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Chief External Affairs Officer

The Chief of External Affairs is a senior executive leader responsible for setting the vision, strategy, and accountability structure for how Essential Access Health engages the world beyond its walls. This role is the integrating force across the organization’s fund development, government affairs, community engagement, and communications functions—ensuring that every external-facing effort reflects a coherent direction, amplifies the organization’s influence, and advances its long-term mission and sustainability.

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Chief of External Affairs translates organizational priorities into external strategies that drive philanthropic revenue, shape policy outcomes, deepen community trust, and elevate Essential Access Health’s visibility as a leading voice in sexual and reproductive health care. This role is equally a strategic architect and a senior relationship holder—setting the frame and showing up in high-stakes spaces while equipping a strong team to execute with excellence.

The Chief of External Affairs leads an integrated team of five across two direct reports—the Vice President of Fund Development and the Vice President of Government & Community Affairs—and is accountable for the coherence, performance, and culture of the full external affairs function.

KEY DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Set and lead a unified external affairs vision that aligns all external-facing functions with organizational priorities and positions Essential Access Health for sustained influence and impact
• Provide executive oversight of the organization’s diversified revenue strategy, ensuring Essential Access Health has the financial foundation needed to sustain and grow its mission.
• Oversee the organization’s government relations and policy engagement strategy, ensuring Essential Access Health is a credible, influential, and proactive presence in the policy environments that shape its work.
• Set the strategic direction for the organization’s community-facing engagement, ensuring Essential Access Health is a trusted, visible, and authentic presence in the communities it serves.
• Ensure a clear, compelling, and consistent organizational voice across all external channels and audiences, elevating Essential Access Health’s visibility and reputation as a leader in sexual and reproductive health care.
• Lead, develop, and align a high-performing external affairs team, ensuring strong coordination across functions and clear pathways for growth at every level.
• Serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and Board, providing the intelligence, framing, and coordination needed to strengthen external engagement at the highest levels of organizational leadership.
• Monitor the external environment proactively, identifying risks and opportunities with implications for organizational strategy, funding, and reputation—and ensuring the organization is positioned to respond with agility.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to perform this job.

• 15+ years of senior leadership experience in external affairs, fund development, government relations, public policy, communications, or a closely related field—ideally spanning multiple of these disciplines
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale, diversified fundraising efforts, including major gifts, foundation funding, corporate partnerships, and government grants and contracts
• Proven experience shaping and leading external strategy at an organizational or enterprise level, with accountability for setting direction across multiple functions
• Strong understanding of state and federal policy environments, public funding systems, and government relations strategy—preferably in health care, public health, or reproductive rights contexts
• Track record of leading and aligning high-performing, cross-functional teams—including experience managing senior managers and building cohesive, integrated functions
• Experience working in close partnership with executive leadership and Boards of Directors on strategy, fundraising, and external engagement • Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in public policy, public health, nonprofit management, or a related field preferred
• Other duties as assigned