Senior Membership Director Youth and Young Adults Engagement

Job Description

Objectives
The Senior Membership Director - Youth and Young Adults (Through Age 40) provides national leadership for membership growth, engagement, retention, protection, and governance for youth and young adults through and including age 40 in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States. The position develops welcoming pathways from initial interest and service participation to membership, sustained involvement, and leadership. In partnership with the Senior Membership Director - Adult Engagement, this Director stewards one clear, welcoming, and sustainable membership journey across life stages. The Director of Formation remains solely responsible for the spiritual journey of the member; both Membership Directors collaborate with Formation where membership pathways and the spiritual journey intersect.
This role leads recruitment and membership growth strategies for its portfolio across all regions, working with National Council leadership, regional and local Councils, Conferences, committees, staff, schools, campuses, parishes, community partners, and Vincentians. The two Membership Directors jointly plan, share resources and insights, support each other's initiatives, and strengthen intergenerational service and mentorship. Portfolio responsibilities describe the populations served, not age requirements for applicants or employees. Both positions advance a consistent national membership experience rooted in Vincentian spirituality, friendship, service, and fidelity to the Society's mission and identity.
Key Responsibilities
Membership Journey and Engagement
• Co-design, document, and continuously improve one national membership journey with the Senior Membership Director - Adult Engagement, with clear pathways for recruitment, welcome, onboarding, service, ongoing engagement, renewal, leadership, succession, and re-engagement.
• Lead implementation of that journey for youth and young adults through age 40; equip Councils and Conferences with practical tools, training, and follow-up practices that convert interest and service participation into sustained membership.
• Track recruitment, conversion to membership, onboarding completion, net membership growth, engagement, retention, member satisfaction, and leadership participation for the portfolio using shared definitions and reporting practices.
• Coordinate continuity when members move between schools, campuses, communities, or life stages. As members move beyond age 40, arrange a coordinated introduction and follow-up with the counterpart Director while preserving established relationships, service opportunities, and leadership involvement.
Youth and Young Adult Membership Growth - Through Age 40
• Develop and implement a national growth plan for youth and young adults through age 40, with recruitment, conversion, and retention goals established with the Chief Operating Officer and aligned with the shared membership strategy.
• Partner with committees, emerging leaders, Councils, Conferences, schools, campuses, parishes, and community partners to build recruitment pipelines and establish or strengthen youth and young adult Conferences.
• Create outreach and engagement approaches suited to students, young professionals, and adults through age 40, offering accessible entry points, meaningful service, mentoring, and leadership opportunities.
• Support safeguarding practices and continuity through educational, work, family, and geographic transitions; coordinate with Formation on spiritual opportunities rather than assuming responsibility for the spiritual journey.
• Review governance and membership practices for barriers to youth and young adult growth, recommend improvements, and promote young members as active contributors and future leaders.
Leadership, Collaboration, and Communications
• Build strong relationships with national officers, regional leaders, Council presidents, Conference leaders, staff, volunteers, committees, and external partners.
• Meet regularly with the Senior Membership Director - Adult Engagement to coordinate one membership plan, outreach calendar, common resources, referrals, and consistent guidance to local leaders; provide mutual support for training and growth initiatives.
• Jointly support intergenerational mentorship, service, leadership development, and succession planning, connecting the contributions of both portfolios without creating separate or competing membership experiences.
• Prepare portfolio and joint reports for the Chief Operating Officer on membership trends, growth, retention, barriers, risks, and recommended actions; share effective practices and coordinate improvements across regions.
• Represent the National Council in membership development, youth and young adult engagement, governance, and organizational identity activities while promoting a collaborative, service-oriented approach.
Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree in nonprofit management organizational leadership, public administration, law, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of seven to ten years of progressive leadership experience in membership development, nonprofit management, association leadership, governance, volunteer engagement, or related field.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement member engagement strategies, leadership development pathways, succession planning approaches, training programs, and organizational change initiatives.
• Experience working with boards, committees, volunteers, regional structures, or federated organizations strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with Catholic social teaching, Vincentian spirituality, parish life, or the mission and structure of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul preferred.
• Demonstrated experience recruiting and retaining youth and young adult members, building school, campus, parish, or community partnerships, and supporting safeguarding practices. Experience with trademark or brand protection, policy implementation, or governance processes preferred.
Core Competencies
• Strategic leadership and systems thinking
• Strong understanding of membership engagement, volunteer development, and retention
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Demonstrated commitment to servant leadership, including humility, accountability, listening, accompaniment, and service to members, Councils, Conferences, and those living in poverty.
• Ability to develop succession planning frameworks that identify emerging leaders, support mentoring, and promote smooth leadership transitions.
• Pastoral sensitivity, sound judgment, confidentiality, and commitment to servant leadership
• Data-informed decision-making and ability to translate insights into practical action.
• Commitment to diversity of age, geography, experience, and vocation within the Vincentian family

About the Employer

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul operates globally, with a mission that is rooted in the teachings of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and its patron, St. Vincent de Paul. The organization is committed to embracing all works of charity and justice, making no distinctions among those they serve, as they see the face of Christ in everyone.