Membership & Loyalty Strategist

Position Title:        Membership & Loyalty Strategist

Department:          Consumer Engagement/Digital Marketing

Classification:        Exempt

Direct Report:        Director, Consumer Engagement

Position Summary

We are seeking a customer-centric, data-driven individual who challenges the status quo, delivers measurable results, and brings creative yet disciplined approaches to membership growth.  The Membership & Loyalty Strategist will lead the strategy, execution, and growth of Georgia Aquarium’s Membership Program.  The ideal candidate will have member program experience, along with a natural curiosity and analytical mind.  The role will focus on new member acquisition, retention strategy, member communications, and exclusive member engagement events. This individual must combine strong business acumen with analytical rigor, use data to inform decision-making and optimize performance across the full member journey.

Responsibilities:

Membership Strategy & Program Roadmap

• Define and own the end-to-end membership strategy, including program architecture, member value proposition, tiering, benefits and customer positioning.
• Determine clear performance targets across all key KPI categories and report on progress with actionable insights.
• Lead the evolution of the membership pricing model and packaging to better align with consumer behavior and maximize long-term value.
• Identify and implement new growth levers beyond traditional channels, including partnerships, product innovation, and experience-driven value creation.
• Define and evolve the Aquarium's loyalty strategy, including engagement frameworks, rewards, recognition programs, and customer retention initiatives.

Data Strategy

• Serve as the primary owner of membership data, leveraging insights to inform strategy and drive continuous optimization.
• Collaborate with Data Science and Digital Marketing teams to identify trends, test hypotheses, and uncover new opportunities for growth and efficiency.
• Manage and optimize CRM and marketing technology platforms to support member acquisition, engagement, retention, and reporting efforts.
• Develop loyalty and engagement reporting frameworks that track customer behavior across acquisition, visitation, retention, and advocacy stages.
• Partner with Digital Marketing and Technology teams to develop audience segmentation, automation workflows, and personalized member journeys across email, SMS, website, and other digital channels.
• Provide regular reporting on sales, retention and visitation metrics to senior management.

Lifecycle Marketing & Personalization

• Design and implement a comprehensive lifecycle marketing strategy that supports members from acquisition through renewal and advocacy.
• Advance personalization efforts across communications, offers, and experiences to increase engagement and perceived value.
• Optimize renewal strategies through targeted messaging, timing, and value reinforcement.
• Develop segmentation strategies based on behavior, demographics, and engagement patterns.

Membership, Loyalty and Customer Engagement

• Continuously evolve the membership value proposition, including benefits, experiences, and partnerships, to increase differentiation and loyalty.
• Develop and manage loyalty initiatives that reward engagement, increase visitation frequency, and strengthen long-term customer relationships.
• Oversee the development and execution of member-exclusive experiences and events that deepen engagement and brand affinity.
• Partner with Guest Experience teams to ensure seamless and high-quality onsite membership sales, service, and fulfillment.
• Act as the voice of the member internally, advocating for enhancements that improve satisfaction and loyalty.
• Monitor customer feedback and satisfaction metrics to identify opportunities to improve the overall member and guest experience.

Communications and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Own the membership communications strategy and calendar across all touchpoints.
• Champions a customer-centric culture by advocating for initiatives that improve customer satisfaction, loyalty, and lifetime value.
• Collaborate with Communications team to develop compelling, brand-aligned creative and messaging for acquisition, engagement, and renewal campaigns.
• Ensure consistency, clarity, and effectiveness of all member communications.
• Partner with Development team to identify opportunities to deepen member relationships through philanthropic engagement.

Qualifications:

• 3 years of experience in marketing, membership, loyalty strategy or a related field.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., marketing, communications).

• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect marketing efforts to financial outcomes.
• Experience with CRM, and customer data platforms (e.g., Tessitura, Customer.io, Salesforce or similar systems) is highly preferred.
• Experience with lifecycle marketing, segmentation, and personalization strategies.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate data into clear insights and recommendations.
• Self-starter with a high level of initiative, accountability, and comfort working in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Products is required.

Physical Demands & Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment 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 occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color and peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Commitment:

I commit to Georgia Aquarium, Inc. to be a part of the following:

Mission: Georgia Aquarium is a nonprofit committed to inspiring awareness and preservation of our ocean and Aquatic animals worldwide. 

Vision:  To be the Premier Aquarium in the World for Science, Entertainment, Education and Conservation.

Values: Respect, Teamwork, Integrity, Innovation, Leadership, Excellence, Appreciation & Inclusion