Director, Student & Academic Communities

SHRM is a member-driven catalyst for creating better workplaces where people and businesses thrive together. As the trusted authority on all things work, SHRM is the foremost expert, researcher, advocate, and thought leader on issues and innovations impacting today’s evolving workplaces.  With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM touches the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.SummaryThe Director, Student and Academic Communities is instrumental in developing a comprehensive strategy to drive membership growth and engagement, fostering strategic partnerships with our academically aligned universities, and ensuring the success of SHRM Student Chapters across the US. This role requires strategic thinking and exceptional leadership skills to guide, motivate, and manage a high-performing team. The Director is responsible for driving team performance to achieve goals, fostering a positive work environment, ensuring the successful execution of projects and initiatives, and overall growth of the community and engagement activities offered. This role manages a team of Student Relationship Specialists.Responsibilities: Membership Growth and Retention Strategy Primarily responsible for leading a team of key account representatives to focus on membership acquisition and retention initiatives to drive growth and engagement across student memberships, student chapters and both academic teaching faculty and chapter advisor membership groups. Accountable for achieving SHRM’s objectives in member acquisition, retention through a strategy of customer service excellence and engagement focused on our targeted audiences.Manage the relationships with College Relations Directors in SHRM State Councils and Professional Chapters; develop and manage relationships with academic teaching faculty and student chapter advisors. Coordinate SHRM stakeholder input in securing SHRM business objectives with the affiliates collaborating with Academic and Student Communities. This includes but is not limited to member acquisition and retention, member engagement, metered products, certification penetration and sales (e.g. events, etc.)Proactively seeks opportunities to evolve student and transitional membership growth and retention strategies; collaborates with product team on new membership products for this segment. Management & Operational ExcellenceCollaborate with team to develop and implement strategic plans that align with the organization's objectives and drive team success.Collaborate with internal partners to provide strategic guidance, coaching and educational support. Collaborate specifically with Director of Volunteer Communities on governance components for student chapters and for awards program management (e.g., student chapter merit awards). Collaborate with Business Intelligence to develop and monitor business performance metrics and data governance issues affecting this membership segment. Collaborate with the Transformation Team and others affected by the migration of the Academic Alignment Program Management Platform to another system and/or to another team. Track and analyze team performance metrics, identifying areas for improvement and implementing corrective actions as necessary. Utilize data analytics tools to assess membership trends and identify areas for improvement.Ensure communications regarding this membership segment, acquisition, retention/renewal/transition and engagement are cascaded to volunteer leadership, affiliate operations, HR and EN membership teams to ensure alignment of the work of the department with affiliate groups/teams and in accordance with the SHRM strategy and objectives. Plan, prepare, and deliver high-quality training presentations specific to this segment for staff and volunteer leader groups to deliver or convey to volunteer leaders for their use in coordination with the Director of Volunteer Communities.Provide strong, decisive leadership to the team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.Identify and address potential challenges and opportunities, adjusting plans as needed to achieve desired outcomes.Prepare and present regular reports on team performance, project status, and other key metrics to senior management.Manage financial resources and coordinate staff to meet SHRM's goals and objectives with key affiliates.Evaluate operational issues to determine and assess membership strategies are competitive and staying current with the latest trends.Provide actionable insights to the Directors, other leaders, and stakeholders for continuous improvement.Coordinate with other departments and stakeholders to ensure seamless project integration and alignment with broader organizational goals.Implement and maintain best practices and processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness.Serve as a liaison between the team and senior management, ensuring alignment and understanding of organizational goals and priorities.Leader Coaching and Development Provide leadership direction, development, and performance coaching for team members to ensure effective and efficient operations. Identify and address skill gaps within the team, facilitating training and development programs as needed.Set clear performance expectations and goals and monitor progress to ensure team objectives are met or exceeded.Conduct regular team meetings and one-on-one sessions to provide feedback, support, and guidance.Ensure that all team outputs meet the highest standards of quality and excellence.Foster open and effective communication within the team and with other departments.Education & Experience RequirementsEducation Bachelor’s Degree from a four-year accredited college or university in Business Administration, Management, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience and training; master's degree preferred.ExperienceRequired:At least 12 years of professional experience in a managerial/leadership role in human resources and/or business management. 10+ years of work-related experience in an association, non-profit organization, or business managing client relationships and/or service delivery and/or overall managerial experience. Experience developing and executing a plan with a proven track record of leading others in cross-functional teams. Preferred:Experience working with B2C, B2B, corporate or customers is preferred but not required.Experience working with and managing volunteers.CertificationsSHRM-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) or SHRM-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) Knowledge, Skills & AbilitiesProven results in member or customer acquisition and retention, and account relationship management through a comprehensive personalized support and service strategy.Ability to gain a thorough understanding of SHRM membership, products, and services and to collaborate closely with internal stakeholders who have delivery responsibility for SHRM offerings. Ability to bundle these offerings in impactful and value-added ways to address SHRM’s clients’ organizational needs.External Trusted Advisor, Internal Team Leader - Excellent member and customer service focus with the ability to influence and/or persuade stakeholders. Must be diplomatic, team-oriented, and sensitive to the needs of members and staff to work across a large organization, secure resources, build relationships and identify opportunities is essential.Proficient understanding and use of performance metrics and data analytics, including ability to determine and secure opportunities for membership renewal and acquisition, growth in SHRM products and strategic business objectives with SHRM affiliates globally. Excellent proactive oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, including experience and success in giving and developing high quality, engaging public presentations, speaking activities including the ability to articulate workplace and HR trends with diverse audiences.Agile, Accountable - Demonstrated ability to execute on strategic objectives and goals, meet deadlines and work independently, and possess strong organizational skills. Ability to simultaneously coordinate a variety of complex projects and work within activity program deadlines is needed.Proven results in managing projects and stakeholder management Proactive and creative approaches to problem solving are required. The ability to simultaneously coordinate a variety of complex projects and work within activity program deadlines is needed.Demonstrated ability to execute strategic objectives and goals, meet deadlines, multitask, work independently, and possess strong organizational skills.Ability to work within a team environment and across teams successfully and timely to deliver to internal and external customers at all levels.Proficiency in using various software programs including Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, or similar CRM software, NetSuite, Salesforce, and Data Warehouse.Ability to work effectively in a virtual environment with colleagues, members, and volunteer leaders.Ability to travel extensively by air, rail, car and other. Travel up to 20% of the year and will include weekend work.Physical RequirementsMust be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily with reasonable accommodation.Work is generally done sitting, talking, hearing, and typing. Visual acuity to use a keyboard, prepare and analyze data and figures; transcribing, viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading.Work environment.Work is regularly performed in a combination of home office and conference settings and routinely uses standard office equipment. It may require the maintenance of a home office and proximity to an airport for work-related travel.This position will be based in SHRM’s Alexandria VA offices. This position follows a hybrid work schedule, with Tuesday through Thursday in office and Monday and Friday remote. Employees must be available during standard business hours, with core hours beginning between 8:00–9:00 a.m. and concluding between 5:00–6:00 p.m. local timeThe hiring range for this position is $140,000 to $165,000 per year. This range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the candidate's experience, skills, and qualifications. SHRM offers a competitive and comprehensive total rewards package. The benefits for this position include professional growth and development, health, dental, vision, well-being, health savings, flexible spending, retirement, open leave, and annual discretionary bonus and incentivesOur employment practices are in accordance with the laws that prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran’s status, marital status, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by applicable law.SHRM is an equal opportunity employer (Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran).We do not sponsor applicants for work visas.