Manager, Regional/Section Engagement

Institute of Food Technologists•Chicago, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Regional/Section Engagement serves as the primary relationship manager for assigned IFT Sections, and is responsible for the overall health, engagement, and performance of those Sections. Through partnership with Section leaders and volunteers, the role helps strengthen member engagement, volunteer leadership, recruitment, retention, and organizational effectiveness while aligning local and regional efforts with IFT's global engagement priorities. This role is expected to use AI and automation to streamline work, simplify processes, and improve engagement workflows.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in association management, communications, nonprofit management, education, business, or related field.
5+ years of experience in membership, volunteer engagement, component/chapter/section support, community management, events, or stakeholder engagement.
Demonstrated ability to support distributed volunteer leaders, manage relationships and timelines, coordinate projects, communicate clearly, and use data and feedback to improve member engagement.

Nice To Haves

Work with professional societies, scientific associations, chapters, components, Sections, volunteer communities, international or cross-border member groups, leadership forums or trainings.
Proficiency with CRM/community platforms, data analysis, and engagement dashboards.
CAE or association management coursework.
Spanish fluency/proficiency and/or language or cultural competency relevant to Mexico/Latam engagement.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary staff liaison for assigned Sections, building trusted relationships with volunteer leaders and ensuring consistent communication, support, and follow-through.
Facilitate recurring leadership meetings, document priorities and action items, identify emerging needs, and coordinate with peer engagement staff to ensure a consistent member and volunteer experience across the network.
Support Section leaders to strengthen member engagement, recruitment, retention, and re-engagement efforts.
Help connect local programming, communications, volunteer opportunities, student initiatives, supplier engagement, academic partnerships, and industry participation to IFT's broader member value strategy.
Identify opportunities to improve engagement outcomes and expand participation within the region.
Support the full volunteer leadership lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, development, succession planning, recognition, and leadership transitions.
Provide practical tools, resources, training, and coaching that help Section leaders strengthen governance, operations, communications, and volunteer effectiveness while maintaining alignment with IFT policies and expectations.
Coordinate executive and Board engagement activities across the Western U.S., British Columbia, Mexico, and Latin America by preparing briefing materials, facilitating follow-up, identifying local partnership and engagement opportunities, and escalating issues requiring Director-level decisions.
Lead the planning and coordination of Section visits, partnering across IFT to ensure each visit is strategic, impactful, and aligned with organizational priorities.
Track and assess portfolio activity, Section health, member participation, volunteer engagement, governance effectiveness, risks, and emerging opportunities using established scorecards and performance metrics.
Analyze member and leader feedback to identify trends, recommend targeted support strategies, share best practices across regions, and contribute to forecasting, planning, and performance reviews.
Support planning and execution of Section Leadership Conference, IFT FIRST Section leader experiences, and related engagement programs, including speaker/volunteer recruitment, assigned budget inputs, vendor coordination, materials, timelines, post-event documentation, and follow-up action plans.
Manage cross-functional relationships, projects, and deliverables to ensure Section engagement activities are aligned, coordinated, and effectively integrated with teams across IFT that deliver member value.
May supervise temporary staff, interns, contractors, or volunteers connected to regional engagement programs as assigned.