Chief External Affairs Officer

If you are currently employed at Vivent Health, please log into UKG and submit your application through the My Company/View Opportunities page.

This role will office out of one of the following locations:
Chicago, IL;
Austin, TX;
Milwaukee, WI; or St. Louis, MO

Ready to make an impact?

At Vivent Health, your work is more than a job — it’s a chance to change lives. Our mission is to end HIV/AIDS by providing integrated, personalized, judgment-free healthcare, social services, and effective prevention strategies.

We are committed to equity and believe every person deserves to live their healthiest life.

Deliver Excellence. Oversee with Integrity. Drive Progress. Exceed Expectations.

The Chief External Affairs Officer (CEAO) is the enterprise executive responsible for advancing Vivent Health’s external influence, strategic positioning, and stakeholder engagement. The CEAO leads an integrated portfolio spanning philanthropy, donor relations, revenue generation, marketing, communications, brand management, community engagement, and high-level external partnerships to align all outward-facing strategies.

This role ensures cohesive messaging, strategic storytelling, and coordinated engagement that elevate national visibility, strengthen public trust, and amplify mission-driven narratives. The CEAO serves as a senior advisor to the CEO and Board, stewarding an enterprise-wide external affairs strategy that advances mission impact, brand equity, and long-term sustainability.

Success requires sophisticated executive leadership, experience integrating external-facing functions, and the ability to represent Vivent Health as a national ambassador.

Winning skills and behaviors for success

• Develop and execute comprehensive philanthropic strategies aligned with mission, sustainability, and growth.
• Lead major giving, annual giving, planned giving, stewardship, and special campaigns.
• Partner with the CEO and Board to cultivate relationships with institutional funders, foundations, corporations, and major donors.
• Expand and diversify the donor base through targeted prospect research.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy through donor education, engagement, and trust-based partnerships.

• Elevate Vivent Health’s national voice, brand, and reputation, particularly in BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and medically underserved communities.
• Serve as principal ambassador at fundraising events, civic engagements, media opportunities, and coalitions.
• Plan and execute donor, patient, and community engagement and recognition events.

• Direct enterprise-wide, data-informed communications, marketing, and public relations strategies.
• Execute integrated plans that increase media impressions, digital engagement, and community reach year over year.
• Advance modern, scalable digital and social media engagement approaches.

• Provide executive leadership across Philanthropy and Community Engagement, Marketing and Communications, and priority national partnerships.
• Develop and manage revenue forecasts and budgets.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align external affairs with organizational strategy.
• Analyze performance metrics and report on fundraising, marketing, and recruitment outcomes.
• Ensure donor compliance, ethical practices, and adherence to agency policies.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

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Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Philanthropy, or related field.

Experience

• 10+ years in nonprofit fundraising or related fields, including 5+ years in leadership.
• Proven success leading integrated external-facing portfolios across philanthropy, brand, and engagement.
• Visionary and strategic leadership
• Relationship-driven and politically astute leadership
• Brand, messaging, and public spokesperson expertise
• Deep understanding of fundraising pipelines and donor stewardship
• Operational excellence and team…