Senior Director of Membership at American Montessori Society

The American Montessori Society (AMS) is the leading nonprofit membership organization representing the voice of Montessori education in the United States and beyond. AMS connects and serves thousands of educators, schools, and teacher education programs through accreditation, professional development, research, and advocacy.

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

What You'll Do

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 Lead, and Member Services Specialist.

You will serve as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team.

You will frequently collaborate with Marketing and Communications to develop effective membership acquisition, renewal, retention, and value-communication strategies.

You will frequently collaborate with Finance on membership budgeting, forecasting, revenue analysis, financial controls, and performance reporting.

Required Skills and Experience

6+ years of experience in membership services, with demonstrated success in membership growth, acquisition, renewal, retention, reactivation, and revenue

Strong financial acumen to effectively manage the membership budget, business plan, and financial controls

Proven ability to build efficient and scalable membership operations and improve the use of membership data and systems

Dedication to strong member service and satisfaction, with experience building a member-centered culture

Experience developing and managing a high-performing, accountable team in areas such as strategy, sales, service, and systems

Additional Details

This is a remote position. Candidates must reside in one of the following states: AL, CT, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, TX, VA, or Washington, DC.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The American Montessori Society is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, family responsibility, political affiliation or any other status protected by applicable laws.