Director of Engagement & State Relations

School Nutrition Association•Arlington, VA

60d

About The Position

The Director of Engagement & State Relations leads SNA’s state affiliate engagement, state volunteer leadership development, and state relations portfolio. Reporting to the Vice President of Membership and Credentialing, the position serves as a senior resource to state affiliates, strengthens their connection to the national association, and supports their capacity to operate effectively. The role leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of state leader education and onboarding programs, including the National Leadership Conference (NLC). The position oversees SNA’s engagement with state affiliates and volunteer leaders; supports association management, governance, and leadership development; manages affiliate agreements, bylaws review, awards, communications, surveys, and related services; and leads staff responsible for state affiliate services and member engagement. It also leads the planning and delivery of the NLC and Future Leaders Program, working with internal teams, speakers, vendors, and state leaders to develop and execute leadership programming.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent training and professional work experience.
At least five years of progressively responsible experience managing programs, services, or member/affiliate engagement functions.
Experience developing and managing project plans, timelines, budgets, vendor relationships, and operational logistics to deliver programs and achieve outcomes.
Three to five years of experience supervising staff, setting priorities, managing performance, and supporting team members.
Demonstrated experience advising or supporting volunteer leaders, boards, committees, affiliates, chapters, or similar stakeholder groups.
Experience reviewing governance documents, bylaws, policies, or related materials and identifying issues requiring further review, escalation, or interpretation.
Demonstrated success navigating complex stakeholder issues and achieving positive outcomes through collaboration, diplomacy, and consensus building.
Experience leading strategic programs and initiatives, including planning, budgeting, resource allocation, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
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 internal and external stakeholder relationships while providing a high level of service and support.
Experience using a database to access customer or member information and the internet to conduct research.
Expertise with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a nonprofit, association, or chapter/component relations environment.

Responsibilities

Lead SNA’s state affiliate engagement strategy and build productive relationships with state Presidents, Presidents-elect, State Association Executives (SAEs), and other state leaders.
Advise state leaders on association management, volunteer leadership, and governance, and develop tools, resources, and educational opportunities to support effective state leadership.
Maintain relationships and regular two-way communication with SAEs; plan and implement the SAE conference, conference meetups, and other activities supporting their development as association leaders.
Oversee SNA’s national awards programs and State Award of Excellence, including marketing, judging coordination, and promotion of state, regional, and national winners.
Collaborate with the Director, Membership and Service Center on grassroots membership campaigns and oversee resources and activations for state membership coordinators and member engagement.
Oversee state affiliation agreements and affiliate bylaws review; advise state leaders on governance, bylaws, and procedural matters, and escalate significant issues to the Chief of Staff or Vice President as appropriate.
Oversee content strategy for state affiliate services, including the State Affiliate Connection newsletter, School Nutrition Magazine content, and website content.
Oversee collection of annual state conference dates and collaborate with the Chief of Staff to assign Board of Directors members to attend according to the visitation schedule.
Ensure appropriate collection and retention of documents required by the State Affiliation Agreement.
Oversee state affiliate surveys, including an annual satisfaction survey.
Lead and develop staff delivering state affiliate services and member engagement activities, promoting customer service, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Lead the development, planning, and execution of the National Leadership Conference and Future Leaders Program, recommending strategic direction and ensuring alignment with SNA leadership development goals, state affiliate needs, and organizational priorities.
Design the NLC experience, including annual themes, learning objectives, program structure, attendee engagement strategies, leadership tracks, and conference flow.
Manage content development for the NLC, including calls 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 with the MarCom & Industry Relations Center, including promotional strategies, website content, attendee communications, and program materials.
Administer the Future Leaders Program, including nominations, application review and selection, participant engagement, and leadership development activities before, during, and after the conference.
Lead the creation, implementation, and evaluation of state volunteer leadership readiness programs, including onboarding, orientation, continuing education, and succession planning.
Identify state leadership competency needs and develop learning experiences, resources, and tools to strengthen governance knowledge, association leadership skills, and alignment with SNA priorities.
Collaborate with the Chief of Staff to set the agenda for and execute state President and President-elect meetings at in-person and virtual conferences as needed.
Measure program effectiveness and recommend improvements to state engagement, leadership readiness, and established outcomes.
Work with SNA staff, state leaders and staff, and outside vendors on a project-by-project basis.
Supervise the Member Engagement Associate and State Relations Coordinator; set priorities, manage performance, and support team members.