Membership & Engagement Manager

Purpose of Job

In recent years, political party membership across the UK has become more volatile and more competitive. Overall party membership has fallen back from its historic highs, voters are more willing to switch allegiance, and newer and insurgent parties are competing hard for the attention, money and activism of politically engaged people. Retention — not just recruitment — is as important to the Party's future as growth.

Reporting to the Head of Fundraising & Membership, the Membership & Engagement Manager will review the Party's membership portfolio, data and member behaviours, benchmarking against other membership organisations and political parties to identify successful models, brands and innovative ideas that recruit new, diverse members and — critically — keep them engaged and renewing.

They will recommend and develop new strategies to engage with and grow the membership and corresponding income streams to support the Party's objectives, with a particular focus on reducing lapsing and building genuine two-way relationships with members from the moment they join.

They will take a hands-on role driving a better member experience through engagement and two-way communication across all channels — digital and face-to-face — including building and leading a network of trained volunteers dedicated to welcoming new members and re-engaging those at risk of lapsing.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and lead strategies to grow and diversify the Party's membership and income streams, maintaining a strategic view of sector-wide trends and competitor activity.
• Design and own end-to-end member journeys — including onboarding and a data-driven lapsing-member "save" journey — to maximise retention and experience at every stage.
• Recruit, train and manage a volunteer retention group (e.g. welcome callers), plus a wider volunteer/activist network, with clear targets, scripts and safeguarding standards.
• Build the Party's online fundraising and digital membership capacity, including digital joining, renewal and payment journeys, liaising with the Head of Digital on relevant projects.
• Develop two-way member communication channels (surveys, forums, events) and initiatives that boost participation, engagement and retention.
• Evaluate membership options, benefits and income streams on an ongoing basis, reporting performance (including retention/lapsing rates) to senior management, stakeholders and relevant donors.
• Oversee effective CRM use, including segmentation, to support targeted retention activity.
• Build strong relationships across the Party (elected representatives, local parties, volunteers) and collaborate with colleagues (e.g. Head of Training and Engagement) to add value to the membership offer.
• Represent membership interests at national campaigns meetings, feeding in relevant ideas.
• Manage a small team, including day-to-day line management of volunteer retention group lead

Person Specification

The successful candidate will have a clear vision of how to grow, diversify, engage with and retain the membership of the Party in a challenging and fast-changing political environment. Specifically, they will have:

Essential

• An established track record of working in a membership organisation.
• An understanding of best practice in membership, voluntary or commercial organisations, including membership retention strategy.
• Experience of recruiting, training and managing volunteers to deliver a defined programme of work, ideally in a membership, campaigning or retention context.
• A detailed knowledge and understanding of Salesforce and/or other CRMs, including using data to identify and act on member lapsing risk.
• Experience of working towards annual financial and/or membership targets.
• Experience of devising effective marketing communications, including digital and data-led communications.
• Strong project management skills.
• The ability to work effectively with digital platforms and social media.
• A strong teamwork ethic and collaborative working style.
• The ability to build strong working relationships at all levels.

Desirable

• A track record of commitment to liberal politics and a first-rate understanding of the Liberal Democrats, including evidence of sympathy with its aims and values.
• Experience of devising strategies to deliver growth and retention, and add value.
• Strong links with other membership organisations.
• A track record of successful online fundraising.
• Experience of devising strategies to deliver growth and retention, and add value.
• Experience of member retention or “win-back” programmes in a political, charity or subscription-based context.

Application Procedure

Please apply by attaching:

• An up-to-date copy of your CV.
• A covering letter, no more than two pages of A4 in length, indicating clearly how your experience and skills meet the criteria stated in this job description.

Additional information

Please note that we are unable to employ anyone who is not eligible to work in the UK and cannot obtain a work permit on your behalf.

Applicants are encouraged to let us know if they require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process.

Please provide details of your current salary and two referees, including one from your current employer. If you would prefer us not to contact your current employer until a later stage of the selection process, please indicate this in your application.

We will not routinely notify applicants who are unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Liberal Democrats are committed to fostering equity, equality, diversity and inclusion across our workforce. We want our employees to thrive in an environment where everyone is welcomed, supported and able to achieve their full potential.

We value and celebrate the diversity of our staff and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued and able to be themselves.