generate reports to track metrics, membership trends, and the effectiveness of member services initiatives.
• Work closely with the Marketing Director to develop targeted member and external communications with the aim of promoting membership and ensuring the success of ACE Group activity.
• Travel as required in order to represent the association at industry conferences, trade shows, and events to promote membership and engage with potential members.
• Stay informed about industry trends, regulations, and developments to ensure that member services remain competitive and align with the changing needs of the built environment sector.
• Lead and develop the membership team, ensuring:
  • Exceptional customer service to members, including promptly responding to inquiries, concerns, and requests for information.
  • Delivery of membership retention programmes, including renewal campaigns, invoice chasing, engagement initiatives, and feedback mechanisms.
  • Regular surveys and feedback from members are used to gauge satisfaction levels and identify and implement improvement plans.
  • Oversight of the member database, ensuring accurate and up-to-date records are kept.

Events:

• As Director, you are responsible for the delivery, quality, and success of the events program.
• Strategic oversight and ownership of the event program, including annual scheduling of dates for the forthcoming year and proactive instigation of the event planning cycle.
• Quality assurance for the planning and execution of a broad range of conferences and events, including flagship Parliamentary events and C-suite level conferences and dinners.
• Active management of the events budgets, including cost negotiation with suppliers.
• Ownership of budget throughout event lifecycle: create and maintain a detailed Excel budget, follow appropriate escalations where necessary. Timely and accurate invoice tracking and processing.
• Close working with the Marketing Director to ensure best practice invitation processes, effective event promotion with high satisfaction and attendance levels.
• Support the Event Manager and ACE team in their external speaker research and management, including speaker briefing packs, scheduling briefing calls, and logistical arrangements.
• Sound knowledge and adherence to legal requirements, including GDPR and event health and safety.
• Event evaluation and feedback, including flagship event de-briefs, attendance reporting & feedback analysis.

Leadership and Team:

• Key Relationships: 4 direct reports plus agreements advisor, CEO, the ACE Group
• Chair and Board; Director of Public Affairs, Director of Marketing and Communications,
• Director of Policy.
• Setting direction for the Membership and Events team – including oversight of SMART personal objectives and supporting development to ensure timely, high-quality member services. 

Skills, Competencies & Experience

• Proven sales and business development experience, including engagement with senior stakeholders and clients
• Experience in event planning, including event design, program management, and delivery, ideally in a relevant sector.
• A strong commercial acumen and ability to create, maintain, and report accurate financial information on the association’s commercial income.
• Good working knowledge of and interest in Event Tech
• Flexible and willing to work long hours (evenings) and travel when required
• Strong team player, do what it takes to get the best outcomes, and always maintains high standards of excellence
• Lead and inspire a high-performing team to provide exceptional service to members.
• Innovative, solutions-focused - makes and owns decisions
• Experience chairing meetings and public speaking is an advantage
• An understanding of the industry, knowledge of key stakeholders, trends, and challenges would be ideal, but applicants who possess a strong willingness to learn and are passionate about gaining industry expertise will also be considered.
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint
• Proactive - ability to multi-task and prioritise workload, working under pressure to deadlines whilst maintaining a high standard of accuracy
• Continually seeks to maintain own professional knowledge through a willingness to learn and develop.

Required Qualifications

• A degree, ideally in a relevant discipline such as business

Working locations

• Home-based
• Frequently, London and the UK travel

How to apply

• Please send your CV with a short (maximum 2-page) expression of interest highlighting relevant experience and why you are interested in this role, to Andria Balboa: [email protected].

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