Sr. Director, Membership Recruitment & Growth

The American Institute of Architects•Washington, DC

2d•$122,950 - $135,000•Remote

About The Position

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is seeking a Sr. Director, Membership Recruitment & Growth to advocate for the value of architecture and provide architects and design professionals with the resources they need. AIA is committed to equity, human rights, strengthening communities, a sustainable future, protecting communities from climate change impacts, economic opportunity, and investing in the future. The organization is building a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion within the profession of architecture to create a better built environment for all. This role reports to the Managing Director, Member Support & Solutions and is responsible for AIA's national recruitment agenda across individual and group membership pathways. It involves shaping outreach strategies, building campaigns and partnerships, and driving outreach to key segments. The Senior Director will lead high-impact programs such as group enrollment expansion, win-back campaigns, and strategic outreach to allied and international audiences, while collaborating with retention, marketing, and chapter colleagues to manage the entire membership pipeline. Success will be measured by measurable growth in new members, higher reinstatement, stronger conversion, and a coordinated recruitment system across national and chapter efforts.

Requirements

Demonstrated success driving multi segment acquisition growth, including experience reaching new or underpenetrated audiences.
Strong experience managing both people and performance, with a track record of delivering results through small teams.
Ability to operate effectively at both strategic and executional levels.
Fluency in Fonteva (Salesforce based AMS) and recruitment journey design.
Strong analytical and data interpretation skills.
Experience with segmentation, lead generation, and conversion optimization across diverse audiences.
Skilled at tailoring strategies to distinct audience segments, such as allied, international, and early career.
Bachelor's degree in business, management, marketing, or a related field, plus ten years of experience in membership growth, recruitment, or marketing, ideally in associations or mission driven organizations.

Responsibilities

Define and lead AIA's membership recruitment strategy across individual and group enrollment, with focused growth among former members, recent graduates, allied professions, and international prospects.
Own performance against acquisition and reinstatement goals, including pipeline health, conversion outcomes, and opportunities to diversify and expand the membership base.
Directly lead high impact membership sales and outreach by developing segmented prospect lists and coordinating outbound efforts with staff and component partners based on strategic priorities.
Partner with Marketing and Communications to design, execute, and evaluate integrated recruitment campaigns that are data informed and tailored to priority audiences.
Lead win back efforts to re-engage recently terminated members, continuously improving targeting, messaging, and conversion in partnership with the retention team.
Collaborate with AIAS and other organizations to introduce AIA to prospective members and convert them to AIA membership.
Grow the Group Enrollment Program as a core acquisition channel by setting strategy, coaching staff on outbound prospecting and lead nurture, and scaling firm-based recruitment approaches.
Develop and execute targeted growth strategies for allied professionals and international audiences, including identifying priority markets, refining value propositions, and working with internal and external partners to expand reach and conversion.
Develop onboarding strategies that increase early engagement and long-term retention.
Collaborate with chapters and internal stakeholders to test, refine, and scale segment specific campaigns and partnerships, ensuring alignment between national strategy and local execution.
Shape AIA's national to chapter recruitment approach, ensuring alignment on goals, messaging, and execution.
Equip chapter executives with strategic guidance for local and state campaigns, high-value prospect lists (including coordination with licensing boards), and access to national tools, data, and campaign assets.
Support chapters in reaching under tapped segments, including allied and internationally connected prospects.
Leverage Fonteva and recruitment journeys to manage performance, monitor pipeline activity, and identify optimization opportunities.
Establish clear KPIs and reporting rhythms across segments, including architect, associate, allied, and international.
Translate data into actionable insights that improve targeting, messaging, and conversion.
Partner with the Senior Director, Retention to align messaging, segmentation, and lifecycle strategy.
Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to integrate brand, campaigns, and growth goals.
Engage internal stakeholders to align recruitment efforts with broader membership and market expansion strategies.
Lead and develop a two-person recruitment team, with opportunity to scale over time.
Provide hands on coaching, particularly in outreach, lead nurturing, and segment specific recruitment approaches.
Ensure disciplined execution, clear priorities, and strong accountability.
Manage and track annual new member, recruitment, and career center budgets.

Benefits

Medical, vision, and dental
401(k)
Flexibility
Paid time off
Parental Leave
Flexible spending accounts
Income protection, including Life Insurance Coverage up to 2x salary, and disability plans at no cost
Tuition and membership reimbursements
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees and their family members
SmartBenefits transportation program, featuring up to $55 monthly in public transportation as well as pretax METRO parking
Computer purchase program
Fitness club discounts
Prepaid legal services program
Identity theft protection