Membership Data SME

Connect Centric•,

3d•Remote

About The Position

Connect Centric is seeking a Membership Data SME to lead a strategic data initiative for a national trade association. Over an approximately six-month engagement, the SME will partner with the client's marketing and operations leadership to build foundational member data systems, establish sources of truth across disparate platforms, and develop a roadmap for long-term data governance. The role involves hands-on work across enterprise systems, including ERP, CRM, AMS, and supporting applications, to audit the current state, identify inconsistencies, and define data requirements. The SME will lead the initiative and work with internal teams to produce practical, actionable deliverables. The role includes developing a data dictionary for Person/Contact, Organization/Account, Membership & Affiliation, Relationship & Engagement, and Reference & Master Data. The SME will document member journeys and lifecycles, define business rules, assess and reconcile data across systems, facilitate cross-functional decisions, and establish sustainable data ownership and stewardship practices. The SME will also transfer knowledge, document processes and decisions, and mentor client staff so they can manage data governance after the engagement concludes. This is a project-based independent contractor or 1099 engagement, allocated at 50–75% depending on project phases and client needs. The expected duration is approximately six months, with possible extension. The position is virtual, and candidates may be based in the U.S. or internationally; ability to collaborate during standard U.S. business hours is preferred. The start date is open. Compensation is at competitive contractor rates based on experience and allocation. Full-time W-2 employment is not available for this engagement.

Requirements

Significant membership data experience at trade or professional associations, either in-house or as a consultant primarily serving associations.
Deep working knowledge of member journeys, membership lifecycles (join, renew, lapse), member types, and organization-to-contact relationships and affiliations.
Hands-on experience with an AMS platform such as iMIS, Personify, NetForum, Fonteva, or similar, including data cleanup, integration, and migration work.
Proven experience building data dictionaries, establishing sources of truth and business rules, and leading record matching or reconciliation across multiple systems.
Ability to translate business needs into clear data requirements that technical teams can execute.
Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to drive cross-functional agreement to closure.
Comfort working with ambiguity and the ability to assess existing work and create clarity without a fully defined scope.
Demonstrated ability to establish practical data ownership and stewardship structures.

Nice To Haves

10+ years of experience in membership data, data strategy, or data governance roles.
Experience building data governance frameworks in early-stage or transitional environments.
Background in scientific, academic, nonprofit, or professional association organizations.
Experience with ERP, CRM, or AMS implementations or migrations.
Advanced degree in data management, business administration, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and development of a comprehensive data dictionary covering Person/Contact, Organization/Account, Membership & Affiliation, Relationship & Engagement, and Reference & Master Data.
Translate member journey insights and strategic goals into clear, business-focused data requirements and technical specifications for implementation teams.
Establish sources of truth and business rules for key data elements across multiple systems.
Document member journeys, lifecycle stages (join, renew, lapse), member types, and organization-to-contact relationships and affiliations.
Assess the current state across the ERP platform, two CRM instances, AMS, and supporting applications.
Identify data gaps, inconsistencies, and opportunities to improve data quality and integration.
Lead record matching, data cleanup, and reconciliation across multiple systems.
Recommend practical approaches to unifying member data.
Facilitate agreement across marketing, operations, IT, and other stakeholders on data definitions, ownership, and accountability.
Drive decisions and closure on critical data governance questions.
Explain complex data concepts in member and business terms to non-technical leaders.
Assess existing work, clarify ambiguity, and establish practical priorities aligned with organizational readiness.
Establish practical data ownership and stewardship structures that the client team can sustain independently.
Transfer expertise to internal team members so they can own, evolve, and manage data governance after the engagement.
Document processes, decisions, and lessons learned.
Mentor internal staff on data best practices for association and membership contexts.