Job Summary
The Chief External Affairs Officer (CEAO) is an executive who shapes and drives ClearPath’s external affairs strategy, master narrative, storytelling, and brand credibility. As a member of the executive leadership team, the CEAO provides strategic vision and leadership across the enterprise, with ownership over communications, marketing, media relations, polling and message testing, key partnerships, and events.
The CEAO ensures ClearPath is consistently viewed as the leading conservative voice on energy, technological innovation, and limited government policy ideas that catalyze American energy security, innovation, geopolitical competitiveness, and emissions reductions. The enterprise's best-in-class external affairs function drives measurable policy outcomes, strengthens stakeholder relationships, and elevates ClearPath’s visibility across Capitol Hill, the Executive Branch, key state leaders, industry, and media.
This role delivers measurable results by owning and driving ClearPath’s external narrative — shaping the conservative conversation on energy and innovation and advancing policy outcomes. It oversees execution through a high-performing team and ensures external affairs efforts remain innovative, data-driven, and aligned with organizational strategy, leveraging AI and emerging technologies to enhance targeting, messaging, and impact. A successful CEAO is a strategist, capable of advancing short-term priorities while driving long-term organizational strategy; a strong people leader and mentor who invests in talent and empowers teams to succeed; and a brand champion who continuously explores new tools, platforms, and approaches to elevate our mission, advance our agenda, and expand our reach across the country.
Job Description
Strategy & Organizational Leadership
- Serve as a core member of the executive leadership team, reporting to the CEO, and play a central role in shaping ClearPath’s enterprise strategy, policy priorities, and long-term positioning.
- Develop and lead an integrated external affairs strategy — aligning communications, stakeholder engagement, marketing, and external programming to drive policy outcomes and organizational influence.
- Ensure external affairs operates as a fully integrated enterprise function, reinforcing and informing strategy across policy, government affairs, and organizational leadership.
- Partner closely with the CEO, Chief of Staff, Government Affairs, Policy, and Operations to ensure messaging and outreach are aligned with enterprise priorities and responsive to legislative and political dynamics, particularly within the Conservative policy ecosystem.
- Establish clear KPIs and performance benchmarks, ensuring execution, continuous innovation, and measurable impact.
- Serve as a senior steward of ClearPath’s reputation, owning strategic and real-time decision-making in high-visibility and time-sensitive moments.
- Lead engagement with key enterprise stakeholders — including partners, coalition organizations, and aligned advocacy groups — working in close partnership with the policy team to support coalition priorities, mobilize external affairs functions, and expand ClearPath’s reach and influence across the broader policy and political ecosystem.
People Leader & Mentor
- Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing External Affairs team, setting a clear vision for excellence, accountability, and growth.
- Serve as a strong people leader, investing deeply in talent development — coaching staff, empowering emerging leaders, and fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and high standards.
- Provide consistent feedback, professional development, and strategic guidance to ensure the team operates at a high level in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment.
- Build and refine systems, workflows, and operating cadence that enable high-quality execution at speed.
- Ensure strong cross-functional collaboration with Government Affairs, Policy, and Operations teams.
Brand Leadership & Strategic Communications
- Serve as ClearPath’s chief storyteller and brand architect — owning and advancing a cohesive, enterprise-wide narrative that strengthens influence across policym