The NE Chamber is currently hiring for two positions, Program Director for Manufacturing and Director of Membership Development. See job descriptions as well as information on applying for both below. Send any questions to [email protected].
Program Director for Manufacturing
Position Overview
Nebraska manufacturing is essential to the state’s economy, and this role leads a movement to increase the prominence and influence of the state’s manufacturers, working directly with Nebraska manufacturers.
The Program Director for Manufacturing leads the NE Chamber’s statewide manufacturing initiative, aiming to serve the approximately 3,000 manufacturers across Nebraska. The Program Director position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing in Nebraska by convening and coordinating leaders from education, workforce, and policy partners around shared solutions, using partnerships and the NE Chamber team to carry out the vision.
This is a leadership role for someone who enjoys building relationships, educating, creating momentum, and turning big ideas into real impact. The Program Director reports to the Executive Vice President of Partnerships & Programs, serves as a trusted voice for manufacturing across the state, and is a vital part of the NE Chamber team.
What You’ll Do
Lead a statewide manufacturing movement
Engage and Grow the Manufacturing Community
Build the Workforce of Tomorrow
Connect People and Ideas
Support Safe, Strong Manufacturing Operations
What We’re Looking For
Required Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications
What Success Looks Like
Year 1
What We Provide
Apply via LinkedIn HERE or email your resume and cover letter to [email protected].
Nebraska manufacturing is essential to the state’s economy, and this role leads a movement to increase the prominence and influence of the state’s manufacturers, working directly with Nebraska manufacturers.
The Program Director for Manufacturing leads the NE Chamber’s statewide manufacturing initiative, aiming to serve the approximately 3,000 manufacturers across Nebraska. The Program Director position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing in Nebraska by convening and coordinating leaders from education, workforce, and policy partners around shared solutions, using partnerships and the NE Chamber team to carry out the vision.
This is a leadership role for someone who enjoys building relationships, educating, creating momentum, and turning big ideas into real impact. The Program Director reports to the Executive Vice President of Partnerships & Programs, serves as a trusted voice for manufacturing across the state, and is a vital part of the NE Chamber team.
What You’ll Do
Lead a statewide manufacturing movement
- Help develop and execute the vision for the NE Chamber as the state’s leading manufacturing association. Convenes manufacturing leaders across the state to set strategy that aligns with outcomes
- Serve as a spokesperson and thought leader for manufacturing in Nebraska
- Establish functional councils, creating workforce/policy initiatives that demonstrate engagement and impact
- Establish collaborative manufacturing industry growth goals and lead efforts to identify performance indicators and strategies to meet the goals
- Lead efforts to assess manufacturing health in Nebraska by leveraging key partnerships to collect strategic performance data
- Identify opportunities for grant or program proposal development and collaboration
- Work with the Chamber’s policy team to advance manufacturing priorities through advocacy and engagement
Engage and Grow the Manufacturing Community
- Recruit and retain manufacturing members to the NE Chamber
- Identify new or existing event opportunities to build the manufacturing community. Work with event programmers and the NE Chamber team to create or build on Nebraska manufacturing events
- Lead and conduct outreach to non-member manufacturers and demonstrate the value of participation
- Identify and establish partnership, membership and policy outcomes as key performance indicators; track engagement, satisfaction, and retention to ensure the NE Chamber and its manufacturing members continue to grow and thrive
- Create operational systems to record, track and increase manufacturing membership, collaboration and influence, such as building a member database and using constituent relationship management to coordinate and track outreach, events and research, along with member engagement
- Identify and use data to analyze, present and report growth as part of a strategic plan
Build the Workforce of Tomorrow
- Create employer-driven training programs addressing manufacturing skills gaps
- Expand apprenticeships, internships, and work-based learning opportunities
- Build strong partnerships with K-12 schools, community/state colleges, universities, technical programs, and workforce agencies
Connect People and Ideas
- Educate stakeholders on the importance of manufacturing and advanced manufacturing at the state and national level
- Build trusted relationships with manufacturers, educators, chambers of commerce, economic developers, and community leaders
- Represent the manufacturing members of the NE Chamber at industry events, legislative sessions and public forums
- Understand and work with NE Chamber legislative, marketing and event teams to increase awareness and engagement in Nebraska manufacturing initiatives
Support Safe, Strong Manufacturing Operations
- Lead adoption of safety programs, training opportunities, and regulatory guidance
- Champion a culture of safety excellence and continuous improvement across the manufacturing community
What We’re Looking For
Required Qualifications
- Leadership experience in manufacturing, workforce development, economic development, association or a related field
- Proven membership growth/retention success
- Strong communication, relationship-building, and strategic thinking skills
- Ability to identify, use, report and track data
- Willingness and ability to travel statewide (estimated 50% work outside of office)
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree
- 5-8+ years of progressive leadership experience
- Manufacturing operations or manufacturing-related industry experience
- Experience with membership-based organizations or statewide initiatives
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) or multilingual communication skills
- Ability to use advanced business analysis technologies to collect, analyze and report industry data
- Proven membership growth/retention success
What Success Looks Like
Year 1
- Developed a strategic plan for manufacturing collaboration, including a member development plan with manufacturing membership and sponsorship goals
- Established functional councils focusing on specific manufacturing needs, and developing a framework to operate in a manufacturing council structure
- Increased participation and engagement in existing manufacturing events and an additional 1-3 manufacturing-specific events and activities, with attainable attendance/outcome goals
- Increased satisfaction among Nebraska manufacturers in the quality and quantity of collaborative opportunities
- Increased awareness among Nebraskans of the role of manufacturing in Nebraska
- Created a plan to continue to increase the impact of the role in Year 2 and beyond
What We Provide
- NE Chamber covers employee’s health insurance
- Retirement plan matching contribution (after six months)
- Professional development opportunities
- A culture of teamwork and respect with a focus on policy over politics, civil discourse, collaborative problem-solving, and "disagreeing better" to move Nebraska manufacturing forward
Apply via LinkedIn HERE or email your resume and cover letter to [email protected].
