Senior Director of Membership & Wellness

Description The Senior Membership & Wellness Director provides strategic and operational leadership for membership growth, retention, and wellness services and programming at the West Essex YMCA. Serving as a senior leader, this role drives business development, continuous quality improvement, and innovative initiatives that advance branch strategic goals while ensuring safety, compliance, and exceptional member engagement. The Director fosters a welcoming and inclusive culture, advances the YMCA’s mission of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility, and provides oversight for multiple programs/services through direct supervision of department leadership. The role oversees program quality and safety, sets performance expectations and KPIs, ensures alignment to association standards, and builds and maintains strong community partnerships while collaborating with branch and association leadership to drive engagement, revenue, and community impact.

Requirements

Essential Functions:

• Provide senior-level leadership and oversight for membership, community partnerships, and wellness portfolios, ensuring consistent quality, safety, compliance, and mission alignment across all areas.
• Drive membership, community partnership, and wellness growth/retention through business development KPI’s, strategic plan, staff coaching, community engagement, and exceptional customer service.
• Partner with the District Executive Director and association leaders to set strategy, annual operating plans, and measurable outcomes for membership, wellness and partnership performance.
• Directly supervise and coach department leadership and front-line teams; set clear expectations, performance goals, and accountability for results.
• Oversee wellness programming including fitness floor operations, group exercise, personal training, and health-focused initiatives, ensuring safety, quality, and accessibility and regulatory compliance.
• Lead the development and oversight of community partnership strategies and pathways that support revenue growth, sponsorships, event/vendors, relationships, and innovative engagement opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with all YMCA policies, procedures, and required certifications, including CPR, First Aid, and YMCA-specific trainings.
• Analyze membership, wellness and partnership data to monitor trends, identify risk and opportunities, and inform operational and strategic decision making.
• Establish, monitor, and report on KPIs (e.g., growth, retention, utilization, revenue, satisfaction, safety), presenting results, risks, and recommendations to branch and association leadership.
• Collaborate with branch and association leadership on marketing initiatives, promotions, events, and community outreach efforts to support growth and visibility.
• Own multi-department budgets, revenue targets, and expense management for membership and wellness; align staffing plans and resource allocation to branch goals and association expectations.
• Serve as a visible leader and ambassador of the YMCA, maintaining strong community partnerships that support membership growth, wellness initiatives, and community impact.
• Support and participate in branch and association-wide initiatives, events, and annual campaigns, including fundraising and mission advancement efforts.
• Maintain accurate records, reports, and data within membership and CRM systems.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support branch operations and the overall mission of the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges.
• Lead continuous quality improvement efforts by establishing systems to evaluate performance, member feedback, safety outcomes, and program effectiveness, using data to drive innovation and improvement

Minimum Requirements/Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Health, Business, Management, or related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience in sales, membership, wellness, fitness, or program operations, with demonstrated success leading managers/program leaders (e.g., Program Directors) and driving revenue and engagement results.
• Strong knowledge of membership practices, wellness programming, and customer service excellence.
• Demonstrated leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Preferred: Experience overseeing multiple program areas and budgets within a complex, member-focused organization (multi-department or multi-site), with a strong track record of developing leaders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with membership or CRM systems preferred.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Physical Demands:

• Prolonged periods of sitting and standing, including moving between offices, program areas, and branch locations.
• Frequent walking throughout facilities to observe operations, programs, and member experience areas.
• Occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling of materials or equipment weighing up to 25 pounds (e.g., event materials, signage, program supplies).
• Reaching, bending, stooping, kneeling, and crouching as needed to inspect facilities, set up programs, or support events.
• Use of hands and fingers to operate computers, mobile devices, office equipment, and fitness/wellness technology.
• Visual acuity sufficient to review documents, analyze data, read screens, and observe participant and staff activity.
• Hearing and verbal communication ability to effectively communicate with staff, members, vendors, and community partners in person and via phone/video.
• Ability to travel between YMCA branches and community locations, including entering and exiting vehicles and navigating varied environments.
• Occasional work in fitness, aquatics, and wellness environments, which may include exposure to humidity, pool chemicals, temperature variations, and noise.
• Ability to attend early morning, evening, or weekend meetings/events as operational needs require.

Benefits:

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, which includes medical, prescription, dental, and vision coverage. We also offer generous paid time off (PTO), paid sick leave, paid holidays, a legal plan, long-term disability, life insurance, 12% retirement benefits upon eligibility, a 403 (b) plan, an employee assistance program, professional development opportunities, Metro Y program discounts, and complimentary use of YMCA facilities. Full-time employees may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.