Vice President of External Affairs

Please be aware of recruiting scams!

All legitimate communication from our recruitment team will come from an official calstart.org email address via email, we will not text you about a role you have not applied to or shown interest in. We will not perform any interviews via text or Zoom chat.

CALSTART does not ask for any fees or personal information such as social security numbers or bank details during the recruitment process.

About Us:

CALSTART is a mission-driven industry organization focused on transportation decarbonization and clean air for all.

For over 30 years, it’s been CALSTART’s mission to develop, assess, and implement large-scale, zero-emission transportation solutions to mitigate climate change and support economic growth. CALSTART works with businesses, organizations, governments, and communities to create real-life impact toward clean air and equitable access to clean transportation for all. CALSTART provides scientific, technical and policy support for regulatory development and clean technology and infrastructure acceleration.

About The Role:  

The Vice President of External Affairs is a new strategic leadership role responsible for shaping and amplifying CALSTART’s narrative, ensuring its mission and impact resonate with stakeholders, funders, policy makers, and the broader public. This role will drive CALSTART’s branding, marketing, communications, member engagement and philanthropic development. Elevating CALSTART’s position as a leader in clean transportation and sustainability.   

Reporting to the CEO, the Vice President of External Affairs will oversee the Marketing and Communications team and the Membership Services team, ensuring a cohesive strategy that enhances organizational visibility, deepens stakeholder engagement, and strengthens external partnerships. This role will also play a critical part in philanthropic development, leveraging storytelling to inspire and grow CALSTART’s donor base.  

• Key Responsibilities Include: 

• Develop and implement an integrated external affairs strategy that leverages storytelling to elevate CALSTART’s brand, drive membership growth, and expand philanthropic support. Shape and articulate CALSTART’s narrative, ensuring its work is compelling, accessible, and impactful to diverse audiences, including media, policymakers, funders and industry stakeholders.  
• Monitor industry trends and policy shifts to proactively position CALSTART as a thought leader and trusted voice in the clean transportation sector.  
• Collaborate with executive leadership to align marketing, communications, membershipand fundraising efforts with organizational goals. 

• Oversee the development and execution of CALSTART’s branding and messaging strategy, ensuring consistency and clarity across all platforms. 
• Guide the Marketing and Communications team in creating engaging content, campaigns, and media outreach that amplify CALSTART’s impact. 
• Develop a strategy for thought leadership, including opinion pieces, speeches, and high-profile event participation. 

• Lead efforts to expand, diversify and deepen CALSTART’s membership engagement, ensuring that members find value in their affiliation with the organization, focusing on engaging stakeholders across sectors and regions to grow CALSTART’s membership base. 
• Develop and implement membership programs, services, and storytelling initiatives that deliver value and drive satisfaction while highlighting the impact of CALSTART’s efforts. 
• Establish metrics to assess membership growth, retention, and engagement, adjusting strategies as needed. 

• Partner with the CEO, Development and relevant teams to craft compelling narratives that attract funders, philanthropic organizations, and corporate partners. 
• Oversee the creation of grant proposals, donor communications, and impact reports that effectively tell the story of CALSTART’s successes and future opportunities. 
• Identify and cultivate relationships with new and existing funders, ensuring alignment between CALSTART’s mission and philanthropic interests. 
• Develop and execute campaigns that inspire contributions and long-term investment in CALSTART’s work.  

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Marketing and Communications team and the Membership Services team, fostering a culture of creativity,innovation and excellence. 
• Work collaboratively across departments to ensure that external messaging is aligned with policy, programmatic and advocacy goals.  
• Represent CALSTART at conferences, industry events, and public forums to advocate for the organization’s mission and impact. 

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Public Relations, or a related field; master's degree preferred. 
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in marketing, communications, external affairs, fundraising or related roles, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership position. 
• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing storytelling-driven branding, membership and fundraising strategies. Experience in philanthropic development, including donor cultivation, grant writing and impact reporting.  
• Strong understanding of the clean transportation industry and sustainability principles is a plus. 
• Exceptional interpersonal, storytelling and communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage a wide range of stakeholders. 
• Proven ability to manage, mentor and develop high-performing teams. 
• Ability to work strategically and collaboratively across departments, balancing long-term vision with short-term execution. 

• Strategic Storytelling & Brand Development 
• Leadership and Team Development 
• Relationship Building and Stakeholder Engagement 
• Philanthropic Development & Fundraising Communications 
• Media & Public Relations 
• Results Oriented Execution 

We understand that not everyone will match the above qualifications 100%. If your background isn't perfectly aligned but you feel you would be a great addition to the team, we'd love to hear from you.

We're a tight-knit team of world-class innovators, business minds, and change agents who believe passionately in our mission and put our team ahead of self. We are committed to the continued development and growth of our employees and invest in your success!

We care about your personal well being as much as your professional success and offer generous benefits to full time employees including: 100% company paid comprehensive health benefits for Medical, Dental, Vision, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability and Life Insurance, Retirement plan with generous company contributions, FSA for Health and Dependent Care, 3 weeks of vacation time in the first year of employment, 11 paid company holidays, paid sick time, paid family leave, and more!

Our inclusive environment focuses on making decisions based on merit without regard to race, color, hair texture, gender, religion, age, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, LGBTQIA+ status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.