Executive Director Foundation

FMI- The Food Industry Association; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k)

11 paid holidays

Paid leave benefits

Monthly cell phone reimbursement

Summer hours program (Fridays)

Volunteer opportunities

Employee wellness group

Job summary

FMI – The Food Industry Association in Arlington, Virginia seeks an Executive Director for the FMI Foundation to lead fundraising, strategic planning, and program development that advance the food industry’s well‑being and societal impact.

You’ll direct the Foundation, partner with FMI’s CEO and leadership, steward major gifts and partnerships, guide policy and education initiatives, and oversee staff, budget, and donor relations, while ensuring sustainable growth.

Qualifications

• Fifteen to twenty years of progressively responsible experience in the food industry and foundation work; managerial experience required.
• Proven leadership in strategic planning and budgets.
• Proven success in developing and executing fundraising strategies to meet revenue goals.
• Experience managing donor relationships, including major gifts and corporate partnerships.
• Ability to build trusted relationships and collaborate across diverse groups; influence and drive results.
• Strong understanding of donor databases and fundraising analytics.
• Excellent writing and editing skills for internal and external documents.
• Outstanding communication, negotiation, public speaking, and relationship-building abilities.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational and prioritization skills in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Direct FMI Foundation operations, fundraising, and strategic initiatives.
• Support FMI’s CEO and leadership in developing and executing strategic plans.
• Advise Foundation Board of Trustees on policies, programs and direction.
• Create and implement fundraising strategies and annual campaigns.
• Maintain donor relationships and align donor interests with Foundation programs.
• Represent FMI to funders; attend conferences and events to raise visibility.
• Manage Foundation website and communications; oversee staff and budgets.

Skills

Leadership

Fundraising

Donor relations

Strategic planning

Budget management

Public speaking

Influencing / relationship building

Collaboration across groups

Communication / writing

Negotiation

Conflict resolution

Analytical skills

Donor databases / fundraising systems

Job description

FMI – The Food Industry Association: We’re Hiring an Executive Director, FMI Foundation.

Are you a natural collaborator looking to fundraise while enriching society’s experience with the food industry to amplify its impact on well-being? If so, this role might be for you!

Quick Snapshot:

In this role, you’ll direct all aspects of the FMI Foundation, including the development and execution of strategic plans, policies, programs, research, education, scholarships and more!

What You’ll Do in This Role:

• Lead and manage the FMI Foundation, including fundraising, and the development and implementation of strategic initiatives related to the Foundation’s mission.
• Contribute to, support, and assist FMI’s CEO and executive leadership team in the development and execution of FMI’s strategic plan/initiatives.
• Support and advise the Foundation Board of Trustees to create policies, programs, and strategic direction of the organization.
• Create and implement comprehensive fundraising strategies for the Foundation to support long-term growth and sustainability. Plan and execute annual fund campaigns and targeted fund drives ensuring achievement of revenue goals.
• Maintain and strengthen relationships with Foundation contributors, ensuring alignment between donor interests and Foundation programs to increase support.
• Attend conferences, meetings, briefings, and events to increase the Foundation’s visibility among funders and key stakeholders.
• Manage the Foundation’s website to ensure information clearly informs stakeholders.
• Manage staff to support department activities.

Education and Skills You’ll Need to Be Successful:

• Fifteen to twenty years of progressively responsible experience in food industry and foundation experience. Managerial experience is required.
• Demonstrated leadership in management of strategic plans and budgets.
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing fundraising strategies and meeting revenue goals.
• Experience managing donor relationships, including major gifts and corporate partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships, work collaboratively across diverse groups, navigate competing priorities, and achieve results through partnership and influence.
• Strong understanding of donor database systems and fundraising analytics.
• Ability to write and edit various internal and external documents.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, public speaking, influencing, and relationship‑building skills, with the ability to represent FMI professionally.
• Strong problem‑solving, organizational, prioritization, adaptability, and conflict‑resolution skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast‑paced environment.

Why FMI?

We are the champions for the food industry and the issues that make a difference to our members in the food industry. Our work touches the lives of over 120 million households in the U.S. and representing a $1 trillion industry with over 6 million employees. By joining our team, you will become part of a diverse, engaging, and supportive environment where your contributions directly impact the future of the food retail industry.

Our Benefits:

• health benefits
• 401(k)
• 11 paid holidays
• paid leave benefits
• monthly cell phone reimbursement
• a summer hours program allowing you to work only four hours on Fridays during the summer (once your work is done)
• volunteer opportunities (if you want to give back to your community)
• the chance to join our employee wellness group and much more!

This position also offers a hybrid work schedule, requiring you to work in our Arlington, Virginia office for a minimum of two full days per week. We offer a $175 monthly transportation reimbursement or a parking space in our building to offset your commuting costs to and from our office. There are additional opportunities for employees to work fully remote throughout the year, including two weeks at the end of August leading up to Labor Day, the week of Thanksgiving and two weeks at the end of December.

*The annual salary range listed reflects the minimum and maximum annual compensation for this position and has been established in good faith and in accordance with Virginia and federal law. Individual salary offers within this range will be based on the candidate's relevant experience, education, skills, certifications, and other job‑related factors.

Learn more about FMI by visiting our website at www.fmi.org.