Head of Membership and Business Development

Head of Membership and Business Development

Job description

WIG is a membership charity that is building a community of leaders across public, private and

not-for-profit sectors. For over 40 years, WIG has brought together senior decision-makers and

thought leaders from business, government and civil society to tackle the challenges that

matter most to the UK’s future.

With a membership community of over 250 organisations, WIG’s membership base is the

foundation of everything it does. The Head of Membership is responsible for the health, growth

and evolution of that community, ensuring every member organisation experience compelling

value, that the renewal rate meets or exceeds WIG’s 92% target, and that the membership base

continues to expand with the right organisations across all three sectors.

This is a commercially focused, relationship-led role that now sits within the newly formed

Membership & Marketing directorate, reporting to the Director of Membership & Marketing. The

Head of Membership will lead a team of four, personally hold a portfolio of senior member

relationships, and act as WIG’s primary voice of member insight, ensuring the membership

offer evolves to remain business-critical for the leaders WIG serves.

The right candidate will be energised by working at the intersection of public policy, leadership

and cross-sector collaboration. They will be as comfortable in a Whitehall meeting room as in

a FTSE boardroom, and will bring the commercial discipline and relationship instinct needed to

build and sustain a world-class membership community.

Responsibilities

1. Membership strategy and team leadership

• Develop and lead a comprehensive membership strategy that deepens engagement,
• enhances member value and drives sustainable growth across WIG’s cross-sector community.
• Lead, develop and performance-manage a team of four, embedding a culture of high
• performance, service excellence and commercial accountability in everything the team does.
• Evolve the long-term membership strategy in alignment with WIG’s 2026–2029 strategic plan,
• working closely with the Director and the wider directorate to ensure the offer remains
• compelling and innovative.
• Own membership budgets, exceed targets for growth and renewal, and maintain accurate
• forecasting and financial reporting to the Director.

1. Business development and new member acquisition

• Lead all membership business development, identifying, approaching and securing new
• member organisations aligned with WIG’s mission, with a particular focus on sectors identified
• within the Industrial Strategy.
• Lead by example in working with C-suite and Director-level contacts to present and sell the WIG membership proposition, demonstrating the value of cross-sector collaboration at the highest levels.
• Develop a strong business development pipeline with compelling membership propositions and oversee targeted acquisition campaigns, coaching the team to exceed new member targets through confident outreach, upselling and cross-selling.

1. Member engagement and retention

• Design and lead personalised engagement plans for member organisations across government, industry and civil society – ensuring every member has a clear picture of value received and opportunities available.
• Maintain personal responsibility for the relationship management of a portfolio of senior member accounts, acting as a trusted adviser and senior point of contact.
• Drive deeper member engagement across all areas of WIG’s offer, working with colleagues in Partnerships, Marketing, Research, Policy & Impact and Leadership & Talent to connect members to the right opportunities.
• Develop deep insight into the public policy and leadership issues affecting UK organisations, positioning the team as a knowledgeable and credible partner to members across all three sectors.

1. Member insight and cross-team collaboration

• Serve as WIG’s primary voice of member intelligence, systematically gathering, analysing and sharing insight on member needs, policy priorities and engagement trends to inform the evolution of WIG’s offer across all directorates.
• Work closely with the Head of Partnerships to identify opportunities where members may benefit from bespoke interventions, sponsored programmes or innovative collaborative offers, passing warm leads and relevant intelligence across as appropriate.
• Ensure CRM integrity, accurate membership reporting and effective monitoring of engagement trends, providing the Director with the data needed for strategic decision-making and Board reporting.
• Work with colleagues across WIG to embed a strong member relationship philosophy, ensuring consistent knowledge of each member organisation and enabling members to maximise the benefits of WIG membership.

1. Other

• A commitment to ongoing professional development
• Ability to travel to undertake duties in relation to their role

Qualifications

Educated to degree level or equivalent; relevant professional development in membership,

sales, account management or stakeholder relations is an advantage.

Competencies

• Commercial drive: a track record of exceeding revenue targets through business development, upselling and cross-selling, with the confidence to lead from the front in senior-level sales conversations.
• Relationship leadership: ability to build trusted, senior-level relationships across government, business and civil society, and to develop a team that does the same.
• Member-centricity: ability to define, embed and deliver compelling member value across the team and the wider organisation, ensuring WIG’s offer is always evolving to meet member needs.
• Public policy literacy: a deep interest in public policy, government and cross-sector dynamics, with the knowledge to engage credibly with senior leaders on the issues that matter to them.
• Data and insight: confident use of CRM systems and engagement data to inform strategy, report performance and identify commercial opportunities.
• Team leadership: experience of building high-performing, accountable teams with a coaching approach that develops individual capability and collective culture.

Experience

Essential

At least three years’ experience as a Head of or equivalent senior leader within a membership,

sales, account management or stakeholder relations function.

Minimum three years’ experience managing, developing and coaching a team with direct

commercial accountability.

Demonstrable track record of business development, including upselling, cross-selling and

exceeding financial targets in a membership, professional services or policy environment.

Significant experience of membership strategy, client engagement or account management in

a comparable organisation – membership body, consultancy, policy institute, NGO or

professional services firm.

Proven ability to build and sustain relationships with senior leaders across sectors, including

government departments and large private sector organisations.

Track record of financial forecasting, budgeting and performance reporting.

Interest in public policy, government affairs or cross-sector context.

Desirable

Experience within a public policy, government affairs or cross-sector context.

Familiarity with CRM platforms (ideally Dynamics 365) and their application to member

engagement and pipeline management.

• Background in a not-for-profit, charity or membership organisation.

Pay: From £65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Gym membership
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Private medical insurance
• Referral programme
• Sick pay
• Work from home

Application question(s):

• Do you have the right to work in the UK?

Education:

• Bachelor's (preferred)

Experience:

• CRM software: 1 year (required)
• membership: 1 year (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in London SW1H 9EX