Manager, Outreach and Member Engagement

Description

Summary:

The Manager, Outreach and Member Engagement cultivates industry relationships through proactive outreach, ongoing engagement and identifying opportunities that offer mutual value and support revenue growth. This role connects with current, prospective and lapsed member organizations, industry partners, CEBS students and educational program participants to increase awareness, deepen engagement and drive participation across International Foundation programs, including Team Training and Contract Programs. The Manager develops new business, advances a qualified pipeline and supports retention and account growth across membership, CEBS, educational programs, and exhibit, sponsorship and advertising sales, partnering with internal teams to align customer needs with relevant offerings.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

This Position Description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

Relationship Development and Industry Engagement | ~60%

• Cultivate relationships with prospective industry partners and strategic accounts, and engage current and lapsed customers to support participation and growth across membership, CEBS, and educational programs.
• Identify customers’ training and education goals; recommend relevant solutions and support participation, retention, engagement and satisfaction.
• Support the development and management of joint venture strategies, affiliations, partnership agreements and acquisitions that expand the Foundation’s reach and visibility.
• Develop and execute outreach plans for assigned programs, events, and products, including defining targets, priority audience segments, relevant offerings and contact cadence.
• Drive new business and grow existing accounts by identifying renewal, retention, cross-selling and upselling opportunities.
• Represent the International Foundation and its affiliate organizations at assigned conferences, tradeshows, networking events, and other industry activities.
• Leverage knowledge of programs, audiences, and market trends to uncover needs and advance business opportunities. 
• Negotiate sales terms within approved organizational and event parameters, coordinating with product and operations teams who are responsible for contract execution and invoicing.

New Business Prospecting and Pipeline Advancement | ~20%

• Build and maintain a qualified pipeline through cold calling, personalized email outreach, social selling, referrals, industry research, conference leads, and other prospecting methods.
• Meet defined outbound activity goals for calls, emails, new contacts, qualified leads, meetings, opportunities, and pipeline value. 
• Research organizations, decision-makers, market segments, and emerging industry participants to identify prospects aligned with enterprise priorities. 
• Develop account-specific outreach plans and messaging that connect prospect needs with membership, CEBS, educational programs, and exhibit, sponsorship and advertising opportunities.
• Maintain accurate and timely CRM records of prospect contact information, lead generation, outreach outcomes and next steps, preserving historical records of past prospects and contacts.
• Advance qualified opportunities through consistent follow-up and clear next steps to support current- and future-year revenue goals, proactively addressing stalled opportunities.

Sales Enablement and Stakeholder Management | ~20%

• Partner with internal teams to develop, review and improve sales collateral, campaigns, email, direct mail, and other outreach materials.
• Share customer and market feedback relevant to business opportunities, audience outreach, and industry priorities.
• Complete pre-contract information requests and provide organized customer requirements and sales details to LLC, Educational Programs, CEBS, or Membership stakeholder teams to support sales closing and handoffs.

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

No formal supervisory responsibilities; however, incumbent may be required to train/mentor more junior staff members. 

Requirements

Required Education/ Experience: 

The International Foundation will always consider candidates with an equivalent combination of education and relevant external experience. The Foundation also reserves the right to consider candidates with lesser, but highly relevant internal (i.e. Seasonal, Temp, or Intern) experience.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration / Management, Communications, or a related field.
• A minimum of 3 years of relationship management experience, with demonstrated success in account management, and revenue growth.
• Professional experience in sales, particularly in cold prospecting, lead research, and pipeline development.

Minimum Qualifications/Skills: 

• Demonstrated initiative and confidence in initiating conversations with current and prospective customers by phone, email, social media, and in person.
• Clear, concise and persuasive verbal and written communication skills, including active listening and professional follow-up.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the discipline to maintain prospecting cadence, next steps, and accurate records.
• Relationship-first, results-oriented approach, with the ability to build lasting customer and industry partner relationships and meet outbound activity and pipeline goals.
• Natural curiosity and a consultative approach, with the ability to ask insightful questions, uncover customer needs, and turn engagement into meaningful relationships and business opportunities.
• Possesses foundational business acumen, including the ability to discuss pricing, budget, value, timelines, and sales goals.
• Acute attention to detail and ability to distill complex information in an easy-to-understand manner.
• Proficiency with CRM platforms (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics, HubSpot, or Salesforce), Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Smartsheet experience a plus.
• Employee Benefits or Educational Programming experience is strongly preferred; Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation is a plus.

Travel Requirements: 

The individual will be required to travel both domestically and internationally up to 30% of the time based on annual calendars. Generally, this will be 5-7 trips per year, each lasting approximately 3-8 consecutive days. For longer trips, the incumbent regularly works on each of the consecutive days, including during nights and weekends. Up to fifteen (15) additional paid days off work (“Comp Days”) are offered per year for mandatory travel-related work conducted on weekend days.

Work Environment:

This position is expected to work from our corporate headquarters office in Brookfield, WI, Monday through Friday of each week. This is an office environment with typical office conditions, including lighting, noise, seating and equipment. Following a successful training period (and pending each individual's ability to effectively work from an appropriately-equipped home office, per the terms of the Hybrid Work Policy) incumbents may be permitted to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays, as business needs allow, in up-to a 60/40 (onsite/remote) hybrid schedule. The Foundation reserves the right to modify or discontinue the current hybrid schedule at any time as business needs dictate.

Physical Demands: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, or crouch

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10-50 pounds (i.e. a case of printer paper). Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.  

The above statements reflect the general details necessary to describe the principal functions of the occupation described and shall not be construed as a detailed description of all the work that may be inherent in the occupation.

COMPENSATION & TOTAL REWARDS

The Foundation offers a generous total rewards package. Our incredible benefits package includes a comprehensive and affordable medical plan (which includes 24/7 Teledoc), vision plan, dental plan, FSA (medical and dependent care), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), long term disability, short term disability, ample PTO (vacation, sick, holidays) and more! Our retirement plan includes a defined benefit (pension) plan AND a non-elective company 401(k) contribution AND a 401(k) matching contribution. 

Unique organizational perks include free Milwaukee County Zoo passes, an on-site fitness center with yoga, stretch, and strength training classes, mindfulness sessions, a bocce league, game nights, and even a cribbage club to name a few!

The base salary range for this exempt-level position is $60,000-$70,000/year, based on experience. 

ABOUT US:

The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans is North America’s largest membership organization for those who work with employee benefit plans. The Foundation’s employees make a HUGE impact on the livelihoods of millions of workers across the U.S. and Canada because of the work we do in providing education and research to the benefits community. Employees enjoy an outstanding benefits package, unique employee perks, creative and caring co-workers—all within a family-friendly workplace. Speaking of workplaces, the Foundation is tucked into a 15-acre wooded slice of nature in the heart of Brookfield. We’re small enough for you to have ongoing, meaningful impact on the organization but big enough to make international news. Visit us at www.ifebp.org or connect with us on the socials.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT CONTINGENCIES

All at-will offers of employment issued by the International Foundation are contingent upon a successful completion of: background check, employment history verification, education verification (as applicable by position), credit check (as applicable by position), motor vehicle records (MVR) check (as applicable by position), 3-5 professional references, and completion of the Federal I-9 and E-Verify process to demonstrate eligibility to work for the IFEBP. 

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