Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To contribute to annual membership targets (revenue, attendance, customer service) by participating in marketing, communications and sales planning and delivering on those plans through membership campaigns, events and campaign analysis. To provide group leadership to the Membership Department when Manager is not immediately available (evenings, weekends, events).

Duties / Responsibilities :

Reporting to the Manager of Membership, and part of the Membership team, the Senior Associate, Membership contributes to achieving the Membership Department annual revenue, attendance and customer service objectives by:
PROGRAM PLANNING & SUPPORT
• Contributing to the development and implementation of marketing, communications and operational plans for the Membership Department by providing technical advice, suggestions and ideas for new/improved promotions, sales tactics, events, communications, research, testing and procedures
• Assisting with the preparation and analysis of the annual budgets for the Membership Department
• Providing administrative and technical assistance in the selection, orientation, training and mentoring of Membership Sales Representatives and co-op students
• In the absence of the Manager of Membership, provide support and technical direction to the Membership Department, liaising with acting manager and referring staffing issues of Membership Sales Representatives and Membership Team to Manager of Membership
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
• Researching, proposing and executing membership communications plans including drafting and editing client-specific mass emails/newsletters, sales collateral, fulfillment letters, invitations, renewal letters, signage and other communications using a knowledge of marketing and communications best practices, customer relations objectives and the needs of the membership audience.
• Coordinating and implementing all logistics for membership campaigns and promotions (telemarketing, direct mail, promotional offers, on-line promotions, on-site promotions etc.) including staff briefings and training as well as adherence to pre-determined timelines and budgets.
• Engaging and negotiating with external suppliers concerning the design, production and distribution of communication and sales materials (brochures, posters, signage, invitations, electronic newsletters and sales pieces, direct mail etc.)
• Ensuring data collection and use for Membership program campaigns is in compliance with client preferences and privacy legislation
• Keeping collateral materials and digital assets up to date by regularly confirming details with relevant departments and performing routine text and graphic file manipulation and adjustments as needed.

SALES & CUSTOMER SERVICE
• Improving the member and donor contact experience, through all channels, by providing pleasant, knowledgeable and the Ontario Science Centre's Customer Care Commitment - and modeling same to other staff
• Resolving or advising Membership Office staff on the handling of complex or sensitive customer service issues, while referring highly sensitive, non-routine issues to Manager.
• Liaising with Visitor Services staff (Manager, Supervisors, Cashiers, etc) about Membership program activities, including procedures for Membership sales, special campaigns, member events and program details.
• Conducting high-season, on-site, face-to-face sales campaigns and a year-round telemarketing campaign by scheduling, deploying and training Membership Office staff and Membership Sales Representatives and reporting and analyzing campaign efforts and results.
• Providing independent support, technical direction, feedback and coaching to Membership Sales Representative team for evenings calling shifts (8-12 staff, 1-2 nights per week, 4 hours per night) and during Member events (occasional evenings/weekends).

EVENT PLANNING
Planning, coordinating and independently leading all aspects of members' events and previews for up to 4,000 member attendees, including:
• Identifying and securing topic-appropriate external speakers, entertainment, relevant giveaways, gifts in kind as well as appropriate staff levels and support from department and broader OSC.
• Writing speeches and event briefing notes for staff, senior management (including Board Members) and external stakeholders
• Taking leadership of events including making announcements, introducing speaker(s) to Board members and/or management, resolving any difficult situations that may arise during events with suppliers or event attendees
• Coordinating event booking logistics by developing (with IT) and administering an online RSVP process, monitoring and reporting on RSVP rates, attendance statistics, generating invitation and attendance lists electronically
RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
• Analyzing data, identifying trends and anomalies, and preparing reports for manager and senior management on program campaigns, market research, member demographics and customer service notifying Manager about any observed changes or other areas of concern
• Compiling and maintaining detailed daily, weekly, monthly and annual sales and attendance statistics and designing and maintaining appropriate tracking and reporting mechanisms
• Handling all technical aspects of surveys, including writing, design, configuration and deployment and consulting with Science Centre Market Research Officer for research methodology and advice on in-depth analysis of results

TECHNOLOGY
• Remaining current and sharing trends/ best practices about technological advances in marketing, online marketing, data management, social media and with the standards and current legal requirements affecting program operations
• Contributing to the assessment of emerging technologies for appropriate lit and application to Membership program
• Using the membership/ticketing databases and other reporting tools for recording transactions, creating regular and ad-hoc reports, generating renewal and acquisition lists, and fulfillment and research purposes
• Creating, coordinating, sending and monitoring electronic newsletters, renewal/acquisition communications and research surveys (adjusting HTML coding where needed) using advanced features of mass email software
• Working closely with IT to optimize use of software and systems for Membership program (website, ticketing, reporting, analytics tools, Intranet, CAM, user-controlled, on-line sales tools and web content system, etc)

Other duties as required or assigned including, but not limited to:
• Supporting donations-related activities as prioritized by Manager of Membership and branch Vice President.
• Providing occasional office administration and clerical support as requested

Staffing and Licensing :

Job requires regular evening work and some weekend work

Knowledge :

• Specialized knowledge of Membership program methods and practices (membership sales, marketing and communications, customer relations and OSC business objectives) to inform approach for developing email newsletters; planning events; making sales, providing stewardship and member relations; determining I recommending administrative needs; and prioritizing workflow to fulfill job responsibilities and provide authoritative advice on the program to members, other departments and suppliers.
• Knowledge of best practices in customer service delivery and internal policies and procedural manuals to advise clients and junior staff on customer service resolutions
• Knowledge and understanding of Freedom of Information and Personal Privacy and National "Do Not Call List" as they relate to protection of personal information and telemarketing and other relevant OPS directives.
• Knowledge of design, production and distribution of printed and electronic materials to ensure design quality and adherence to timelines and budget and familiarity with graphic manipulation/ adjustment to manage updates to collateral materials.
• Knowledge of email service providers, web-based content management systems, HTML to adjust code and photo editing software to produce email newsletters and mass communications.
• Advanced knowledge MS Office suite, Siriusware ticketing system, databases and CAM systems to generate various outputs using advanced sorting, merging, filtering and calculating functions, data imports and exports.
• Knowledge of other OSC branches I departments programs to promote offerings (camps, events, films, etc.) to Members
• Familiarity with general fundraising practices to support the work of the External Relations Branch
• Knowledge of external client needs and motivations to develop successful membership campaigns, communications and events.

Skills :

This position requires:
• Research, reasoning and statistical analysis skills to identify, select and present a variety of statistical and financial information to inform program decisions and strategies for Manager and Senior Management
• Outstanding, experience-based, customer service, presentation and problem solving skills to promote membership objectives to a variety of audiences (client, external contacts or staff) in one-to-one, small group or larger audience settings and to effectively resolve sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy often involving authoritative explanations of the membership program, policies and rules.
• Judgment skills to make decisions on customer service issues under time constraints or in lace-to-face situations that serve both the client's needs and the OSC's objectives.
• Superior writing skills to craft copy for members' e-newsletters, mass communications, correspondence and other promotional material for client audience.
• Organization skills to plan and follow through on the logistics program projects, (members' events with up to 3000 attendees, direct mail campaigns).
• Exceptional attention to detail and data handling to ensure accurate records and reports, and sound analysis.
• Strong computer proficiency with: MS Office for data analysis, mail merges, complex document layout; ticketing databases (Siriusware) to process transactions and provide technical guidance to department; mass e-mail and photo-image software and HTML to build email newsletters including variable content, complex layouts, images and trackable links.
• Leadership skills to effectively organize, coordinate, lead and provide coaching on the work of Membership Sales Representatives in the absence of the Manager.

Freedom of Action :

Under general supervision of the Manager of Membership, the position works independently using knowledge of department communications, marketing, sales plans, policies and attendance/revenue targets to guide action and makes autonomous decisions in complex customer service situations.

Accountability
The position is responsible for a wide variety of tasks performed independently including: marketing campaign and event planning and implementation; project coordination with other departments/suppliers/organizations; customer relations involving the provision of authoritative advice to clients on department policies; work approvals for suppliers; analysis and report development on campaigns for management. This position is responsible to provide authoritative advice to manager and peers in areas of specialty, including electronic client communications, event design and sales/marketing of membership program.
Errors by the position would result in: decreased revenue (loss of sales) that would be difficult to detect; incorrect mass/public communications; clients not receiving their benefits to acceptable standards; poor customer service that could alienate groups of or all clients/members; cause loss of promotional opportunity; unmet campaign goals; and/or negative PR situations. Errors in analysis and reporting on campaigns meant to inform future plans could compromise these. Errors could be time and resource consuming for both own unit and other work groups to trace and correct and could involve client verification, apology and/or cost of extra benefit offers. Errors in data management could mean loss of vital information, loss of significant revenue, or breach of privacy legislation.
Judgment
The position independently analyzes Membership's objectives and the intent of departmental policies to: determine the course of action/resolution on customer issues, devise email newsletters, events and reports; and evaluate the appropriateness of suppliers' designs/submissions. Seriously dissatisfied customers demanding solutions that conflict with the intent of policies are referred to the Manager of Membership. Freedom exists to organize events, devise research methodology and data capture based on an overall understanding of the purposes these tasks will serve.

Group Leadership
This position operates independently providing training and support to other employees in the group (4-5 full-time equivalent) often in the absence of the Manager, establishes work priorities/assignments and ensures service standards are met and policies and procedures followed. This position advises the work group on customer service solutions, referring extreme or highly sensitive matters to the manager.