Vice President, Communications

The National Milk Producers Federation; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid schedule (2 remote days/week)

Pension/retirement plan 11% cap

Generous paid time off

Year-end office closure

Free parking or metro benefits

Health, vision and dental insurance

Life and disability insurance

On-site gym

Job summary

The National Milk Producers Federation seeks a Vice President for Communications who will serve as a senior strategic advisor to the President & CEO. You will oversee external and internal communications for NMPF, the FARM program, and allied entities, shaping the organization's narrative and brand strategy.

You will lead a high-impact team, manage budgets, and act as the primary media contact. Strong policy knowledge and dairy sector experience are highly valued in this hybrid role.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in communications or related field.
• Experience operating at executive level, managing staff and advising senior leadership.
• Exceptional knowledge of federal policy and the legislative/regulatory landscape in Washington, DC.
• Experience in dairy or agriculture is a plus.
• Experience on Capitol Hill or at a trade association is a plus.
• Experience in content development, writing, editing and proofreading.
• Experience managing multiple priorities independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to build strong relationships with internal staff, stakeholders and contracted vendors.
• Experience collaborating with external industry stakeholders as primary organization representative.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic communications direction with senior leadership across channels.
• Lead cross-industry message alignment with dairy cooperatives and allied organizations.
• Set digital and social media strategy; oversee content planning/production.
• Define digital metrics; report results to President & CEO and leadership.
• Shape marketing and brand strategy to strengthen member value and public awareness.
• Ensure consistent NMPF brand across entities and collaborations.
• Oversee editing and production of all NMPF publications.
• Serve as spokesperson and media relations contact for inquiries and events.
• Lead outreach to dairy stakeholders beyond NMPF membership.
• Collaborate with departments to promote wins and member stories across channels.
• Lead crisis communications in partnership with dairy organizations.
• Advise CEO on positioning, reputation management, and policy messaging.
• Direct Communications team staffing, workflow, and budget priorities.

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic communications

Stakeholder engagement

Social media

Writing & editing

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications/journalism

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

The Vice President for Communications is a senior strategic advisor to the President & CEO and a key member of the leadership team, oversees the strategic direction for all external and internal communications for the National Milk Producers Federation, the National Dairy FARM Program and entities that NMPF manages. This includes shaping the organizational narrative and brand strategy, overseeing publications and informational materials, and partnering directly with the President & CEO on messaging, positioning, and communicating the organization's vision.

What you will do:

• Set NMPF's strategic communications direction, working with senior leadership to forge a coherent organizational message across multiple channels and stakeholders
• Lead and coordinate cross-industry message alignment with dairy cooperatives and allied organizations, building consensus on shared advocacy priorities
• Set NMPF's digital and social media strategy, directing the team's content planning and production to ensure it is timely, credible, and on-brand
• Define digital performance metrics, oversee tools, and report results to the President & CEO and senior leadership
• Set NMPF's marketing and brand strategy to strengthen member value, support recruitment and retention, and build awareness among policymakers, industry, and the public
• Ensure a consistent NMPF brand across all NMPF-affiliated entities and collaborations
• Oversee editing and production of all NMPF publications
• Serve as a spokesperson and media relations contact for NMPF, representing the organization in press inquiries, interviews, conferences, and public appearances
• Lead outreach to dairy stakeholders beyond NMPF membership
• Partner with NMPF's departments to identify and promote departmental wins and member success stories across NMPF's channels and to external audiences
• Lead crisis communications response in partnership with other dairy organizations
• Serve as communications counsel to the President & CEO on organizational positioning, reputation management, and public policy messaging
• Direct the Communications team's staffing, workflow, and budget priorities to ensure efficient, high-impact execution of NMPF's communications strategy
• Other duties as assigned by President & CEO

What you have done:

• The successful candidate will have a minimum of 7 years of professional experience in communications, journalism, or a related field
• Experience operating at the executive level, managing staff, advising senior leadership and contributing to organizational strategy
• Exceptional knowledge of federal policy and the legislative and regulatory landscape in Washington, DC
• Experience in dairy or agriculture a plus
• Experience on Capitol Hill or at a trade association a plus
• Experience in social media required
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, or a related field.
• Master’s degree a plus
• Experience in content development, writing, editing and proofreading.
• Experience in managing multiple priorities independently and in a team environment to achieve communications/marketing goals with varying deadlines and degrees of importance
• Ability to build strong relationships and work with internal staff, stakeholders, and contracted vendors
• Experience in collaborations with external industry stakeholders as primary organization representative

Skills for success:

• Ability to interact, engage confidently and communicate clearly and concisely with internal and external stakeholders
• Knowledge of agricultural policy and the specific key players within agriculture a plus
• Excellent organizational skills, interpersonal management skills and attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Familiarity with agriculture and/or the dairy industry and on-farm production strongly preferred
• Some travel for industry-related events required.

We regret it is not possible to communicate with candidates except those who most closely match our current business needs. Thank you.

The National Milk Producers Federation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, or any other characteristic protected by the law.

• Hybrid position, 2 remote days per week
• 7.5 hour work day
• Retirement benefits, 11% maximum contribution
• Generous paid time off
• Office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Free Parking or Metro Benefits
• Exceptional health, vision and dental benefits
• Short-term, long-term, life and disability insurance
• On-site gym