Senior Vice President, Initiatives & Membership

The following functions may not be comprehensive in scope regarding work performed by an employee assigned to this position classification. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of this position. Management also reserves the right to make reasonable accommodations so that a qualified employee(s) can perform the essential functions of the position.

Overview of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL):  Strada Collaborative, LLC. d/b/a CAEL (referred to in this document as “CAEL”), is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to partnering with educators, employers, and workforce and economic developers to reimagine and create lifelong pathways that integrate learning and work for adults. CAEL helps organizations succeed by providing expertise, resources, and solutions that effectively support adult learners as they navigate on-and-off-ramps between education and employment. We partner with entities across the adult learner ecosystem to help create actionable career pathways along the journey of lifelong learning and meaningful work.

CAEL’s work is rooted in and expresses the organization’s values; we are committed to being an inclusive organization; prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion in our recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts; look for opportunities to communicate the link between our mission and eliminating systemic inequity; acknowledge and appreciate daily the challenges facing all those in support of justice for these communities; do not accept or condone racism in any form; commit individual and corporate resources to the pursuit of justice; require employee training on topics such as racial equality and unconscious bias toward maintaining an inclusive culture; provide a library of media and organizational resources to our staff to increase understanding of racial inequality; and incorporate business agreement language that reinforces our anti-racism stance.

CAEL is a virtual organization; all employees work remotely out of their homes.

Overview of Position:  The Senior Vice President of Initiatives and Membership, serves in a senior-executive role leading the initiatives and membership teams and is responsible for delivering exceptional client and member service and achieving a high level of client, partner, and member satisfaction with all CAEL products and services, membership benefits, offerings, tools, and resources. This includes leading a dynamic team to deliver products, services, and benefits that directly contribute to the success of the learners and earners we serve, collaborating with fellow executive team members to drive operational efficiencies across the organization, and maximizing our ability to make a lasting impact on the clients and members we support. 

The Senior Vice President of Initiatives and Membership will own and be accountable for successful member engagement metrics and client satisfaction metrics at CAEL and, in consultation with other executive team members, implementation of processes and technologies that drive impact and efficiency and raise the profile and visibility of CAEL so that our mission, values, accomplishments, and unique work are ever more widely recognized as a leader. 

The incumbent serves as a senior member of the CAEL team via the company’s Executive Team working with the CAEL President, Chief of Staff, Chief of Strategy, and other Executive Team members. This position reports directly to the Chief of Staff.

• Actively participate in a high-functioning executive team and play a pivotal role in driving CAEL’s successes, focusing on mission, impact, and sustainability. Participate in executive team meetings to ensure traction toward organizational and strategic goals and resolution of problems and issues that may hinder progress toward those goals.
• Build, maintain, and manage Initiatives and Membership budgets and coordinate with Finance and other Executive Team members to make decisions that control costs, increase revenue, and support the sustainability of the organization.
• Collaborate with colleagues on the executive team to create the optimal experience for CAEL’s clients, partners, and members. 
• Create department processes that enhance client and membership delivery to organizations and institutions that are both members and clients that drive growth, engagement, and impact for our members and clients.

• Build estimates and quoting models to support new partnership and fundraising efforts; 
• Support the development of content for marketing, research, and thought leadership;
• Lead and provide strategic direction to the initiative's team, including the VP Initiatives, Senior Directors of Initiatives, and their direct reports to determine staffing plans, capacity planning, and pricing for new products and services, embedding processes into the Initiatives that allow them to be delivered efficiently and with a high level of customer satisfaction;
• Lead and provide strategic direction to the Membership team, which includes the VP of Membership Engagement and their direct reports. Your primary goals are to drive CAEL's membership growth, maintain CAEL's identity as a membership organization, integrate membership support systems with CAEL's priorities and Theory of Change, and deliver benefits and services that ensure high member engagement and satisfaction.
• Lead Membership revenue forecasting, including analyzing historical membership revenue data, membership trends, renewals, and other metrics to forecast membership growth and recommend adjustments in the membership model;
• Support President, Chief of Staff, Chief of Strategy, and Executive Team and their teams on calls with prospective clients, funders, partners, members, and vendors.
• Enhance existing products, services, and member benefits and develop new products and services in coordination with the Partnerships and Strategy teams.
• Work with colleagues across CAEL to develop job aids, toolkits, and resources to enhance CAEL’s membership offerings.
• Work with colleagues across CAEL to support research and measurement of the impact of CAEL’s work.
• Identify, develop, and maintain value-added relationships with members, prospective members, and strategic partners that benefit CAEL with complementary organizations, including CAEL collaborators and ambassadors.

