Director of Member Services & Engagement - Industrial Designers Society of America

The Opportunity

The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is one of the oldest and largest professional organizations serving industrial designers worldwide. Founded in 1965, IDSA remains committed to elevating the practice of industrial design and advancing our field through research, advocacy, career‑long learning, and excellence in design standards-core pillars of our Strategic Framework.

The Director of Member Services & Engagement leads the Member Services & Engagement department and plays a pivotal role in shaping member and volunteer experiences across our global community. This role supports IDSA's mission—to foster career long development and inspire excellence—by ensuring our membership programs, volunteer engagement, and service touchpoints reflect our design‑minded, collaborative, and service‑oriented values.

This is a fully remote position reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), with periodic travel for events and community engagement. The ideal candidate thrives in a high performance, fast paced environment, consistently demonstrating clarity, precision, empathy, and a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset.

• Lead engagement efforts for IDSA's global membership and robust volunteer leader network—including chapters, sections, committees, and councils—in alignment with IDSA's Strategic Plan and long‑term goals for community growth and design advocacy.
• Align department priorities with organizational pillars such as Education & Career Pathing, Design Excellence, and Design Advocacy, ensuring programs meaningfully support designers at every stage of their professional journey.
• Design and continuously improve member and volunteer experiences, reducing friction and reinforcing IDSA's service‑oriented value.
• Maintain a high standard of operational excellence by establishing clear, repeatable processes that embody our values of clarity, precision, and intentionality.
• Identify the need for new policies or updates to ensure systems remain efficient, inclusive, and reflective of best practices.
• Integrate principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into all membership and volunteer strategies.

• Oversee strategy and support for IDSA chapters, sections, committees, and councils, ensuring leaders receive high quality guidance, resources, and responsive service.
• Develop a robust infrastructure, including clear systems, templates, and onboarding processes that empower volunteers and bring consistency across all community touchpoints. This reflects our values of clarity, collaboration, and service orientation.
• Serve as a trusted resource to internal stakeholders and volunteer leaders, supporting a sense of mutual respect and shared purpose.

• Develop creative, design minded recruitment and retention campaigns aligned with IDSA's purpose and mission to create a better world through industrial design.
• Collaborate with Brand Strategy and internal teams to deliver consistent, high impact membership experiences throughout the member lifecycle—including onboarding, communication touchpoints, and feedback loops.
• Communicate IDSA's value proposition through authentic, member‑centered conversations by email, phone, or in person.

• Model IDSA's Mindset of Excellence through transparent leadership, active listening, and collaboration.
• Establish clear goals for team members, provide consistent feedback, and ensure resources align with high impact priorities.
• Foster a department culture that is curious, growth oriented, and continuously seeking improvement.

• Partner with Finance & Accounting on annual budgets and forecast projections.
• Review monthly financials to identify trends and opportunities, elevating issues and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Support financial reporting needs related to membership for annual audits.

• Build deep expertise in the Fonteva AMS and champion best practices to maintain data quality and member centric functionality.
• Use analytics, segmentation, and…