Remote Regional Engagement Manager

The Institute of Food Technologists; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work option

Vacation and sick days

Holidays

401k

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

Long-Term Disability

Job summary

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) seeks a strategic regional engagement manager to strengthen member engagement and volunteer leadership across the Western U.S., British Columbia, and Mexico/Latin America. You will serve as the primary staff liaison for Sections, driving engagement, communications, and regional performance with measurable KPI outcomes.

You will leverage data, coordinating with Section leaders to align local activities with global priorities, manage leadership lifecycles,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in association management, communications, nonprofit management, education, business, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in membership, volunteer engagement, component/chapter/section support, community management, events, or stakeholder engagement.
• Demonstrated ability to support distributed volunteer leaders, manage relationships and timelines, coordinate projects, communicate clearly, and use data and feedback to improve member engagement.
• Occasional domestic travel is expected including the ability to attend occasional evening, weekend, and overnight meetings.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary staff liaison for assigned Sections, building trusted relationships with volunteer leaders and ensuring consistent communication, support, and follow‑through.
• Support Section leaders to strengthen member engagement, recruitment, retention, and re‑engagement efforts.
• Support the full volunteer leadership lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, development, succession planning, recognition, and leadership transitions.
• Coordinate executive and Board engagement activities across the Western U.S., British Columbia, Mexico, and Latin America by preparing briefing materials, facilitating follow‑up, identifying local partnership and engagement opportunities, and escalating issues requiring Director‑level decisions.
• Track and assess portfolio and other key areas by using established scorecards and performance metrics.
• Support planning and execution of Section Leadership Conference, IFT FIRST Section leader experiences, and related engagement programs, including speaker/volunteer recruitment, assigned budget inputs, vendor coordination, materials, timelines, post‑event documentation, and follow‑up action plans.
• Manage cross‑functional relationships, projects, and deliverables to ensure Section engagement activities are aligned, coordinated, and effectively integrated with teams across IFT that deliver member value.
• This role is expected to use AI and automation to streamline work, simplify processes, and improve engagement workflows. May supervise temporary staff, interns, contractors, or volunteers connected to regional engagement programs as assigned.

Skills

Relationship management

Data analysis

Communication

Project coordination

Volunteer engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in association management, communications, nonprofit management, education, business, or related field

Tools

CRM platforms

Data dashboards

Job description

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) seeks a strategic regional engagement manager to strengthen member engagement and volunteer leadership across the Western U.S., British Columbia, and Mexico/Latin America. You will serve as the primary staff liaison for Sections, driving engagement, communications, and regional performance with measurable KPI outcomes.

You will leverage data, coordinating with Section leaders to align local activities with global priorities, manage leadership lifecycles,