Association Executive Jobs in Silver Spring, MD (NOW HIRING)

The National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation are proud to represent an industry built on hospitality, opportunity, entrepreneurship, and quality of life. Like the industry we serve, our culture is dynamic, inclusive, collaborative, and grounded in trust, service, and innovation. We are seeking a State Restaurant Association (SRA) Partnerships, Senior Director, to help strengthen the Association's national-state partnership system and create greater alignment, accountability, and shared value across the SRA network.

Leading the SRA Partnerships function, the Senior Director will serve as a senior bridge between the Association, SRAs, and the Council of State Restaurant Associations (CSRA). This role will strengthen trust, clarify shared priorities, and ensure the voice of the states is reflected in Association planning, decisions, and execution. The Senior Director will translate partner needs, network feedback, emerging risks, and areas of ambiguity into clear direction, practical action, and accountable follow-through for the SRA Partnerships team and internal partners. In close partnership with the VP of Operations, the Senior Director will help guide the work behind the Unified Partnership Agreement (UPA), Strategic Business Plans, and shared national-state priorities. The goal is to build a more coordinated, transparent, and member-focused system that strengthens state partnerships, improves partner value, and advances the Association's broader goals.

The right candidate will bring senior-level experience across at least two areas relevant to this work, such as executive stakeholder management, strategic partnerships, association relations, program or product strategy, or cross-functional leadership. They will have the judgment and credibility to work effectively with senior leaders and state association executives, along with the ability to build trusted relationships, communicate clearly, navigate complexity, align diverse stakeholders, and turn strategy into measurable progress.

This position is based out of our Washington, DC office and requires onsite work Monday through Wednesday, with flexibility to work remotely on Thursday and Friday.

We are proud to offer our team members comprehensive benefits, designed to support their financial, professional, and personal well-being. In addition to outstanding healthcare coverage (medical, dental and vision), competitive salaries, generous vacation and leave time, we offer a matching 401(k) plan, a unique collection of corporate discounts and memberships, as well as programs to support career and skills development, including learning and tuition assistance, and so much more.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the VP, Operations to shape the strategy, priorities, operating plan, and decision agenda for the SRA Partnerships function, ensuring the work of the department advances the Association's national-state partnership model and broader enterprise goals.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and direction for the SRA Partnerships team, helping translate priorities into clear workplans, clarify roles and decision rights, coordinate workload, and ensure timely, high-quality follow-through.
• Serve as a senior relationship lead and trusted point of connection for SRA CEOs and the Council of State Restaurant Associations (CSRA), strengthening trust, supporting CEO onboarding, resolving issues, and knowing when to elevate matters for senior-level attention.
• Bring structure and momentum to the Association's work with SRA councils, working groups, and co-chairs, ensuring advisory groups are purposeful, well-governed, and connected to enterprise priorities.
• Lead the development, execution, and ongoing refinement of Strategic Business Plans with State Associations, ensuring plans are current, actionable, aligned to UPA 2.0 mission areas, and tied to measurable shared outcomes.
• Help drive UPA 2.0 implementation and accountability by tracking state commitments, data exchange requirements, compliance expectations, progress updates, unresolved gaps, and partner follow-through.
• Serve as a clear voice for the state network inside the Association by synthesizing SRA feedback, trends, risks, and opportunities into practical recommendations, briefing materials, talking points, and decision-ready updates for senior leaders.
• Work across Research, Membership, Business Services, Public Affairs, Marketing, Foundation, Legal, Board Operations, and Finance to align programs, communications, services, and follow-through around shared SRA priorities.
• Advise senior leadership on SRA partnership health, network risks, UPA 2.0 progress, and opportunities to strengthen state, partner, and member value.
• Assess the effectiveness of UPA 2.0 by capturing what is working, where there are gaps or unintended challenges, and what should be strengthened in the next agreement cycle, using those insights to help prepare the Association for future UPA 3.0 development, drafting, and negotiations.
• Establish and maintain the department's operating rhythm, including annual planning, scorecard reviews, reporting cadence, team meetings, partner follow-up, and regular updates to the VP, Operations.

What success looks like

• The SRA Partnerships function has clear priorities, a working operating rhythm, and visible progress against agreed goals.
• SRA CEOs and CSRA leaders experience the Association as coordinated, responsive, strategically aligned, and member focused.
• Strategic Business Plans are current, actionable, and tied to shared priorities, measurable outcomes, assigned owners, and next steps.
• UPA 2.0 is actively evaluated, with clear insight into what is working, where gaps exist, and what should inform future UPA 3.0 development and negotiations.
• State network issues, risks, opportunities, and feedback are captured, escalated appropriately, and translated into practical action.
• Internal departments are aligned around shared SRA priorities, resulting in stronger coordination, follow-through, and measurable partner value.
• The SRA Partnerships team has clear priorities, roles, decision rights, and ownership boundaries, reducing informal handoffs and improving consistency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 12+ years of relevant experience, with senior-level experience across at least two areas such as executive stakeholder management, strategic partnerships, association relations, program or product strategy, cross-functional leadership, or membership-based organizations.
• Experience providing leadership, direction, and structure to teams or cross-functional workstreams, including setting priorities, clarifying roles, coordinating work, and driving accountability without always relying on formal authority.
• Strong executive relationship-management skills, including the judgment, credibility, and diplomacy to work effectively with senior leaders, state association executives, boards, and other external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to navigate complex partner environments, build consensus, manage competing viewpoints, and move work forward through influence, clarity, and follow-through.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into concise briefing materials, recommendations, presentations, strategic plans, and decision-ready updates.
• Strong facilitation and meeting leadership skills, with the ability to keep conversations focused, surface key decisions, resolve ambiguity, and guide groups toward clear next steps.
• Sound organizational judgment and the ability to balance partner service, enterprise priorities, compliance expectations, growth opportunities, and long-term relationship health.
• Ability to identify risks, opportunities, patterns, and lessons learned, and translate them into practical recommendations that strengthen the Association-SRA relationship.
• Ability to travel monthly or as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with trade associations, membership organizations, federated or chapter-based networks, state associations, government affairs, business services, or the restaurant industry.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The National Restaurant Association, National Restaurant Association Solutions, LLC, and The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (together, "Company") is committed to equal employment opportunity, and it is Company's policy to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in all job titles, and ensure that all other personnel actions are administered, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status and disability, or other legally protected status, and we will ensure that all employment decisions are based only on valid job requirements.

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.