Lead, Member Engagement and Experience, North America and Europe

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF ACCOUNTANTS (IFAC)
During 2024, IFAC shifted its strategic focus to maximizing member value and experience. The Member Value Proposition (MVP) was created and is currently being embedded into all of IFAC’s activities:

• IFAC, by connecting and uniting its members, makes the accountancy profession truly global.
• IFAC member organizations are champions of integrity and professional quality and proudly carry their membership as a badge of international recognition.
• IFAC and its members work together to shape the future of the profession through learning, innovation, a collective voice, and commitment to the public interest.

IFAC has traditionally delivered member services from a centralized operating model based in New York. As part of the transformation to a new target operating model, IFAC will move to a global multi-location model, which will greatly enhance our ability to deliver value to member organizations around the world. As part of this shift, we welcome applicants from around the globe to apply and contribute to our mission.

P OSITION SUMMARY
The Lead, Member Engagement and Experience (MEE), is responsible for leading a team that customizes, delivers, and maximizes the MVP in North America and Europe. The role ensures their team is developing strong relationships and collaborating with members, regional bodies, and other key stakeholders such as Regulatory Bodies, Universities, Supreme Audit Institutions, Business Associations, and Investor Communities in respective jurisdictions. The position is also responsible for identifying and managing the regional volunteer pipeline for IFAC, ensuring that their team proactively communicates with members across the region. All regional activities will need to be coordinated to ensure service-level consistency around the globe.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Essential duties and responsibilities include those that are set out below. Other duties may be assigned to meet business needs.

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and lead IFAC’s global membership and stakeholder engagement strategy, aligning activities with the Member Value Proposition and organizational goals.
• Develop, lead, and execute IFAC’s regional member engagement strategies for North America and Europe, fostering strong relationships, advancing the MVP, and driving measurable impact across both regions.
• Design and implement a number of jurisdictional strategies that strengthen member engagement and enhance the overall member experience, ensuring alignment with the MVP and regional priorities.
• Provide strategic counsel to Senior Leadership on member and stakeholder trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Monitor global developments affecting IFAC’s members, offering proactive guidance to inform IFAC’s strategic agenda.
• Design, plan, and execute all the global MEE activities, including regional events, stakeholder meetings, and collaborative initiatives.
• Ensure high-quality service levels, consistent processes, and effective internal coordination across the global MEE team.
• Lead, coach, and develop team members, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
• Manage budgets, resources, and external vendor relationships related to global membership and stakeholder engagement.
• Collaborate closely with the Head of Education, Member Monitoring, and Development to align member engagement and experience initiatives with Statements of Membership Obligations (SMOs), ensuring consistency, compliance, and MVP delivery.
• Work closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to ensure regional engagement strategies align with IFAC’s global priorities, providing strategic insights and feedback from North America and Europe to inform executive decision-making and organizational direction.
• Lead and actively contribute to the newly established Member Experience and Engagement Committee, shaping its vision, priorities, and initiatives to strengthen member experience and enhance organizational impact.
• Serve as an active member of IFAC’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT), contributing to organizational strategy and alignment and decision-making.

Member Engagement

• Oversee the delivery of IFAC’s MVP in North America and Europe, ensuring customized support for diverse regional needs.
• Lead a geographically dispersed team of regional leaders, driving collaboration and sharing knowledge across all regions.
• Collaborate closely with the fellow Lead, MEE, to ensure alignment and consistency in delivering the MVP across all regions, leading a unified global approach to engagement, service delivery, and stakeholder management.
• Lead by example in championing member-centric practices, modelling behaviors and actions that inspire staff and stakeholders to prioritize and enhance the member experience.
• Ensure effective engagement with member organizations, including client-centric engagement management, issue resolution, and support capacity-building efforts.
• Analyze data and insights to identify trends, measure impact, and inform continuous improvement of member engagement activities.

Stakeholder Engagement and Representation

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with a wide range of global and regional stakeholders, including regulators, standard setters, governments, financial institutions, academia, business associations, and industry influencers.
• Be a trusted advisor and thought partner to Professional Accountancy Organizations (PAOs) and external stakeholders worldwide.
• Serve as IFAC’s representative at international meetings, conferences, and forums to advance IFAC’s MVP and strengthen its global impact.
• Collaborate with regional accountancy organizations and international bodies to drive aligned strategic objectives.

Volunteer Pipeline

• Oversee the identification and development of a pipeline of volunteers and experts to support IFAC’s initiatives.
• Coordinate efforts to recruit diverse talent across regions to contribute to IFAC’s boards, committees, and working groups.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIRED SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required; advanced degree in Business, Accountancy, International Relations, Public Policy, or a related field preferred; Professional accountancy qualification (e.g., CPA, CA) strongly preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in membership engagement, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, or professional services leadership, preferred.
• Significant experience working in a multi-national or global context, preferably within the accountancy profession, a professional association, or an international organization.
• Proven ability to lead high-performing teams across cultures and geographies.
• Deep understanding of global trends and regulatory environments impacting the accountancy profession.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior executives, boards, committees, external officials, and diverse cultural groups.
• Excellent negotiation, diplomacy, and issue-resolution skills, with the ability to achieve consensus among varied viewpoints.
• Ability to exercise sound political judgment in interactions with media, the profession, and international regulators.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines, including those imposed externally.
• Exceptional public speaking and presentation skills, with proven experience engaging diverse audiences and preferably representing organizations in media or public forums.
• Commitment to quality processes and high-quality deliverables.
• Gravitas to build consensus among varying perspectives and steer credible paths forward.
• Flexibility and adaptability in a dynamic environment.

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. Additionally, if an applicant is US-based, provided they meet all eligibility requirements under the applicable plan documents, employees (and their eligible dependents) will be eligible to enroll in group healthcare plans that offer medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees will also be able to enroll in our company’s 401 (k) plan, as well as a deferred compensation plan, provided they meet plan requirements.

IFAC welcomes applicants from all geographical locations, and this role can be remote if outside of the NY-Metropolitan area. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. At IFAC, compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range for candidates in the NY-Metropolitan region is $175,000 to $225,000.

IFAC is an equal employment employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or protected veteran status, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable law.