Come work with the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors.

Job Title:                         Editor
Reports To:                     Executive Editor

Organization Summary

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), the Washington, DC-based trade association representing an industry that ecompasses hundreds of thousands of U.S. businesses and over $8.4 trillion in annual revenue. As part of NAW, Modern Distribution Management provides in-depth guidance, trend analysis and market intelligence to executives in the wholesale distribution industry helping them make better business decisions.

Job Summary

The Editor works closely with fellow MDM editors to plan and execute editorial projects across all of MDM’s content platforms – MDM Premium, the MDM Update newsletter, MDM.com news alerts, webinars, research reports and a variety of audio and video productions — and is responsible for creating, curating and disseminating SEO-driven content.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Contribute to MDM’s digital assets, including website and social media operations
• Produce thoroughly reported and sourced, timely and relevant feature-length articles, blogs and various media content; including:
  • Weekly and monthly article content for MDM’s free audience
  • Features/articles for MDM Premium — MDM’s paid subscription content
  • Daily industry news briefs that are of interest to an audience of distribution executives
• Produce and deploy the daily MDM Update newsletter
• Coordinate with MDM and NAW marketing clients to produce lead-generation content in the form of webinars, whitepapers and research reports
• Develop a network of ever-expanding industry sources and resources to strengthen reporting
• Publish content to MDM.com, ensuring proper SEO/GEO, tagging and keyword best practices
• Work closely with Executive Editor and contributors on MDM Premium content and production
• Work closely with Executive Editor on all monthly, quarterly and annual reports
• Travel to NAW and industry events to network, share and absorb industry insights 

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong copywriting, research, reporting, interviewing and presentation skills
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and contextualization; desire to get even the most minor facts and elements correct and consistent the first time; ability to follow schedules and meet deadlines
• Knowledge of AP Stylebook
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, exhibits a positive attitude and a professional demeanor
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Exceptional customer service skills, a focused listener
• Proficient in managing social media accounts
• Strong project management and analytical skills, and process improvement orientation
• Ability to anticipate challenges and effectively resolve conflict by identifying opportunities
• Ability to work both in both collaborative and independent settings, with creativity and flexibility
• Ability to create new processes and demonstrate sound judgment 

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field required
• 3+ years of editorial experience required, B2B experience desired

Other Requirements:

• Microsoft Office/Adobe Creative Suite
• Familiarity with content management systems, social media platforms
• Comfortable with basic CMS operations – experience in WordPress desired

Work Environment: The position is based at NAW’s headquarters office in Washington, DC, near Metro Center. NAW is currently offering a hybrid work model. Employees are required to be in the office Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and upon request for mandatory meetings or events. Employees are provided the opportunity to work remotely on Monday and Friday. The hybrid work model is subject to change.

Travel: up to 20%

Experience level and other factors will determine the final salary level, with a starting salary range of $70,000–$78,000/year.

The position also offers competitive benefits, including health and wellness coverage, a 401(k) plan, and other benefits for eligible employees.

NAW is an Equal Opportunity Employer

To apply, please complete the following form.

Job Title:                         Manager, State and Industry Affairs
Reports To:                     Chief Government Relations Officer

Organization Summary

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), the Washington, DC-based trade association representing an industry that encompasses hundreds of thousands of U.S. businesses and over $8.4 trillion in annual revenue.

Job Summary

Reporting to NAW’s Chief Government Relations Officer and coordinating with NAW’s federal, legal and political team, the State and Industry Affairs Manager will be a key team member of a growing government relations practice managing NAW’s policy interests at the state level.

Using software and news sources, as well as developing their own relationships with government officials, regulatory bodies, and industry stakeholders, the Manager will monitor state level legislation and regulation that may impact member companies. Key policy areas include taxation, labor and workforce regulations, warehousing and transportation, technology and extended producer responsibility, among others.

