Head of Membership

Job Type: Full-time, fixed term-contract until January 2026

Location: Central London (Bloomsbury)

Salary pack: £70k+ with excellent benefits including 25 days holiday, private healthcare, life assurance, leisure travel insurance, gym subsidy, cycle-to-work scheme, volunteering days

Hours: 35 hours per week; hybrid working (2-3 days in the office per week)

Are you an experienced membership professional looking for your next challenge? We’re looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join the largest and most influential food and drink trade body in the UK.

The opportunity: The Head of Membership is a key role in supporting FDF’s members, with a focus on recruitment, engagement, retention, and service delivery. The FDF has seen exceptional growth over the last few years and with ambitious growth targets, this role will use robust business development processes to convert leads from a variety of sources into membership. A strong understanding of membership operations, processes and procedures to implement strategy in day-to-day team management is needed.

Key responsibilities:

• Team management: Oversee the Membership team, ensuring clear responsibilities and the delivery of targets.
• Champion CRM to support recruitment and retention activities.
• Member Retention: Develop and implement strategies to maximise retention and enhance the member journey. Oversee the annual membership renewal process and manage the Membership Action Group.
• New Member Acquisition: Lead recruitment strategies and campaigns, ensuring a steady pipeline of new leads. Collaborate with the digital team and use the CRM to drive recruitment activity.
• Research opportunities to promote membership via partnerships or through the networks of FDF Professional Affiliate members.
• Financial Management: Manage the membership budget together with the Director of Membership. Work with the CFO to forecast annual member income and set targets; ensure consistent reporting with the Finance team.
• Events Delivery: Support and oversee the delivery of SME Forums, Leaders Forum, and Regional Events. Explore commercial opportunities to raise FDF's profile.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with members and key stakeholders, representing FDF across the organisation, up to and including at Board level.

Skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Experience holding a senior role within a membership function.
• Strong leadership.
• Strategic business planning experience.
• Track record in membership retention and recruitment with £5m + income generation.
• Extensive understanding of membership lifecycle and experience.
• Data driven and experience of database management.
• Marketing insights.
• Commercial and business skills.
• Financial management, including forecasting and budgeting.
• Confident networker.
• Good negotiation and influencing skills.
• Self-starter / pro-active and motivated.
• Excellent customer service skills in a business-to-business environment.

Desirable:

• Knowledge, experience or interest in the food and drink industry.
• Knowledge or experience in another manufacturing industry.

Our Workplace: We’re based in the heart of central London in a modern, bright open-plan office. We have a friendly work culture with great break-out spaces, quiet booths and opportunities for flexible-working. Our ‘Feel Good for Life’ team regularly organises events and activities to promote positive health and wellbeing.

To apply: Please send us your CV by Friday 28 March, 4pm. Only successful applicants will be contacted.

Equal Opportunities: We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments for disabilities or medical conditions.