Vice President, Strategic Events & Stakeholder Engagement

Job Title: Vice President, Strategic Events & Stakeholder Engagement

Department: Development

Location: Hybrid within Washington D.C. Metro area

Reports to: Chief Development Officer

Direct Reports: No

Classification: Exempt

Position type: Full-Time Employee

Anticipated Pay Range at Commencement of Employment: $128,000 - $177,000 per year

Blue Star Families

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 

Blue Star Families is seeking a creative, passionate, and meticulously organized Vice President of Engagement and Advancement to elevate our national visibility and steward our most critical stakeholder relationships.

Reporting directly to the Chief Development Officer, this executive leader will orchestrate the intersection of high-profile event strategy, executive stewardship, and board management. The Vice President will oversee the National Events Department, design experiential touchpoints for High-Net-Worth (HNW) individuals and VIPs, and directly manage our National Advisory Board. As a key cross-functional collaborator, this leader will weave engagement strategy through every department to drive organizational growth and deepen impact for our nation's military families.

This is a hybrid position requiring regular on-site presence in a Blue Star Families office in addition to remote work. In-person attendance in a Blue Star Families office is an essential function of the role and is necessary to support collaboration, communication, and the successful performance of essential job responsibilities.

Frequent overnight travel is an essential function of the role. Team members are required to travel several times per year to attend high level events, meetings, trainings, offsites, and organization-wide events. Attendance and participation in these in-person gatherings are necessary to support collaboration, organizational alignment, and the successful performance of essential job responsibilities.

*The Vice President, Strategic Events & Stakeholder Engagement  must reside in the DC Metro area.

Key Job Functions

National Events & Experiential Strategy

• Oversee and direct the National Events Department to ensure flawless execution of high-visibility organizational experiences.
• Design creative, elite-tier engagements that reflect the prestige of the Blue Star Families brand and resonate with high-value stakeholders.
• Establish institutional event protocols to ensure seamless logistics, security, and exceptional hospitality at all signature gatherings.

VIP & High-Net-Worth (HNW) Stewardship

• Directly manage and steward relationships with high-profile champions, principal donors, public sector leaders, and executive-level partners.
• Build bespoke engagement pathways that align HNW stakeholder passions with our strategic military family support initiatives.
• Act as a senior representative of the organization during top-tier public engagements, private briefings, and donor summits.
• Track and report on stewardship activities, event outcomes, and stakeholder engagement to inform cultivation strategy and organizational decision-making.

Advisory Board Management & Leadership Support

• Serve as the primary liaison and strategist for the National Advisory Board (60+ members), maximizing member influence, networking capacity, and advocacy.
• Partner closely with the CEO and Chief Development Officer to prepare executive briefings, protocol notes, and tailored cultivation materials.
• Coordinate key leadership relationships across public, private, and military sectors to expand our national collaborative network.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Supervise and mentor a dedicated team of events and engagement professionals, cultivating a results-driven, highly supportive team culture.
• Break down organizational silos by working extensively with Impact, Marketing, Research, and Chapter teams to integrate donor experiences.
• Manage the department's annual budget with meticulous oversight, maximizing return on investment for all experiential initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Experience, Skills, Background

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience in high-level protocol, diplomatic environments, political campaigns, luxury hospitality, or sophisticated nonprofit fundraising, with 5+ years in a leadership/management capacity.
• Proven track record successfully navigating and building relationships with HNW individuals, corporate executives, or public officials.
• Substantial background managing complex, multi-tiered events with a high degree of operational precision.
• Driven with an eye for detail paired with a focus on execution and measurable milestones.
• A visionary thinker who treats relationship building and events as a creative storytelling canvas, bringing infectious energy to the mission.
• Exceptional emotional intelligence, a deep understanding of protocol, and the ability to maintain poise under pressure.
• A unifying professional who can guide a direct team while inspiring peers across departments toward shared organizational goals.
• A genuine appreciation and passion for supporting military- and Veteran-connected families.
• Demonstrated computer skills, including Google Suite, and comfort entering data into online systems; Salesforce proficiency is a plus.
• May be required to work nights, weekends, and holidays as necessary to carry out key job functions.
• Frequent travel is required to attend meetings, trainings, events, etc.
• Ability to lift and carry supplies and equipment up to 30 lbs.

Desired Experience, Skills, Background

• Experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database systems (ex. Salesforce), strongly preferred.
• Experience with Project management platforms.
• Experience with a virtual organization/working remotely.
• Familiarity with the military community.

More About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families empowers military and Veteran families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors — both people and organizations — to create strong communities of mutual support. We believe we're all stronger when we take care of one another.

Our groundbreaking research is raising the nation's awareness of the unique challenges of military family life. With the help of neighbors across the country, Blue Star Families is overcoming the isolation and alienation of frequent moves, deployments, and reduced support from the government. Our innovative programs are solving specific challenges for military families, including fighting economic insecurity with resources that foster spouse career development, creating family strength with rich family programming, and providing critical peer support for caregivers, whose numbers are only increasing.

Blue Star Families is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 

EEO Policy

Blue Star Families is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Why Blue Star Families?

• Mission-driven work supporting military service members and their families
• Flexible work options (remote, or hybrid depending on the role)
• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• Flexible Spending Accounts, life insurance, and disability insurance
• Communications allowance
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• PCS leave for Active Duty military spouses