The Manager will develop relationships directly with NAW member companies and trade associations, coordinating across departments to engage members on policy and political issues to further the grassroots advocacy efforts of NAW.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Issue Monitoring and Analysis – Use of software, news sources, and/or consultants to stay informed about legislative and regulatory developments at the state level that may impact the distribution industry, conducting thorough analysis to assess potential implications and inform strategic advocacy efforts.
• Member Communication – Produce a bi-weekly State GR Newsletter for distribution to NAW member companies on key state legislative activities.
• Grassroots Strategy and Communications – Manage NAW’s grassroots communications, including identifying and drafting timely grassroots alerts as part of the state and Federal GR programs, and NAW’s Legal Policy Center.
• Coalition Building – Build and maintain relationships with peers in industry associations, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders to amplify NAW’s advocacy efforts and advance shared policy objectives.
• Compliance and Reporting – Ensure compliance with relevant state lobbying and disclosure requirements, and accurately report on advocacy activities, expenditures, and outcomes.
• Policy Advocacy – Engage as needed with state legislators, regulatory agencies, and other policymakers to advocate for legislation and regulations that support the interests of the wholesale distribution industry.

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong understanding of state legislative and regulatory processes, especially as they relate to free enterprise business issues and the interaction of the business community with policy makers.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex issues to diverse audiences and tailor messaging to achieve advocacy objectives.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry peers.
• Ability to analyze policy issues, identify opportunities for advocacy, and develop effective advocacy strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Team player with a willingness to pitch in on projects outside of job description to further NAW and NAW’s member companies’ goals.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in in political science, public policy, law, or a related field, required
• 3+ years of experience in government, government affairs, public policy, advocacy, or related roles, with a proven track record of successful advocacy at the state level

Other Requirements:

• Strong Microsoft Office Suite skills and familiarity with other common business technology tools.
• Knowledge of the wholesale-distribution industry, desirable.

Work Environment: The position is based at NAW’s headquarters office in Washington, DC, near Metro Center. NAW is currently offering a hybrid work model. Employees are required to be in the office Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and upon request for mandatory meetings or events. Employees are provided the opportunity to work remotely on Monday and Friday. The hybrid work model is subject to change.

Travel: up to 5-10%*

*This position requires limited travel within the United States. Travel may include visits to NAW member companies, state capitals, industry conferences, stakeholder meetings, and other relevant events. The travel frequency may vary depending on legislative and regulatory developments, advocacy priorities, and other business needs, but candidates should be prepared for travelling 5-10% of working time.

Experience level and other factors will determine the final salary level, with a starting salary range of $70,000–$80,000/year.

The position also offers competitive benefits, including health and wellness coverage, a 401(k) plan, and other benefits for eligible employees.

To apply, please complete the following form.

Job Title:                         Chief Economist
Reports To:                     Chief Innovation Officer

Organization and Job Summary

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) is the Washington, DC-based trade association representing the 35,000-company, $8.2 trillion wholesale distribution industry. This position reports to the Chief Innovation Officer and will build NAW’s Economic and Industry Intelligence capability within the Institute for Distribution Excellence.

The Chief Economist is NAW’s lead economist and a hands-on builder. This individual will create the research foundation, recurring intelligence products, analytical methods, data practices and partnerships needed to help wholesale distributors make better decisions and to strengthen NAW’s ability to explain the economic importance of the industry.

This is an entrepreneurial role in an established organization that is building a new capability. The successful candidate must be comfortable working without a large existing team or mature research infrastructure. During the initial phase, the Chief Economist will personally perform a meaningful share of the research, data analysis, forecasting, survey development, visualization and writing while also establishing repeatable processes that can support future staff and products.

The position will work closely with NAW Government Relations, MDM Research and Editorial, MDM Analytics and Market Prospector, Events and Programs, Communications, Corporate Relations and external research partners, including universities and economic research firms. These relationships provide important capabilities, but NAW’s internal economist will own the questions, interpretation, research agenda and institutional knowledge.

