Vice President, External Affairs

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Position Title: VP of External Affairs

Supervisor: CEO

Department/Division: External Affairs

Role Type: Full-Time, salaried (40 hours work week)

Location: Washington, DC

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Position Overview

The Vice President (VP) of External Affairs is a key leadership position reporting directly to the CEO. The VP will own CEBA’s brand, building it into the preeminent voice for clean energy buyers on business practice and policy across the globe, including leading marketing and communications; forging strategic partnerships; strengthening relationships with policy makers, industry leaders, and other influencers and stakeholders; and maximizing CEBA’s membership impact.

Particularly at this moment where explosive growth in energy demand is the leading global energy public narrative, the VP should position CEBA to strongly influence this national conversation - creatively, constructively, and positively for our members and their movement.

The VP will actively collaborate with the CEO and executive leadership to drive strategy, execute short and long-term objectives, and define and meet metrics of impact and accountability. The VP’s role includes engagement with the CEBA and CEBI governing Boards of Directors and the Advisory Board consisting of key CEBA members informing strategy.

This position is critical to the fulfillment of CEBA and CEBI’s missions as we execute our strategy in line with our global aspirations.

Core Responsibilities:

• Establish, implement, and oversee strategy to build brand influence, convey key messages, maximize earned and paid media, engage members and stakeholders, and drive impact.
• Protect and enhance the brand through ownership of all owned, earned, and paid media engagement, including CEBA’s member platform, the CEBA and CEBI websites, social channels, and CEBA’s relationships with national, DC, energy & environment, and trade press.
• Increase awareness and support for policy, government affairs, and clean transaction acceleration efforts. Develop strategies to leverage CEBA’s member voice to influence key decision-makers and influencers.
• Work directly and collaboratively with the SVP of Policy to convey CEBA’s policy and advocacy impact to philanthropic donors.
• Monitor market dynamics, policy landscapes, and member activities to inform strategy and communicate trends, forecasts, and impacts internally and externally.
• Provide clear structure and framework for executive-level engagement and communications that represent CEBA as an industry, market, and policy player.
• Work closely with the communications functions of key member companies to highlight major new clean energy transactions and technological and business model innovations and coalitions.
• Oversee design, production, and effective multi-channel distribution of CEBA and CEBI’s messaging, communication, advertising, and promotional campaigns, including amplifying members’ achievements.
• Devise and manage robust digital and social media strategy and intelligence capability. Measure ongoing stakeholder engagement with CEBA/CEBI brand, research, thought leadership, editorial products, and advocacy efforts.
• Identify and maximize opportunities to amplify the brand through media, events, and partnerships.
• Establish internal communications channels and ensure clarity of marketing, communications, media, and policy efforts across the organizations.
• Oversee external events and engagements strategy, directing when, where, and how CEBA shows up.

Organization/Leadership

• Plan and execute the strategy, including budget oversight, resource allocation and timeline management. Work collaboratively and closely with the CEO and executive leadership team.
• Use data, analytics, and insights to determine program and initiative success. Understand and track the effectiveness of key initiatives, research, programs/events, and overall enhancement of the CEBA member experience.
• Develop, nurture, and maintain a relationship with the CEBA and CEBI Boards of Directors.
• Support and grow a team of CEBA professionals and consultants.
• Facilitate cross-team collaboration and growth.

Qualifications:

Required:

• 20+ years’ experience if no higher education
• 15+ years’ experience + Bachelor’s Degree
• 12+ years’ experience + Master’s Degree

Additional:

• At least 15 years of a combination of marketing, strategic communication, external affairs (government, alliances, partnerships etc.), brand management, digital and corporate communication experience, including significant senior management experience.
• Demonstrated industry experience or expertise in at least one programmatic subject matter area including but not limited to politics and policy, sustainability, climate, cleantech, utility engagement, corporate procurement, or energy.
• Superior, executive-level written and verbal communication.
• Project team leadership and people management experience.
• Influential and credible professional network, preferably within clean energy and sustainability.
• Eligible to work in the United States.
• Ability and willingness to work nontraditional hours and travel up to 25% of the time.
• A commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and CEBA’s core values of respect, integrity, service and excellence (RISE).

Role Demands:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Communicate verbally and in written form with great facility and must be able to be understood.

To Apply:

To be considered for this opportunity, please provide a resume and cover letter.

Our Salary and Benefits
We offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package that aims to develop a world-class team by holistically supporting the individual. CEBA also offers eligibility to participate in our annual bonus/ incentive plan based on both organizational and individual performance. CEBA believes that supporting all employees to have a full life, inside and outside of work, results in a team that feels personally engaged in CEBA’s success.

CEBA strives for salary equity based on the job, and the candidate’s experience, skills, education, and (once hired) performance at CEBA—not based on a candidate’s negotiation skills, gender, race, sexual orientation, or any other non-skills-based attributes.

Benefits We Offer You (generous policy, not comprehensive)

• 401(k), with 5% employer match
• Highly Flexible PTO
• Quality Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance, with substantial employer subsidy, including domestic partners
• Life, AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Generous Parental and Guardianship Leave
• Wellness Benefits
• Casual Work Environment, with flexible hours

At CEBA You Belong

Our members come from all walks of life and so do we. Our commitment to a zero-carbon energy system is for everyone and so too is our workplace.

CEBA is committed to maintaining a workplace where all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the business and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives. This commitment is embodied in company policy and the way we do business at CEBA and is an important principle of sound business management.

Inclusion goes beyond diversity. All CEBA staff shall be committed to accepting and encouraging different perspectives. Creative solutions to tough problems are fostered by respectful challenging of one another’s thoughts and assumptions. CEBA is committed to being open to a variety of cultural practices and norms.

Achieving CEBA’s vision of a resilient, zero-carbon energy system requires creative problem-solving and a wide range of perspectives; CEBA knows that diversity not only makes our organization stronger, but also is foundational to our mission success.

About Clean Energy Buyers Alliance

Together, the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) and the Clean Energy Buyers Institute (CEBI) form the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance, and share a collective vision of customer-driven clean energy for all. The Alliance is an inclusive community of energy customers, clean energy providers, service providers, NGOs, philanthropies, and clean energy thought-leaders. Our aspiration is to achieve a 90% carbon-free U.S. electricity system by 2030 and to cultivate a global community of energy customers driving clean energy.

The Clean Energy Buyers Association is a business association with a mission to activate a community of energy customers and partners to deploy market and policy solutions for a carbon-free energy system. The Clean Energy Buyers Institute is a public benefit charity with a mission dedicated to solving the toughest market and policy barriers to achieving a carbon-free energy system.

Our guiding values and tenets are: we value respect in our treatment of people and the planet; integrity in how we conduct ourselves; service to our mission, stakeholders, and colleagues; and excellence in our programs and work. The core tenets that CEBA strives to foster include: Mission oriented, grounded by strategy, a spirit of partnership inside and outside of CEBA and innovation and entrepreneurship through healthy and respectful discord. We know that diversity is critical to realizing our vision of customer-driven clean energy for all because innovative solutions come from great minds who do not think alike.

CEBA provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, gender expression, results of genetic testing, caregiver status, and past, present or prospective service in the military in addition to any other protected categories required by state, federal or local regulations. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, discipline, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, benefits and training. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.