Senior Director of Membership at American Montessori Society

About The Organization

The American Montessori Society (AMS) is the foremost association championing Montessori education, representing a vibrant global network of more than 1,300 member schools, 20,000 individual members, and over 100 affiliated teacher education programs. Membership in AMS offers immense value, serving as a vital hub for connection, professional growth, and institutional excellence. For member schools, AMS provides accreditation pathways, administrative resources, and elevated visibility. For individual educators, membership unlocks tailored professional development, research publications, and access to a collaborative global network. Our dynamic membership community lies at the heart of everything we do, playing an indispensable role in advancing quality Montessori standards, driving advocacy, and inspiring innovation across diverse learning environments worldwide. Our mission is to ensure that the Montessori movement remains innovative, relevant, and accessible. We are committed to excellence in everything we do, from the quality of our content to the flawless execution of our operations.

About The Role

The Senior Director of Membership provides strategic, business, and operational leadership for our membership function, driving membership growth, acquisition, sales, retention, revenue, operations, service – and the overall membership experience. You will use data, market insights, and member feedback to identify why members join, stay, or leave, and where opportunities exist to strengthen the financial sustainability of AMS membership. You will serve as our subject matter expert for membership strategy, ensuring that membership programming advances our strategic goals while remaining responsive to the evolving needs of the Montessori community.

Key Responsibilities

Membership Strategy, Growth, and Retention

• Develop and lead a comprehensive membership strategy aligned with organizational priorities and financial goals
• Establish and manage annual and multi-year budgets and goals for membership growth, acquisition, retention, reactivation, and revenue across all categories
• Manage membership acquisition and sales, developing outreach strategies to expand AMS membership among prospective and international audiences
• Serve as a visible AMS representative at conferences and meetings, providing workshops, Q&A sessions, and membership-focused programming
• Design and improve the membership lifecycle, implementing targeted interventions to strengthen retention and reconnect with lapsed members
• Translate insights into why members join, renew, or leave into improvements in offerings, communications, pricing, and overall strategy to elevate the AMS membership value proposition

Membership Operations And Experience

• Own membership-related financial performance, developing revenue projections, forecasts; evaluate pricing structures and benefits to ensure that AMS continues to offer a compelling value proposition for current and prospective members
• Identify opportunities to increase membership revenue and improve operational efficiency. Lead day-to-day business operations, overseeing applications, renewals, billing, records, and fulfillment to ensure processes are scalable and member-centered
• Establish service standards and expectations that ensure members receive responsive, accurate, welcoming, and solutions-oriented support
• Resolve member issues and complaints, escalating to appropriate departments when necessary
• Build a member-centered culture that strengthens trust, demonstrates value, and deepens the member's relationship with AMS

Data Management, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement

• Develop budgets, dashboards, and reports that track membership activity, revenue trends, and forecast member needs, including professional development demand
• Identify and implement appropriate automation, technology, and systems improvements that increase operational efficiency and data quality
• Monitor key membership performance indicators and maintain awareness of association trends to ensure AMS remains relevant and competitive

Team Leadership

• Supervise, develop, and support Membership team members, establishing clear roles, responsibilities, goals, and performance expectations
• Create a collaborative, accountable, results-oriented, and member-centered team culture
• Develop team capacity in membership strategy, sales, service, systems, analytics, financial performance, and association best practices
• Foster continuous improvement, professional growth, cross-training, and shared accountability across the Membership team

Who You'll Work With

You will report to the Executive Director.

You will supervise the Member Retention Lead, Membership Acquisition L