Chief Building Officer

CAMELBACK VENTURES Camelback Ventures ( Camelback ) increases access to opportunity for entrepreneurs from underinvested communities by providing early capital for their ventures and supporting their leadership development while advocating for fairness in their funding. Since 2015, Camelback has raised over $50M and supported 200+ social entrepreneurs – 95% identified as people of color and 60% as women. Our Fellows have raised over $365M, have been named as Forbes 30 under 30, and have made an impact nationwide in communities from Eastern North Carolina to Seattle.

As we scale our work and impact, we are seeking a strategic and creative Chief External Affairs Officer (CEAO) to shape and steward our brand, elevate our public voice, and expand our influence. The ( CEAO ) is a senior executive who will lead Camelback’s policy agenda, brand, communications, marketing, and public presence strategy. This person will be the primary architect of Camelback’s external voice, responsible for crafting compelling narratives, driving digital and media engagement, positioning the CEO and organization as national thought leaders in social impact investing, and expanding Camelback’s visibility across sectors.

Reporting to the CEO and in partnership with the Chief Development Officer , the CEAO will ensure that Camelback’s storytelling is strategic, values-aligned, and supportive of fundraising and partnerships—but will not lead direct fundraising efforts.

The CEAO will play a central role in positioning Camelback as a policy driver , shaping public discourse and advocating for equity in access to capital for entrepreneurs of color and women. They will also collaborate with the VP of Marketing and Communications and the Communications and Digital Marketing and Communications Manager to build and implement strategy for all external team members including the CEO, leadership, and Program Partners.

The CERO manages a dynamic team of full-time staff, including the VP of Marketing and Communications and Digital Marketing and Communications Manager and contractors to execute campaigns and initiatives to drive engagement and meet strategic goals.

Executive Leadership & Team Management
Serve as a key member of the Leadership Team, collaborating on long-term strategy and organization-wide priorities.
Guide the development and implementation of a cohesive brand and communications strategy to elevate Camelback’s visibility, influence, and mission alignment.
Oversee Camelback’s social media strategy to drive engagement and grow the community to 100K followers (minimum 25K on one platform).
Cultivate relationships with media to secure positive coverage for Camelback, its leaders and community.

Public Affairs & Policy Communications
Lead a government relations and public affairs strategy that positions Camelback as a policy voice for equitable access to capital.
Monitor relevant policy trends and craft strategic messaging, op-eds, and advocacy materials.
Build relationships with civic leaders, media, and policy-aligned partners to advance organizational goals.
Drive public discourse on critical topics within the entrepreneurial landscape.
Lead a proactive policy function that generates, studies, socializes, and promotes policies.

Oversee the narrative strategy to spotlight the stories of Camelback fellows, alumni, and community members, including
Positioning the CEO and senior leaders as thought leaders in equity, entrepreneurship, and launch Camelback Studios as a new outlet to share organization and fellow content and stories.

Foster a program team culture characterized by enthusiasm, excellence, innovation, and deep commitment to racial equity.
Create an environment where team members feel empowered to take risks, learn from failure, and push boundaries in service of Fellows and Alumni.
Invest in the professional development of program staff through coaching, learning opportunities, and clear career pathways.
The Chief External Affairs Officer will see themselves in the examples below:

Whether in writing, speaking, or relationship-building, you craft compelling narratives that move hearts and drive action. You lead teams to deliver high-quality, on-time work that advances long-term strategy.
You Lead with Executive Presence. You bring credibility and clarity to donor meetings, public events, and internal collaborations. You Build with Community. You center the voices of those you serve—listening deeply, engaging broadly, and amplifying shared impact. You Champion Equity and Racial Literacy. You lead with a strong equity lens, naming and navigating bias in messaging and strategy. You create space for others to do the same, especially in support of BIPOC and women entrepreneurs.
15+ years of progressive experience in communications, marketing, brand strategy, public affairs, policy or a related field, with at least 10 years of demonstrated success building and managing teams

• A strong commitment to Camelback’s mission and values, and a deep understanding of the social impact landscape.
• Demonstrated success leading digital marketing campaigns that increase engagement, grow social media audiences, and elevate brand visibility.
• Demonstrated success in growing social media engagement and digital community building.
• Proven experience in, policy advocacy, public affairs communications, government relations and developing and implementing policy agendas.
• Experience in the racial equity, education, entrepreneurship, or philanthropy sectors, preferred
• Experience managing a brand or executive voice that is bold, equity-centered, and values-driven.
• Experience ghostwriting or managing executive platforms, preferred
• Outstanding writing and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling, mission-aligned narratives.
• Clear understanding of SEO, SEM, email marketing, content marketing, and platform-specific social media strategies.
• Strong knowledge of communications analytics, trends, and digital tools and platforms such as Google Analytics, Sprout Social, Mailchimp, Squarespace, WordPress, and StreamYard
• Ability to travel up to 40% for strategic engagements, conferences, and media opportunities.

• Develop a comprehensive policy strategy for Camelback by December 2026.
• Strengthen CBV’s national brand awareness
• 100,000 followers across social media sites
• 25,000 followers across all social media channels for CEO
• 1,000,000 engagements on social media
• By Q3 2026, launch Camelback Studios as a new outlet to share organization and fellow content and stories.
• Oversee the creation of at least 3 engaging content series highlighting Camelback by December 2026.
• Flexible within the continental U.Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 403b + Employer Match, and Generous PTO

Camelback Ventures provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.