The ideal candidate combines applied economic and analytical skills with curiosity, initiative, sound judgment and a bias toward building. The ability to communicate findings clearly to executives, policymakers and colleagues is required; major external speaking and media visibility may grow as the practice and the individual develop.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Build the Economic and Industry Intelligence Practice

• Develops and executes a practical first-year workplan and multi-year roadmap for NAW’s economic research capability, aligned with member value, industry authority, policy influence and long-term financial sustainability.
• Builds the foundational research infrastructure, including a data-source inventory, analytical workflows, documentation standards, recurring production calendar, quality controls and clear ownership of methods and intellectual property.
• Creates a disciplined intake and prioritization process for recurring research, rapid-response analysis, policy requests, event support and potential paid projects.
• Manages the approved practice budget and external resources; supports the development of funding proposals, business cases and earned-revenue opportunities in partnership with the Chief Innovation Officer, Government Relations, Corporate Relations, and other NAW leaders.
• Assesses when work should be performed internally and when specialized modeling, data or capacity should be obtained from universities, research firms or other partners.
• Documents processes and capacity needs so that a Data Analyst or other future team member can be added effectively as funding and workload justify expansion.

Conduct Economic Research and Analysis

• Personally gathers, cleans, analyzes and interprets economic, industry, labor, trade, policy and company-level data relevant to wholesale distribution.
• Develops economic outlooks and forecasts for wholesale distribution, its verticals, end markets and geographies, using internal analysis and well-governed external inputs.
• Connects macroeconomic conditions to distributor demand, revenue, volume, pricing, margins, inventory, labor, credit, working capital and capital investment.
• Designs and analyzes member surveys and begins developing proprietary assets such as a Distribution Business Conditions Survey, economic-impact measures or a future Distribution Leading Indicator.
• Supports and strengthens the economic assumptions used in NAW and MDM research, including MDM Analytics and Market Prospector applications, while respecting existing product and editorial ownership.
• Distinguishes observed data, modeled estimates and professional judgment; documents assumptions, limitations, revisions and data sources.
• Establishes practical forecast back-testing and model-review practices appropriate to the maturity and resources of the new function.

Create Member Intelligence and Research Products

• Develops a manageable recurring cadence of member intelligence, which may include a monthly economic signals brief, quarterly outlooks, an annual distribution outlook and decision-oriented webinars or executive briefings.
• Translates analysis into clear implications, risks, scenarios and decision triggers for distributor executives rather than providing general economic commentary alone.
• Works directly with distributor leaders to understand the economic questions, indicators and forecast horizons that matter most to their businesses.
• Identifies and pilots paid, repeatable services such as Board briefings, planning workshops, sector or geographic outlooks, economic exposure maps and scenario analysis.
• Helps define the appropriate boundary between Institute research, NAW member benefits, commercial products and services offered through NAW Service Corporation.
• Measures member use, usefulness, repeat demand and willingness to pay, and recommends which products to scale, redesign, partner or discontinue.

Support Policy and Economic Impact Research

• Partners with NAW Government Relations to assess the economic and operational effects of proposed federal and state policies affecting wholesale distribution; Government Relations owns advocacy positions and political strategy, while the economist owns the analytical evidence.
• Conducts or coordinates nonpartisan analysis concerning tariffs, taxes, labor, regulation, interest rates, infrastructure, trade, supply chains, technology and other NAW priorities.
• Builds policy-to-P&L analysis that connects government action to distributor costs, prices, demand, margins, investment, employment, customers and communities.
• Provides data, research and technical support for policy briefs, regulatory comments, testimony, policymaker meetings and state or congressional-district materials.
• Maintains transparent assumptions and analytical integrity, including when findings complicate or refine a preferred policy position.

