Director of Engagement & State Relations

School Nutrition Association; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

School Nutrition Association is seeking a Director of Engagement & State Relations in Arlington, VA. This leadership role directs state affiliate engagement, leadership development, and governance-support across the organization, reporting to the VP of Membership and Credentialing.

You will build relationships with state Presidents and SAEs, oversee state bylaws and agreements, coordinate leadership training, manage annual conferences, and drive member engagement programs to strengthen national

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; professional work experience accepted in lieu.
• Minimum five years of experience managing programs, services, or member/affiliate engagement functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead state affiliate engagement strategy and relationships with state Presidents, SAEs, and other leaders.
• Oversee governance matters including bylaws review and state affiliation agreements.
• Develop and deliver state leadership education, onboarding programs, and succession planning.
• Plan and execute leadership conferences, including the SAE conference and related activities.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to create resources for member engagement and grassroots campaigns.
• Supervise staff and ensure high standards of service, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Skills

State engagement

Volunteer leadership

Governance knowledge

Program management

Staff supervision

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

SharePoint

Excel

Zoom

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Director of Engagement & State Relations

Director Arlington, VA, US

2 days ago Requisition ID: 1030

Position Description

The position reports to the Vice President (VP) of Membership and Credentialing and leads SNA’s state affiliate engagement, state volunteer leadership development, and state relations portfolio. The position serves as a senior resource to state affiliates, strengthening their connection to the national association and supporting their capacity to operate effectively. Leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of state leader education and onboarding programs, including the National Leadership Conference.

Position Responsibilities

State Affiliate Engagement & Leadership Support

• Lead SNA’s state affiliate engagement strategy, building strong, productive relationships with state Presidents, Presidents-elect, State Association Executives (SAEs), and other state leaders to strengthen alignment between state affiliates and the National Association.
• Serve as a resource to state leaders on association management, volunteer leadership, and governance-related questions, developing tools, resources, and educational opportunities support effective state leadership.
• Maintain strong relationships with the SAEs, ensuring regular bi-directional communication and mutual support; including, planning and implementing the SAE conference, meetups at SNA conferences, and coordinating other activities in support of their growth as association leaders.
• Oversees SNA’s national awards programs and State Award of Excellence including the marketing, coordination of judging and promotion of state, regional and national winners.
• Collaborate with the Director, Membership and Service Center to develop grassroots membership campaigns and oversee the creation of resources and activations for state membership coordinators and overall member engagement.
• Oversee the state affiliation agreements and affiliate bylaws review process and serve as a resource to state leaders on governance, bylaws, and procedural matters. Address issues and exercise sound judgment in escalating matters with potential legal, compliance, reputational, policy, precedent-setting, or significant leadership implications to the Chief of Staff (COS) or VP as appropriate.
• Oversee the content strategy for state affiliate services including for State Affiliate Connection newsletter, relevant content in School Nutrition Magazine, and on the website.
• Oversee the collection of annual state conference dates and collaborate with the COS to assign members of the Board of Directors to attend according to the established visitation schedule.
• Ensure appropriate document collection and retention for materials required by the State Affiliation Agreement.
• Oversee state affiliate surveys, including an annual satisfaction survey.
• Lead and develop staff to ensure effective delivery of state affiliate services and member engagement activities, while promoting high standards of customer service, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

National Leadership Conference (NLC) & Future Leaders Program

• Lead the development, planning, and execution of the National Leadership Conference (NLC) and Future Leaders Program, recommending strategic direction and ensuring alignment with SNA’s leadership development goals, state affiliate needs, and organizational priorities.
• Design the conference experience from concept through delivery, including development of annual themes, learning objectives, program structure, attendee engagement strategies, leadership tracks, and overall conference flow.
• Manage the content development process, including call-for-presentations, speaker recruitment and selection, keynote identification and contracting, educational session curation, and program evaluation.
• Partner with the Education and Conferences Center to translate conference strategy into execution.
• Oversee conference communications and marketing efforts in partnership with the MarCom & Industry Relations Center, including promotional strategies, website content, attendee communications, and program materials.
• Administer the Future Leaders Program, including nomination solicitation, application review and selection processes, participant engagement, and leadership development activities before, during, and after the conference.
• Lead the creation, implementation, and evaluation of leadership readiness programs for state volunteer leaders, including onboarding, orientation, continuing education, and succession planning.
• Identify state leadership competency needs and develops learning experiences, resources, and tools that strengthen governance knowledge, association leadership skills, and alignment with SNA priorities.
• In collaboration with the COS, set the agenda for and execute the state President and President-elect meetings at in-person and virtual conferences as needed.
• Measure program effectiveness and recommend enhancements to improve state engagement, leadership readiness, and established outcomes.

Position Relationships

• Works with SNA staff.
• Works with state leaders including state presidents, presidents-elect and state association executives and staff.
• Works with outside vendors on a project-by-project basis.

Supervision

• Receives general direction from Vice President. Exercises independent judgment and discretion regularly.
• Position supervises Member Engagement Associate and State Relations Coordinator.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent training and professional work experience is required.

Experience

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience managing programs, services, or member/affiliate engagement functions, preferably in a nonprofit, association, or chapter/component relations environment.
• Experience developing and managing project plans, timelines, budgets, vendor relationships, and operational logistics to ensure successful program delivery and achievement of established outcomes.
• Three to five years of experience supervising staff, setting priorities, managing performance, and supporting team members in delivering programs, services, and organizational goals.
• Demonstrated experience advising or supporting volunteer leaders, boards, committees, affiliates, chapters, or similar stakeholder groups.
• Experience reviewing governance documents, bylaws, policies, or related materials, with the ability to identify issues requiring additional review, escalation, or interpretation.
• Demonstrated success navigating complex stakeholder issues and achieving positive outcomes through collaboration, diplomacy, and consensus building.
• Demonstrated experience leading strategic programs and initiatives, including planning, budgeting, resource allocation, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
• Experience developing and managing project plans, timelines, vendor relationships, and operational logistics to achieve organizational objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to develop creative and innovative solutions to complex organizational challenges.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including experience developing correspondence, presentations, reports, educational materials, and communications for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders while providing a high level of service and support.
• Demonstrated experience using a database to access customer or member information, using the internet to conduct research, and expertise in Microsoft tools such as Teams, SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, as well as virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom.