The Association for association professionals in Chicagoland

The National Restaurant Association is proud to be part of a highly respected industry, providing hospitality, opportunity, and quality of life. Much like the industry we represent, we have a dynamic, diverse, and inclusive culture, grounded in trust, hospitality, collaboration, and innovation. These are the core values that inspire our work, and what we are looking for in an exciting new role as Vice President, Membership, to drive the growth, engagement, and retention of members through compelling, segment-specific programming and education.

As VP, Membership, you will be responsible for building out and optimizing a segment-level member value proposition that delivers measurable value, strengthens industry influence, and positions the Association as indispensable to its members.

Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, you will oversee a team of six and be directly responsible for driving membership revenue through dues and non-dues revenue streams, working cross-functionally with key internal business partners and State Restaurant Association (SRA) partners to create an integrated membership strategy that combines strategic growth initiatives with high-value, market-relevant engagement and educational offerings.

The role requires a highly collaborative, creative, and data forward leader with a track record of developing and scaling programs, education initiatives, and engagement strategies. Ideal candidates bring an entrepreneurial drive with a minimum 15+ years in membership, association management, customer engagement, or related leadership role, with proven success in growth and retention.

Position operates out of our DC office, with a required three days onsite, Monday – Wednesday with flexibility to work remote on Thursday and Friday. 

The work you will do as VP, Membership will be integral to the Association’s mission to be an indispensable resource and champion to the industry. We look forward to hearing from you!

We are proud to offer our team members comprehensive benefits, designed to support their financial, professional, and personal well-being. In addition to outstanding healthcare coverage (medical, dental and vision), competitive salaries, generous vacation and leave time, we offer a matching 401(k) plan, a unique collection of corporate discounts and memberships, as well as programs to support career and skills development, including coaching, learning and tuition assistance, and so much more.

Key Responsibilities

Membership Growth & Revenue Development

• Lead the acquisition, retention, and revenue strategy for national membership, including segmentation, packaging, and pricing approaches aligned with member value and market potential.
• Identify opportunities to expand membership within high-potential or emerging segments and develop targeted outreach strategies.
• Leverage membership programs to drive non-dues revenue through sponsorship, partnerships, and cross-sell opportunities.

Segment-Specific Value Proposition

• Collaborate across departments to design a clear, differentiated value proposition for each core member segment—integrating advocacy, education, research, business solutions, and high-impact networking. Ensure offerings foster peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, cultivate future leaders, and strengthen the industry’s ability to attract, develop, and retain top talent.
• Leverage the Association’s convening power to connect members with peers, experts, and industry leaders, fostering relationships that drive business growth, knowledge sharing, and industry influence.
• Ensure member offerings are responsive to industry trends, emerging needs, and business challenges unique to each segment.
• Establish clear audience targeting, participation goals, and program evaluation metrics.

Programming, Education & Engagement Leadership

• Serve as the strategic lead for the Association’s signature member programs, including existing offerings such as Expert Exchange Communities, Industry Councils, Kids Live Well, and others, while identifying new opportunities to create high-value engagement experiences.
• Develop and guide an annualized Member Engagement & Education Calendar with defined topic tracks aligned to advocacy priorities, industry trends, and member needs, ensuring programs serve as key touchpoints for peer-to-peer networking, idea exchange, and community building.
• Ensure each program serves as both a value driver for members and a contributor to the thought leadership content strategy.

Leadership Development & Member Pipeline

• Identify, engage, and cultivate high-potential members for deeper involvement in Association leadership, advisory councils, and the Board.
• Establish pathways for members to progress from engagement in programs to active leadership roles.

Data-Driven Member Experience

• Define and track KPIs for membership growth, engagement, retention, and program participation.
• Work with IT team to develop a comprehensive segmentation architecture to live within our CRM and AMS platforms.
• Use insights from member feedback, analytics, and market research to continuously refine strategies.

Organizational Alignment & Insight Sharing

• Educate internal teams on member needs, segment-specific drivers, and program performance to ensure alignment across the organization.
• Collaborate with functional leads to integrate membership goals into advocacy, communications, events, and research initiatives.

State Restaurant Association (SRA) Support & Enablement

• Partner with SRAs to strengthen their member engagement capabilities, providing marketing resources, communications tools, and program strategies.
• Align national and state-level offerings to deliver a seamless, complementary member experience.
• Codify regional membership strategy

Requirements

• 15+ years in membership, association management, customer engagement, or related leadership role, with proven success in growth and retention.
• Strong track record of developing and scaling programs, education initiatives, and member engagement strategies.
• Deep understanding of audience segmentation, value proposition development, and program design.
• Excellent leadership, collaboration, and communication skills, with the ability to influence across departments and with external partners.
• Data-driven decision-maker with experience applying analytics to improve performance and outcomes.
• Experience in building collaborative business and stakeholder relationships.
• Knowledge of the restaurant, hospitality, or related industry is highly desirable.
• Strong presentation skills; confident presenting ideas and concepts to senior leadership.
• Proven success in managing and building teams.
• Excellent strategic planning, project, and budget management skills.
• Highly adaptable; ability to work well under pressure, within fast-paced and fluid environment both in office and virtual.
• Highly analytical and critical thinking abilities.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and time-management skills.
• Ability to travel quarterly or as needed.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The National Restaurant Association, National Restaurant Association Solutions, LLC, and The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (together, “Company”) is committed to equal employment opportunity, and it is Company's policy to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in all job titles, and ensure that all other personnel actions are administered, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status and disability, or other legally protected status, and we will ensure that all employment decisions are based only on valid job requirements.

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.