Jobs

Head of External Affairs and Policy

We believe that the future of transportation is automated. Automated travel will be safer, more comfortable, more efficient, and a powerful economic enabler for our communities. However, automating driving is a massively complex engineering challenge, requiring vehicles to navigate social norms, regional traffic patterns, unpredictable weather incidents, and a host of anomalous events. While billions of dollars have already been spent trying to solve this problem, a comprehensive answer remains frustratingly elusive. We believe that the final answer lies with roadway infrastructure.

Join us in building the roads of the future. Cavnue, which in April 2022 announced the closing of its Series A at $130M, is bridging technology and road infrastructure to realize a safer, more efficient, and more accessible future for automated transportation. Cavnue’s experienced team sits at the intersection of technology, infrastructure, and government—working together to develop and deploy the world’s most advanced roads. We are incorporating physical and digital infrastructure that unlocks the full spectrum of capabilities of current and future automated vehicle technologies. We believe in a world in which road infrastructure shares in the complexity of autonomy and, instead of being another problem to solve for, becomes a core part of the solution.

Role Overview

The Head of External Affairs and Policy will develop and execute Cavnue’s external affairs, policy, and communications strategy, leading to the advancement of Cavnue’s awareness and positioning in the market. The ideal candidate will play a crucial role in building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders, with an emphasis on those relationships in the public sector including DOT, transportation/mobility, and infrastructure agencies.

This is a high-impact role that requires managing our external affairs portfolio, including the development of our external communications strategy, shaping our policy at the federal and state level, representing Cavnue at conferences, events, and speaking engagements, and bringing deep awareness to the market on Cavnue’s technical solutions and safety approach in the mobility sector.

Roles Responsibilities:

The Head of External Affairs and Policy, will be a critical member of Cavnue’s leadership team and a highly visible representative of Cavnue. We are looking for a dynamic, strategic, and well-connected leader, who is able to create synergy across multiple functions with regards to all external affairs needs, and deliver on securing outcomes and relationships that advance our organizational objectives.

This leader will:

• Define and develop a cohesive, user-centric external affairs and communication strategy targeted toward Cavnue’s customer groups, including State DOT officials, tolling companies, infrastructure developers/investors, contractors, automotive OEMs, trucking companies, and autonomous vehicle companies, in line with the broader Cavnue vision and mission
• Manage interactions with State DOTs, transportation agencies, industry associations, and other public sector clients, to establish and maintain key relationships
• Generate brand awareness, corporate and product marketing opportunities, and positive press for Cavnue by organizing, and actively leading, Cavnue’s participation at industry conferences, events, and speaking engagements
• Create a synergy in communication messaging and positioning across the organization
• Lead the external communications function, collaborating with and managing relevant external advisors and consultants
• Define and shape public policy advocacy campaigns at the State and Federal level, that advance our policy priorities with external stakeholders, taking into account the policy and political considerations required to be effective
• Identify, stay abreast and contribute to the knowledge base of current policy and legislative landscape, best practices, and trends
• Set the strategy and direct campaign execution, incorporating policy research, coalition development and lobbying, in alignment with cross functional partners
• Develop and implement comprehensive policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure compliance with safety regulations, safety standards, and best practices.
• Bring awareness to Cavnue’s value proposition which includes emphasis on making our nation’s roadways safer and more reliable
• Lead cross-functional collaboration in the development of business use-cases, priorities, and external affairs strategy
• Develop a thorough understanding of our customers’ operations to identify the most meaningful problems that we could solve for them by defining user needs through customer interviews and market research
• Provide insight and knowledge on the transportation and mobility industry landscape, including the competitive market, customer needs, and trends, and use that information to inform our strategies and provide inputs into the technology roadmap
• Maintain close working relationship with Cavnue shareholders/ownership and our Board of Directors, and identify and execute on opportunities for alignment with lead investor’s communications strategy

Requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as communications, law, public relations/public affairs, political science, business administration, marketing, etc.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in external affairs, public affairs, and/or communications with at least five years in a leadership role; background in transportation, infrastructure technology firms, infrastructure development, and/or public sector agencies a plus
• A track record of developing and executing strategic positioning plans
• First-class communication skills, including the ability to articulate Cavnue’s product strategy and vision in clear terms to relevant audiences
• Demonstrated ability to establish relationships with key State DOT, transit, and public sector stakeholders, as well as with key federal executive branch agencies
• Ability to persuasively communicate complex concepts at the highest level
• Excellent business acumen and ability to understand the competitive landscape and positioning in the marketplace

Benefits 

• Remote friendly and flexible work environment
• Company 401K match
• Parental, childbirth, and adoption leave
• Wellness perks including access to on-demand primary care, virtual health appointments, and online mental health therapy
• Home office reimbursement policy
• Generous PTO policy, including paid year-end holiday shut down
• Learning and development opportunities
• Top of the line equipment for our team members

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Job posted: 2023-09-12