Executive Director, National Capital Region

Washington DC (Remote)

Job Title: Executive Director, National Capital Region

Department: Chapter Impact

Location:Washington DC (remote/virtual office)

Reports to: Vice President of Chapter Impact and Outposts

Classification: Exempt

Position type: Full-Time Employee

Anticipated Pay Range at Commencement of Employment : $106,000 - $146,000

Blue Star Families is the largest nonprofit dedicated to making military life better for families. Each year, we support over 1.5 million military- and veteran-connected family members through a national network of 300,000+ members and local chapters in communities across the country.

Our mission is simple and bold:
We make military life awesome for families.

We listen, share, partner, and act to deliver evidence-based, data-driven solutions that work for real people. We’re a lifestyle organization, a friend and neighbor, and a trusted partner. Our approach is collaborative, human-centered, and designed with the whole family in mind.

A Blue Star Family is one with an immediate family member — a spouse, parent, or child — actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Guard and Reserves. These families face unique challenges: frequent relocations, deployments, career disruption, and isolation. We respond with research-informed programs that create connection, build resilience, and foster a true sense of belonging.

We serve with urgency but build trust over time — because change happens at the speed of trust. Whether we’re driving spouse employment, supporting caregivers, or helping communities welcome military families, we strive for upstream solutions.

Who We’re Looking For:

• Bold thinkers. Fast movers. Smart collaborators. People who want to build, lead, and drive measurable change — and who care deeply about making an impact that matters.

What You’ll Do Here:

• Solve complex challenges with data, heart, and humility
• Build cross-sector partnerships that get things done
• Help military families feel at home wherever they live

If you're ready to work in a high-performance, mission-driven environment — and to make life better for those who serve — Blue Star Families is where you belong.

General Description

Reporting to the VP of Chapter Impact and Outposts, the Executive Director (ED)
* will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for the Chapter’s staff (to include volunteers), programs, budget, and execution of its mission. The ED will develop deep knowledge of core programs, operations, and the organization’s strategic business goals. Duties include local board management, local VIP engagement, fundraising, storytelling, stewardship (virtuous circle), program/project management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), budgeting, volunteer management, partner development, membership engagement, marketing, and communications.

To fulfill the mission, the ED will collaborate across the BSF enterprise, including operations, development, marketing, strategy, technology, and finance. The successful ED will create a sense of purpose in the community to welcome and support military families during and after their service and will bring creativity, positivity, and energy to sustaining the chapter’s presence as a vital resource in the community.

The ED will be responsible for fundraising and meeting yearly goals.

* The Executive Director must reside in the community the chapter serves. Candidates must have resided in the designated Chapter community for a minimum of the past three years.

Key Job Functions

• Develop a chapter sustainability plan; expand local revenue-generating and fundraising activities to include additional staff members and ensure the chapter's long-term financial viability.
• Ability to secure six-figure gifts (does not include gifts in kind) from philanthropies, family foundations, corporate partners, and/or high-net-worth donors to sustain the chapter operations, including chapter staff payroll
• Partner with the Development Team and Chapter Host Committee to source and cultivate leads, generate revenue, storyteller, and steward funders.
• Responsible for raising annual fundraising goals.
• Deepen and refine all aspects…