Description
Executive Director
Progress Virginia & Progress Virginia Education Fund
About Progress Virginia
Progress Virginia (PV) and Progress Virginia Education Fund (PVEF) are Virginia’s progressive communications and digital hub. We advance values-based narratives, amplify grassroots voices, and support progressive movements through innovative digital communications and earned media strategies. We are committed to racial justice, anti-racist practice, and building power alongside impacted communities.
PV/PVEF are fiscally sponsored projects and affiliates of ProgressNow, a national network of state-based progressive communications organizations. ProgressNow is a nationwide network of 28 State Partner Affiliates that run year-round strategic campaigns to promote progressive ideas and values and win elections. Each affiliate is a communications, digital outreach, and media hub of full-time professionals who work with partner organizations to engage and mobilize diverse communities and activists through cutting-edge digital communications and innovative earned and paid media strategies. A core part of the in-state and national progressive infrastructure, our state affiliates reach and move millions of voters through data-driven best practices, and organic and paid digital content built on decades of experience and research.
The Role
Progress Virginia seeks an Executive Director to lead the organization’s strategy, fundraising, staff development, and external partnerships. This role requires a leader who can build trust, foster a healthy and inclusive team culture, grow sustainable funding, and strengthen communications capacity to advance progressive wins in Virginia. The person in this role will report to Progress Virginia’s Advisory Board.
What you’ll do:
People & Culture
Manage, support, and retain a high-performing, collaborative team.
Ensure a healthy, respectful work environment grounded in trust, clarity, and accountability.
Provide clear goals, coaching, feedback, and professional development support.
Fundraising & Financial Sustainability
Own and drive values- and capacity-aligned fundraising across foundations, major donors, and other funding sources.
Cultivate and steward new and existing donor relationships.
Lead strategic fundraising planning and proposal development, and identify new funding opportunities aligned with organizational strategy and priorities.
Ensure strong grant management across the full lifecycle, including compliance, budgeting, timely and accurate reporting on impact and results, and regular donor communications.
Strategy & Communications Leadership
Set and advance organizational strategy and priority campaigns.
Ensure values-forward communications that center impacted communities.
Guide high-quality digital, earned, and paid media strategies.
Serve as a spokesperson with media, partners, and supporters as needed.
Partnerships & Organizational Leadership
Build and maintain strong relationships and working partnerships with progressive partners, coalitions, and allies.
Collaborate closely with ProgressNow as fiscal sponsor.
Oversee organizational health, including budgeting, compliance, and advisory board relationships.
Who You Are & Keys to Success (must-haves)
Inclusive leadership and management: You are a grounded leader who brings clarity, consistency, and care to your work. You understand that trust is built through strong communication, follow-through, and accountability, and you foster a respectful, collaborative work environment. You bring a demonstrated commitment to racial equity, social justice, and continuous learning, and you approach leadership with curiosity, accountability, and a growth mindset.
Relationship builder: You are a strong relationship builder who values collaboration and partnership. You invest in healthy working relationships with staff, board members, funders, and partners, and you navigate differences thoughtfully.
Strategic thinker: You think strategically while staying attentive to people and capacity. You are thoughtful about priorities, pacing, and sustainability, and you make decisions that align values, strategy, and organizational health.
Clear, values-driven communicator: You articulate vision, impact, and priorities in ways that build trust and shared understanding, and you are attentive to how power, identity, and lived experience show up in your leadership and communications.
Adaptability and resiliency: You bring a steady, solutions-oriented presence to change and complexity. You are comfortable navigating uncertainty and helping others stay focused and grounded.
What else you should know
ProgressNow is an equal opportunity employer, and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by our issues. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.
The position is full-time and fully remote. The role requires 25% travel depending on location.
Compensation
Because negotiating is inherently inequitable, we want to be transparent about what benefits we can offer up front and avoid negotiation. The starting salary for this position is $100,000.
Our benefits include
Unlimited paid time off (PTO) with a requirement that each staff member takes at least two (2) weeks in a calendar year.
Eight paid holidays as well as an office closure annually between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance
A 401K plan with 3% employer match
Location
Remote within Virginia or Washington, DC, with 25% travel.
To Apply
Submit an application with a cover letter and resume at this link.
