For the past month, the ARRL has been running the following in the weekly ARRL Letter:
Open Positions at ARRL
Come join the headquarters staff of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®! We are currently seeking qualified applicants for the following positions:
Membership Manager
Advertising Sales Manager
Administrative Coordinator
Technical Editor
W1AW Operator
Assistant Editor
Full details may be found on the ARRL HR web page at www.arrl.org/careers.
I actually think that some of these jobs have been open for much longer, but I only have ARRL Letter back issues for the past month. I know that the previous Membership Manager was let go in May. I tried looking for back issues on the ARRL website to verify this, but discovered that they have not posted any ARRL Letter back issues since May 2024 (when the ARRL website was hacked)!
Of course, since declining ARRL membership has long been a hot button for me, I think that the Membership Manager position is the most critical. I’m dismayed that it’s taking them so long to fill this position.
Of course, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, given that the ARRL board doesn’t seem to think that the drop in membership is critical. At the recent board meeting, Dick Norton, N6AA, the Southwest Division Director, tried to get the staff to focus on this issue, but his motion was defeated. See item 51 in the ARRL 2025 Second Board of Directors Meeting Minutes.
The Advertising Sales Manager is the second most critical position that they need to fill. Without ad sales, QST is going to become a big drain on ARRL resources. Ad sales is a tough business these days, though, so I’m not surprised that this position is still open.
Of course to fill this position, they’re going to need to post a job description. Only three of these positions—Membership Manager, Technical Editor, and Assistant Editor—have job descriptions available on the ARRL website. Let’s hope that they get the missing descriptions posted and the positions filled soon.
The membership manager position seems like a losing proposition to me. When the Board and/or executives do something that irritates members, membership goes down. Then the membership manager gets the blame for not increasing membership.
They need a new generation in Newington. Shed the anachronisms and outdated notions, and start serving new-gen hams as well as the old hands.
Seconding what Ed said, it’s a sinking ship. Until the board as a whole changes course, don’t expect genuine talent to apply to any of these positions. Anyone who’s any good at their profession wouldn’t want their resume singed in the impending crash.