• Lead operational efficiencies across the department, ensuring resources are optimized and workflows are streamlined to help create an agile and effective operation of delivery.
• Actively lead and sustain a high level of productivity in the Initiatives and Membership department through team accountability, collaboration, and successful execution of delivering projects and programs.
• Mentor, train, and lead a team of Vice Presidents to assist them in providing a high-quality experience for CAEL’s clients, partners, and members and monitor client satisfaction/ member engagement to continuously improve service. 
• Continuously improve processes, project management flows, member lifecycle, and the use of supportive technology to increase the efficiency and capacity of the Initiatives and Membership teams.
• Coordinate regularly with the Events and Marketing teams to assess and enhance the value of the member professional development courses, workshops, and offerings to determine if delivery could be improved to have a greater impact on the members and learners CAEL serves.
• Coordinate regularly with the Strategy team to assess consulting, technical assistance, and project management products and services to determine if delivery could be improved to have a greater impact on the learners and earners CAEL serves.
• Develop a strong working relationship through collaboration and coordination with the Partnerships team to clarify the project scope to deliver successful client and member outcomes and goals.
• Regularly assess the value proposition of CAEL membership and benefits.
• Ensure detailed and accurate tracking of time and expenses to control costs on projects, services, and products and support revenue generation through high-touch project management.
• Mentor, train, and support Vice Presidents and Senior Directors, and all department team members to continuously improve systems for employee development, cross-training, and hiring of Initiatives and Membership team staff.

• A graduate degree from a regionally accredited university is preferred
• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution is required 
• Minimum of 10-15 years of related and progressively responsible work experience in some combination of: higher education; workforce development programming or leadership; membership, associations or subscriber-based organizations; coalition building and partnership development; federal, state, and regional government relations; consulting for various stakeholders and entities; local and regional economic development; and education or training.
• Five to ten years of senior-level leadership and supervisory experience, collaborating across departments, and overseeing teams with responsibility for the execution, implementation, and successful delivery of programs and projects. 
• Five to ten years of experience leading and managing project and staffing needs with both the quality and timely delivery of services, programs, and projects, ensuring alignment with organizational and revenue goals and driving impactful outcomes.

• Proven ability to lead and manage groups delivering complex products and services and to create effective teams.
• Excellent leadership and strategic thinking skills
• Superior interpersonal communication and presentation skills
• Strong program and project management skills. 
• Exceptional listener with the ability to analyze needs and recommend solutions.
• High-level communication and persuasive skills to assist in “selling” vision, programs, and services to help increase membership and build long-term client relationships and partnerships.
• Proven ability to effectively perform in a fast-paced, changing environment and manage multiple responsibilities.
• Ability to think creatively, solve problems effectively, and successfully prioritize tasks and deadlines.
• Ability to establish and foster relational trust, internally and externally, with a focus on collaboration.
• Ability to retain and grow internal staff to deliver high-quality products and services.
• Demonstrated proficiency and experience in client and member service with high standards of timeliness and responsiveness.
• Extensive budget management and cost-control experience.
• Strong business acumen with a track record of driving growth and profitability.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the adult learner, employee and career development, training and development, higher education, professional development and communities of practice, and workforce development.

Travel Requirements: This position will require the incumbent to travel between twenty-five to fifty percent (25-50%) of the time for business meetings with overnight travel required. The amount of travel and expectations for the same are subject to change based on business needs and demands. 

Typical Physical & Mental Demands: Requires prolonged sitting with some bending, stooping and stretching; eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, telephone, and other office equipment. Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to record, prepare and communicate appropriate reports. Also requires moderate to intense concentration due to complexity and/or need to meet deadlines, and flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.

Security is Everyone’s Responsibility: In order to protect Strada’s personnel, affiliates, customers, assets, and mission, security is the responsibility of every employee.  To maintain security, employees are required to read, understand, and follow company security policies including but not limited to the WISP and Employee Handbook.  In addition, security training supporting those policies is required at least annually.

CAEL is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate and support diversity in our workforce and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We thrive on diversity and inclusion for the benefit of our employees, our products and services, and our stakeholders. CAEL advocates for equitable treatment and support of both adult learners and other underserved populations. CAEL is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace. 

When applying, please include a resume and a cover letter. Thank you!