Membership officer jobs

Membership & Programmes Officer

The Political Studies Association (PSA) exists to develop and promote the study and teaching of politics and related disciplines. Founded in 1950, we are the leading association in our field in the United Kingdom, with an international membership that includes academics in political science, theorists and practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and students in higher education, as well as members from the school community.

Contract

Fixed Term, 12 months’ maternity cover with scope for extension

Salary

£32,000

Hours

37.5 (Monday - Friday)

Reports to

Membership, Events and Programmes Manager

Location

PSA offices in Camden, London. The PSA works on a hybrid basis and supports remote working; post-holders are normally required in the office one day a week (on Wednesdays).

Job purpose

The PSA is a membership body with over 1000 members. The Membership & Programmes Officer is a key and multi-faceted role within in a small but dynamic team.

You will be responsibe for overseeing all aspects of the PSA membership. This will include communicating with current and prospective members, encouraging them to take up the full range of membership benefits and to participate in association activities so that they enjoy a high-quality member experience. Your role includes three core areas outlined below. These are three distinct but interlinked areas of responsibility which will involve working with/alongside other members of the team, and which will be guided by the direction of the Membership, Events & Programmes Manager.

Main responsibilities

Membership

1. The principal contact for all membership services

• As principal membership officer, you will be responsible for dealing with current and prospective members: managing membership registrations, renewals, queries re payments and general membership enquiries. This will include responding to communications from members and non-members within 48 hours of receipt
• You will be responsible for updating and managing the membership database (Oomi); producing membership data, and troubleshooting any joining/renewing issues for members
• You will be responsible for ensuring a successful member journey throughout sign-up, engagement, and renewals. Understanding, and reviewing, the member journey across our different platforms to ensure a smooth and consistent process is achieved
• You will be responsible for creating and sending the monthly membership e-newsletter (using our mailing platform, Brevo)
• You will be responsible for collating and reconciling membership data, including data cleansing  and other tasks as advised by the Head of Membership, Events & Communications or the Head of Operations & Finance
• You will work closely with the PSA Finance Officer to ensure all processes for receiving membership subscriptions are effective and accurate, including online membership payments by credit card and Direct Debits
• Working closely with other members of the team to ensure that members understand and receive their member benefits, and to support and implement any membership changes/developments that may be agreed by the Executive Committee

Specialist Groups and Networks

2. To support our specialist groups and member networks

• The PSA currently has 48 unique specialist groups that represent key subject/policy areas within political studies. The PSA also has two member networks dedicated to Early Career academics and those engaged in Teaching and Learning. As Membership & Programmes Officer you will be the primary contact for specialist groups, and will be responsible for:
• Managing the specialist groups inbox and ensuring queries are responded to in a timely manner, and consulting with colleagues on queries/actions where necessary
• Supporting specialist groups with their PSA website pages and access to their CRM database portal, in line with the guidelines provided, and creating/updating guidelines where necessary.
• Supporting the creation of new specialist groups, briefing group convenors ensuring they have the guidance and support needed to fulfil their role
• Supporting the Teaching and Learning, and Early Career networks by assisting with network communications, newsletters and network data where/when necessary. The networks are overseen by the Membership, Events & Programmes Manager

PSA Programmes

3. To support PSA annual programmes which include the PSA annual international conference, PSA prizes and other member-orientated activities throughout the year.

• Each year the PSA awards a number of prestigous prizes to PSA members by way of recognising and rewarding excellence and impact across Political Studies. You will be responsible for supporting the Membership, Events & Programmes Manager with delivery of the PSA’s prizes, including collating submissions and and producing prize winners’ certificates
• You may be asked to support other longstanding PSA programme initiatives such as the House of Commons Internship opportunity, Teachers CPD event at Parliament and the PSA Student Blogs competition
• Supporting other programmes to develop membership benefits and growth, such as schools/teachers innitiatives as/when required

The PSA Annual Conference

• The PSA organises and delivers a large scale international academic conference, which usually attracts 800 – 1000 delegates. The next annual conference will be taking place at the University of Hull from 22 – 24 March 2027. Because of the scale of this event, and the size of the team, all members are expected to be involved in aspects of confrence planning and delivery, including attending the event itself.

Specific tasks regarding the PSA Annual Conference may include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting the annual conference, which can include: responding to delegate enquiries, sharing information with delegates, reconciling accepted presenters and registrations, assisting with exhibitor communications, producing relevant data, assisting with venue planning and logistics and playing a key role within the team on-site for the three day conference
• Supporting colleagues with communications to specialist groups regarding their role at annual conference, particularly around their proposed AGMs

• Overseeing delegate badges – collating data and liaising with suppliers and courriers. Supporting conference registration and checking registration data, particularly in relation to membersip discounts
• Assisting with the production of online conference information and the delegate guide

Other duties and responsibilities:

• The above role description is not exclusive or exhaustive, and the post-holder will be required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post. All members of staff are required to be professional, co-operative and flexible in line with the needs of the post and the organisation

• On occasion, this may entail supporting colleagues in work areas outside of this job description

• These duties are subject to change from time to time as determined by business priorities. If duties and responsibilities change significantly, the job description may be reviewed and amended in consultation with the post-holder.

• The post-holder is expected to provide general support in running the PSA office

• Compliance with PSA policy, including absence, appraisal, health & safety, and GDPR

Structure: there are seven members of staff under the leadership of the CEO. This post sits under the Head of Membership, Events & Communications and is line managed by the  Membership, Events & Programmes Manager. The PSA’s office is in Camden, London. Whilst Team members predominantly work from home, they are expected to work in the office one day a week (usually Wednesday).

Additional information: there is some requirement to work outside normal office hours on occasion to attend various PSA events and to travel within the UK.

Terms of Employment

1. The starting salary will be £32,000.

2. 37.5 hour working week (normally 9:30 – 5:30 (including 30-minute unpaid lunch break); willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends with no overtime payments but the flexibility to claim time off in lieu.

3. 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.

4. Employer contribution to pension (10% for employee contribution of 5% of salary) following probation.

By applying for this role you are confirming that you have the right to work in the UK; proof of which will be required before a final offer is made.

Use of AI in applications

We appreciate that each candidate who applies for this role will have a range of expertise they can offer, and we are keen to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can be a helpful and be used as an assessiblity tool. However, you must ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience and how it relates to the job description.

Interview

Interviews will be held via Teams during week commencing 5 October 2026. If there are any dates you cannot attend, please let us know in your application.