Customer Experience Associate

Job Title: Customer Experience Associate

Reports To: Certification Operations Director

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Date: April 13, 2026

About the Organization

The profession of interior design is regulated in 38 jurisdictions across the United States and Canada. The Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) is an association of state and provincial licensure boards that regulate the profession in those jurisdictions. Established in 1974, CIDQ supports the regulation and the profession of interior design by providing NCIDQ Certification, which ensures that certified interior designers have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to practice in a way that protects the public’s health, safety, and welfare. CIDQ, through NCIDQ Certification, provides professional recordkeeping services ensuring that licensure jurisdictions can verify the certification status of interior designers through our secure system, as well as supporting the jurisdictions in the pursuit of reasonable regulation of interior design.

Summary of Position

The Customer Experience Associate supports the Customer Experience Manager in supporting all customer-related interactions with applicants, candidates, and certificate holders. The primary responsibilities include managing the Ambassador Program, including appointments, training, and sponsor assignments, as well as representing the organization by presenting to prospective candidates about NCIDQ Certification and the NCIDQ Exam. Additionally, this role will support customer inquiries, upload transcripts, and review exam applications for eligibility. This role ensures that customers receive timely, accurate, and supportive guidance throughout their certification journey.

Essential Duties

·       Serves as a point of contact for customer inquiries

·       Serves as the contact for students, educators, and professional organizations with NCIDQ outreach and educational presentations both through webinar and in-person 

·       Supports the NCIDQ Ambassador Program by providing information, appointments, sponsorship assignments, presentation resources, and training

·       Provides timely and accurate responses to customer inquiries about qualifications and the application process for NCIDQ Certification

·       Guides candidates on the appropriate eligibility pathway

·       Responds to inquiries regarding exam qualifications, registration, scheduling, testing issues, cancellation, preparation, and study materials

·       Respond to inquiries from certificate holders, including but not limited to renewals, online payments, certificate orders, and password resets

·       Assists candidates in completing and submitting employment verifications

·       Troubleshoots database functionality issues related to customer support

·       Provides customer feedback to the supervisor to support CIDQ in meeting customer needs

·       Upload and evaluate incoming transcripts to the database

·       Reviews and processes applications for eligibility within 10 business days from receipt

·       Notifies candidates of approval or denial status and provides any necessary additional information and next steps

·       Processes name change requests

·       Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty listed above satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Education and Experience

·       Bachelor’s degree in communications or related field OR equivalent, related experience

·       1-3 years of experience in a role with a similar organization or similar essential duties

Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

·       Strong presentation skills

·       Actively listen and accurately and effectively convey information, verbally and in writing, to customers

·       Work effectively and efficiently without close supervision

·       Think and act with discipline consistently

·       Strong customer service orientation with the ability to respond with patience, empathy, and professionalism

·       Efficiently and effectively use Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and other productivity-enhancing tools

·       Efficient and effective use of a Certification Management System (CMS)

·       Attention to detail, accuracy, and consistency, ensuring accuracy of application review and analysis, data entry, and data management

·       5% Travel possible

Cover letters and résumés should be submitted to careers@cidq.org by May 13, 2026.

Remote Work

The individual must maintain the ability to work fully remotely with limited supervision while remaining accessible to collaborating with teammates. A remote work environment must include a dedicated workspace in a distraction-free area and internet speed sufficient to meet job requirements, which includes participation in video conferences over multiple hours. Individuals must reside in the DMV.

CIDQ holds mandatory quarterly in-person staff meetings at CIDQ Headquarters in Alexandria, VA.

General Benefits Summary:

• Competitive compensation package
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401K plan
• Life Insurance policy
• Short-term disability insurance
• 32 days PTO
• 12 paid holidays
• Professional development opportunities

The salary range for this position is $50,000 - $60,000, depending on experience.

CIDQ is an equal opportunity employer. CIDQ provides equal opportunity to all qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex/gender, national origin, age, marital status, military/veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.