Chief External Affairs Officer

Summary job description

• The Chief External Affairs Officer (CEAO) is a pivotal Executive Leadership Team role, accountable for ensuring Blue Ventures has the visibility, authority, influence, relationships and resources needed to deliver impact at scale for coastal communities and ocean conservation.
• As part of BV’s distributed leadership model, the CEAO provides expert executive leadership with clear decision rights and accountability, serving as the organisation’s senior architect and champion of external influence.
• The role will enable the driving of our ambitious thought leadership, profile-raising and influence agenda that strengthens BV’s standing as a leading, values-led voice in community-centred marine conservation, ensuring BV is consistently present, compelling and credible in the places and conversations that shape funding, policy, practice and public narratives—translating BV’s evidence and partner-led model into narrative leadership that advances systems change.
• The CEAO provides executive leadership for BV’s external engagement portfolio—ensuring we are maximinising the strategic work in the fundraising and strategic communications teams to amplify BV’s organisational profile with donors, media and sector influencers through authentic storytelling —while remaining accountable for performance across fundraising and communications and enabling (rather than leading) day-to-day delivery through strong leadership of, and partnership with, the Director of Development and Director of Communications.
• As a persuasive, highly credible spokesperson, the CEAO represents BV at the highest levels, engaging scientists and practitioners as well as philanthropy leaders, policymakers and journalists, tailoring messages across audiences and platforms, and proactively identifying, securing, and leading high-profile speaking opportunities (for example, at Our Ocean, Skoll, and New York Climate Week).
• Alongside other senior leaders, the role holder will also step in as needed as a featured speaker, panellist, or convenor to build strategic alliances, influence sector narratives, attract mission-aligned investment, and strengthen BV’s contribution to systemic change in marine conservation.
• Working closely with Impact, Programme and Advocacy leadership, the CEAO ensures external positioning, partnership-building and resource mobilisation align with programme priorities, community needs, BV values, and safeguarding/ethical standards—while protecting and enhancing BV’s reputation and legitimacy as a trusted partner to coastal communities.