Collaborate and Communicate

• Works with NAW Research and MDM Editorial to translate economic findings into reports, articles and other content while respecting editorial independence.
• Partners with NAW Analytics and Market Prospector to connect economic conditions with product, end-market, account and geographic demand models.
• Supports NAW events, webinars, member communities, education, communications and AI-powered knowledge center, Nucleus with data, analysis and economic context.
• Prepares clear written analysis, charts, presentations and talking points for executives, Boards, members, policymakers and internal colleagues.
• Participates in panels, webinars, media conversations or external briefings when appropriate and well supported; high-profile keynote speaking is not an initial requirement.
• Builds productive relationships with universities, economic research firms, public statistical agencies, data providers and peer associations.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Initial Measures of Success

• A credible first-year research agenda, publication cadence and project-prioritization process are established and delivered reliably.
• Core economic data sources, models, assumptions, partnerships, contracts and intellectual-property rights are inventoried and documented.
• Members receive practical economic intelligence that connects directly to distributor operating decisions.
• Government Relations receives timely, defensible analytical support for priority policy questions.
• At least one proprietary, longitudinal distribution research asset is designed or piloted.
• Initial paid products and funding opportunities are tested with clear evidence of demand, delivery effort and economics.
• A defined business and workload case exists for hiring a Data Analyst in Year 2.

Requirements

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the job, as well as the education and experience requirements.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong knowledge of applied economics, macroeconomics, industry analysis, forecasting, statistics and scenario development.
• Hands-on ability to source, clean, analyze and visualize data using appropriate statistical, spreadsheet, database or programming tools.
• Ability to translate complex economic and statistical analysis into clear business implications for executives and operators.
• Demonstrated builder mindset: resourceful, comfortable with ambiguity and willing to create processes, products and infrastructure personally before delegating them.
• Strong research, writing and presentation skills, with careful attention to methods, assumptions, accuracy and clarity.
• Curiosity about industrial, B2B, supply-chain and wholesale distribution markets and the ability to learn complex product and channel structures.
• Working knowledge of public data sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Federal Reserve and other relevant sources.
• Sound judgment regarding confidential member data, analytical independence, sponsored research, conflicts of interest and the appropriate use of modeled estimates.
• Ability to manage multiple recurring and rapid-response priorities without sacrificing quality or documentation.
• Collaborative style and the ability to work effectively across editorial, policy, data, events, fundraising and commercial teams.

Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree in economics, applied economics, econometrics, public policy, finance, data science or a closely related quantitative field, required; Ph.D. welcomed but not required.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in economic research, forecasting, market intelligence, policy analysis, consulting, data analytics or a related field preferred. Exceptional candidates with somewhat fewer years and strong evidence of building and applied analytical capability may be considered.
• Demonstrated experience producing economic or industry analysis for business, policy or executive audiences, required.
• Experience creating a new research product, analytical capability, data process, survey, index or client offering strongly preferred.
• Experience with trade associations, research institutes, economic consulting, industrial markets, B2B sectors, supply chains or wholesale distribution preferred.
• Experience supporting grant-funded, sponsored or fee-based research is helpful but not required.

Other Requirements:

• Willingness and ability to perform hands-on analysis and production work during the practice’s initial build phase.
• Willingness and ability to travel for member discovery, NAW events, Board engagements, policymaker meetings and partner work.
• Commitment to nonpartisan, evidence-led analysis and to communicating uncertainty, limitations and changes in the outlook clearly.
• Ability to work from NAW’s Washington, DC office under the organization’s current hybrid work model.

Work Environment: The position is based at NAW’s headquarters office in Washington, DC, near Metro Center. NAW is currently offering a hybrid work model. Employees are required to be in the office Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and upon request for mandatory meetings or events. Employees are provided the opportunity to work remotely on Monday and Friday. The hybrid work model is subject to change.

Travel: up to 20%

Salary Range: $185,000-$225,000/year + bonus.

Experience level, qualifications, skills, and other job-related factors will determine the final salary level.

The position also offers competitive benefits, including health and wellness coverage, a 401(k) plan, and other benefits for eligible employees.

NAW is an Equal Opportunity Employer

To apply, please complete the following form.