Sales and Membership Officer

The Sales and Membership Officer will deliver vital support to ensure school libraries are at the heart of every school community. This role will play an important part in growing our membership and supporting the development of school libraries and all the benefits they bring, across the UK. We engage with educators across the school community, in order to advocate for effective school libraries and ultimately support the personal, social and academic development of children and young people. 

We need somebody who is confident, a natural, creative salesperson; with sales experience and a flair for persuasion. We are looking for somebody who cares about the customer and delivering incredible value; who is always thinking of how to innovate and reach new audiences, has a creative approach to problem solving, all while enhancing the value of SLA membership.

Duties include:

·       Sell membership, services and events recruiting and retaining new members through strategic and innovative partnerships.

·       To be a point of contact for our membership, managing queries and supporting members to make the most of the SLA.

·       To respond promptly to inquiries from prospective members, members, executive officers, the public and other industry bodies.

·       To undertake member market research.

·       To maintain and update membership records and marketing databases

·       Assist with the member renewal process, follow up on resignations, and compile reports and analysis on membership trends using the CRM system

·       Assist in the creation and update of membership and marketing materials (such as: emails, new member welcome packs, membership directories, member listings, member questionnaires and brochures)

·       To co-ordinate member recognition programmes (such as loyalty schemes and engagement scoring) 

·       To maintain a calendar of recruitment and retention activities, key events, and meetings 

·       To support SLA event administration working with the relevant team members

Working as part of a supportive and passionate team, you will be expected to plan work efficiently to meet the membership and training goals and objectives. To be successful in this role you should demonstrate:

·       Experience of outstanding customer service

·       Experience of sales and customer retention

·       A good level of IT knowledge and skills

·       Excellent communication skills

·       Previous use of information/customer databases, content management systems, survey, and email tools

·       Accuracy and attention to detail

·       The ability to be able to work remotely (from home)

·       A flexible approach with a willingness to adapt to changes

·       An ability to work using your own initiative both independently and as a competent, effective team member

·       An ability to work under pressure and prioritise work to meet deadlines

·       Always treating others with courtesy, dignity, and respect

An interest and knowledge of libraries, school libraries and the education sector will be an advantage, as will experience of working with schools in an engagement and / or sales capacity.

The salary for this position is £26,000 for full time, 37 hours, and comes with a 6% employer pension contribution.

We are open to discussing job shares, flexible working, condensing hours or proposing an arrangement that we haven’t even thought of yet. This is a remote working role, with a monthly meeting in person at our current Head Office (Swindon) which you will be expected to attend, in addition to relevant member events. Working patterns can be negotiated.

We strongly encourage candidates of all different backgrounds and identities to apply, from all over the UK. Each new role provides us with an opportunity for us to bring in a different perspective and we are always eager to diversify our team. The SLA is committed to building an inclusive, supportive place, where you can do brilliant and rewarding work.

Why work for the School Library Association?

We are at the start of an exciting new period of growth in the history of the SLA, with a new CEO, coinciding with the opportunity to influence a new government. Plans to redevelop our offer are in progress, you will have the opportunity to influence new approaches and ways of working. We are a small, friendly team who support each other to deliver an excellent service to our members. Leave is 30 days including bank holidays and we have a flexi leave system in place for all members of staff. We offer free mental health support and counselling sessions and brilliant discounts with a variety of retailers including up to 40% off Vue cinema tickets through our HR partner.

About the School Library Association

The School Library Association has been representing the school library sector for more than eighty-five years, with membership to the Association thought of as essential to all those who work in and around school libraries. Membership to the SLA provides training, support in advocating with senior leadership teams, incredible discounts and collegiate support and networking opportunities for anybody working in and with school libraries.

How to apply

To apply please send your CV and a covering letter (no more than one page) detailing the experience you have in sales, customer service and communication that you can bring to this role, and how your skills and knowledge align with the job description. We truly appreciate all applications, but due to the volume we receive, we may not be able to reply to everyone. Deadline: 9am 31st March 2025. Please note we will be actively interviewing for this role and may close the recruitment early if a candidate is found.