Chief External Affairs Officer

Position:  Chief External Affairs OfficerLocation: Cincinnati, OH

United Way of Greater Cincinnati is seeking a Chief External Affairs Officer to serve as a strategic executive leader responsible for advancing United Way of Greater Cincinnati external relationships and communications to raise the organization’s profile in order to grow impact regionally. The Chief External Affairs Officer oversees the functions of: Marketing & Communications, Board Governance & Relations, Public Policy & Advocacy. 

The Chief External Affairs Officer oversees the design and execution of UWGC’s external communications strategy, including developing the voice of the organization and aligned messaging and style.  

As a member of the Executive Team, this leader partners closely with the CEO and executive leadership to execute UWGC’s strategic framework and represent the organization externally with community leaders, donors, policymakers, and the general public. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Executive & Strategic Leadership 

• Provide executive leadership for United Way’s external engagement efforts aligned with organizational mission, vision, strategic priorities, and impact; align external brand and reputation with internal strategy and implementation. 
• Identify emerging opportunities, risks, trends, and community needs while advising executive leadership on strategic responses and priorities.  
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, transparency, and continuous improvement across teams and organizational initiatives.  
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment among Education, Impact, Resource Development, Community Engagement, and Finance to advance organizational outcomes and community impact. 
• Represent UWGC at community and stakeholder meetings, including representing the CEO as needed.   

Marketing, Communications & Public Relations 

• Create communications strategy to influence and inform key stakeholders, including Board of Directors, donors, volunteers, media, elected officials, community members, consumers, partner agencies, and the general public.  
• Operationalize communication strategy to elevate external reputation and communicate United Way’s impact.  
• Collaborate with Resource Development to develop communications and messaging that support cultivation of relationships with funders, corporate partners, and donors to advance strategic initiatives and organizational sustainability.  
• Develop unified voice and aligned messaging for internal and external organizational use, including community presentations, speeches, employee communications, and other key stakeholder communications.   
• Oversee external communication and brand management strategy by creating and disseminating informative, educational, and positive content through all channels, including websites, social media, mainstream media, newsletters, organizational publications, intranet and video.  
• Manage all media requests for the organization. 
• Develop strong relationships with local media and actively pitch stories to spotlight the organization in a positive manner.  
• Develop and execute crisis communications.    

ublic Policy & Advocacy 

• Develop and implement United Way’s public policy and advocacy strategy and agenda and align external engagement with long-term policy change efforts. 
• In partnership with organizational leadership and policy stakeholders, advocate for policies that support educational success, housing security, and financial empowerment.  
• Facilitate connection and alignment between external public policy and advocacy priorities and community impact initiatives and programs, including ensuring United Way staff are informed of relevant policy topics. 
• Ensure cohesion, alignment, and shared accountability across UWGC’s internal priorities and external partnerships, engagement, and advocacy efforts. 
• Oversee Public Policy Committee, creating a strategy to leverage volunteers to advance United Way’s agenda externally; build relationships and facilitate meetings. 
• Represent UWGC in collaborative initiatives, coalitions, and civic partnerships that strengthen regional impact and influence. 
• Serve as a thought leader in local, regional, and state policy conversations.  
• Oversee government affairs, building relationships with key elected officials and government leaders to advance UWGC’s policy priorities. 

Board Governance Strategy and Execution 

• In partnership with the President/CEO and Executive Team members, design board governance, engagement, and development strategy. 
• Develop meeting strategy for Board of Directors; create and coordinate materials, including presentations, talking points, and pre-reading. 
• Coordinate across all UWGC functions to develop cohesive board messaging, briefings, and materials. 
• Execute strategic communications to engage Board of Directors and other key stakeholders.  

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead, develop, and mentor directors, managers, and cross-functional teams to achieve organizational objectives and goals.  
• Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and accountability measures while supporting employee growth and leadership development.  
• Foster strong collaboration and communication across departments and external stakeholders.  
• Promote an organizational culture that values innovation, learning, adaptability, and mission-centered leadership. 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Provides executive oversight and leadership for teams responsible for Marketing and Public Policy & Advocacy. 
• Responsible for leadership development, succession planning, performance management, and organizational capability building within assigned areas. 

DESIRED COMPETENCIES: 

• Strategic and visionary leadership with the ability to translate organizational priorities into measurable outcomes.  
• Strong relationship-building and partnership management skills across diverse stakeholder groups.  
• Exceptional communication, presentation, facilitation, and consensus-building abilities.  
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change and manage complex cross-functional initiatives.  
• Experience using data, evaluation, and analytics to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.  
• Strong cultural responsiveness and commitment to inclusion.   
• Excellent judgment, problem-solving, and organizational leadership capabilities.  
• Proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop high-performing teams.  
• High level of integrity, accountability, professionalism, and results orientation.  
• Passion for United Way’s mission and commitment to improving outcomes for children and families. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, public policy, nonprofit leadership, public administration, business, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.  
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in nonprofit, public sector, policy, or related environments.  
• Demonstrated experience leading strategic initiatives, organizational partnerships, and cross-functional teams.  
• Experience overseeing or partnering closely with Marketing function. 
• Experience with board governance and managing Boards, including meetings, presentations, and decision-making. 
• Proven success in advocacy, public policy, systems change, and community engagement efforts.  
• Strong leadership, strategic planning, operational management, and communication skills. 

WORKING CONDITIONS: 

• Normal office environment. 
• Occasional local travel to events within the regional area and nationally. 
• Extended viewing of computer monitors. 

BENEFITS:

• Generous paid time off including vacation, personal, sick, and holiday time
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 403b plan with company match
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program and access to other free health programs
• Community volunteer opportunities
• Professional development and training opportunities