Director of Membership Development
Position Overview
The Director of Membership Development is a key leadership role driving membership growth and retention at the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry. This position will lead efforts to define and communicate a compelling membership value proposition, develop and execute strategic membership sales, engagement and retention initiatives, and use technology and data to inform decision-making. Reporting to the CEO, the Director of Membership Development will play a critical role in achieving the NE Chamber’s mission to support businesses across Nebraska.
What You’ll Do
Lead membership growth through a clear membership strategy and value proposition
What We’re Looking For
Qualifications
What Success Looks Like
Year 1
What We Provide
Apply via LinkedIn HERE or email your resume and cover letter to [email protected].
The Director of Membership Development is a key leadership role driving membership growth and retention at the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry. This position will lead efforts to define and communicate a compelling membership value proposition, develop and execute strategic membership sales, engagement and retention initiatives, and use technology and data to inform decision-making. Reporting to the CEO, the Director of Membership Development will play a critical role in achieving the NE Chamber’s mission to support businesses across Nebraska.
What You’ll Do
Lead membership growth through a clear membership strategy and value proposition
- Develop and implement a clearly defined membership value proposition that highlights the benefits and services of NE Chamber membership.
- Regularly assess and refine membership levels and sponsorship offerings based on member feedback, market trends, and organizational goals.
- Collaborate with internal teams to create resources, programs, and events that enhance member value.
- Provide members a high-quality experience that meets, and exceeds, their expectation in being a NE Chamber member.
- Lead membership prospecting efforts, including identifying potential members, building relationships, and selling memberships and sponsorships.
- Identify revenue goals for membership, dues and sponsorships.
- Identify and lead sponsorship revenue growth planning and sponsorship sales.
- Understand the member journey and develop individual and team processes to support member conversion through each stage of member engagement.
- Track, analyze and report progress toward goals; develop and carry out contingency plans to assure goal attainment.
- Establish structured sales and prospect pipelines to track progress and achieve membership growth targets.
- Develop and oversee initiatives to retain existing members, including engagement programs, renewal campaigns, and member satisfaction surveys.
- Provide reports to members on the fulfillment of member benefits, demonstrating the ROI on their membership.
- Utilize the Chamber’s member relationship management system to ensure accurate tracking of membership data, sales activities, and engagement metrics.
- Identify data and reporting needs that are responsive to internal and external stakeholders.
- Provide routine and special reports and analysis on membership growth, retention, and sales performance to the internal Chamber team, President, and Board of Directors.
- Collaborate on operational processes to update records and contacts, assuring a seamless experience across the membership journey.
- Use data-driven insights to inform strategies and improve membership outcomes.
- Be members’ initial point of contact for all member engagement questions and be a trusted partner to members.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement and teamwork to achieve results.
- Collaborate with Marketing, Events, Manufacturing, and Advocacy teams to align membership initiatives with broader organizational goals, fostering a high-performing and motivated team.
- Serve as a leadership representative of the Chamber, attending events, meetings, and conferences to promote membership opportunities.
- Navigate other duties as assigned related to the landscape of Chamber business, Chamber value propositions, and facilitating a top tier member experience.
What We’re Looking For
Qualifications
- Proven experience in membership development, sales, or business development.
- Demonstrated success in achieving sales and retention targets.
- Proficiency in CRM systems and data analysis tools. Preferred proficiency in advanced business analytics systems.
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders.
- Strong organizational and leadership skills, with a track record of utilizing teams and multiple projects effectively.
- This position is officed in Lincoln and must be able to travel, mostly statewide.
- Preferred bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications, or a related field.
- Preferred knowledge of statewide economic and business landscapes.
What Success Looks Like
Year 1
- Developed a membership operational plan identifying roles and responsibilities for team collaboration across the member lifecycle, including a sponsor conversion plan with membership and sponsorship goals.
- Established benchmarks for reviewing and reporting data, providing analysis and plans to remediate member barriers.
- Increased new members, member retention and sponsor conversion by established benchmarks that align with the strategic member growth plan.
- Working with the marketing and events team, increased participation and engagement in existing events and an additional 1-3 new events and activities, with attainable attendance/outcome goals.
- Increased satisfaction among members, as evidenced by attendance, engagement and renewal metrics.
- Created a plan to continue to increase the impact of the role in Year 2 and beyond
What We Provide
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience, minimum base of $75,000.
- Opportunity for goal-based incentives.
- Comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plan, and vacation/sick leave.
- A culture of teamwork and respect with a focus on policy over politics, civil discourse, collaborative problem-solving, and "disagreeing better" to move Nebraska forward.
Apply via LinkedIn HERE or email your resume and cover letter to [email protected].
