Director of External Positioning

We have an exciting opportunity for a Director of External Positioning at UL Standards & Engagement. This is a hybrid opportunity based in our Washington, DC office. 

The Director of External Positioning will lead strategic external positioning strategy to advance mission of UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE) of working for a safer world. The Director of External Positioning will serve as a key architect of ULSE’s external presence, creating opportunities through strategic events, executive positioning, media engagement, and stakeholder relationships that increase awareness of the importance of standards and amplify the organization’s policy and advocacy priorities. Leveraging expertise in strategic communications, the Director of External Positioning will elevate the impact and visibility of work across the organization. As a people leader, the Director of External Positioning will lead and mentor a high-performing team that will support organizational priorities and advance communications excellence.  

UL Standards & Engagement: 

At UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have created new safety standards and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge. 

Build a safer, more secure, and sustainable future with us. Join us and work with our Standards teams who develop the standards required to put that knowledge into practice. 

What you’ll learn and achieve: 

As the Director of External Positioning you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you: 

• Define and steward external positioning strategy, lead communication approach that strengthens brand visibility, supports advocacy and policy priorities, and advances organizational objectives. 

• Develop and execute ULSE’s owned-event strategy, including flagship conferences, policy-focused forums, executive roundtables, stakeholder convenings, industry engagements and other external speaking opportunities that elevate the organization’s thought leadership and mission. 

• Build strategic media partnerships and engagement opportunities that expand awareness of ULSE priorities, amplify campaigns, and reinforce organizational credibility with key stakeholders. 

• Identify and secure high-impact speaking opportunities, industry engagements, and thought leadership platforms that strengthen visibility and authority. 

• Build upon media strategy and support growth in relationships with media organizations, journalists, editors, influencers, and industry publications to increase awareness of ULSE’s mission and advocacy efforts. 

• Partner cross functionally to extend the impact of events, campaigns, and initiatives through integrated communications strategies, including earned media, contributed content, digital and social amplification, video, and executive thought leadership. 

• In coordination with the partnerships and communications teams, develop and activate networks of advocates, ambassadors, champions, allies and external voices that support and amplify ULSE initiatives and public safety priorities. 

• Lead and develop multidisciplinary team of professionals, provide strategic direction and serve as mentor to advance capabilities in area of specialization. Cultivate collaborative environment to ensure team success and effective execution of high-quality content. 

• Seve as strategic advisor to senior leadership and contribute to cross-functional planning. Balance long term strategic initiatives with agile execution in response to emerging issues, opportunities, and stakeholder needs. 

• As a steward of the ULSE brand, ensure consistent, credible and strategic representation across events, media engagements, partnerships, and external communications. 

• Foster a culture of creativity, purpose, and accountability within the content and digital team. 

• Maintain continued awareness of industry trends, offering insight to inform strategic decisions and direction of the standards engagement function. 

• Contribute to department initiatives as needed. 

What you’ll experience working at UL Standards & Engagement: We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for nearly 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do. 

• People: Our people make us special. You’ll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today’s global challenges require. 

• Interesting work: Every day is different for us here. We see what’s on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You’ll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good. 

• Grow and achieve: We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.  

• Values. Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive. 

• Total Rewards: All employees at UL Standards & Engagement are eligible for bonus compensation. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days. 

What makes you a great fit: 

While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes: 

• Broad expertise in strategic communications and external positioning, with strong command of public affairs, media relations, and advocacy engagement. Ability to translate complex issues into compelling narratives that influence public discourse and strengthen organizational impact. 

• Deep understanding of audience engagement and content optimization, with ability to tailor communications for different audiences, channels and priorities. 

• Experience executing strategy and achieving tangible results. Able to lead communications strategy in a mission-driven environment. 

• Strong people leader, with experience building and sustaining high performing teams. Experience setting expectations while establishing and operationalizing clear goals and enforcing accountability for both processes and results. 

• Strong project management skills, efectively leading end-to-end project planning and exceution, managing complex workflows and ensuring timely delivery aligned with organizational goals. 

• Excellent written and oral communicator and presenter, skilled in negotiation and influencing diverse stakeholders. Proven capability in establishing effective relationships with others, including senior leaders and external stakeholders. 

• Advanced problem-solving skills and ability to foster collaboration and partnership with cross-functional teams to develop solutions with broad impact. 

• Strategic thinker with ability to innovate and adapt in a dynamic industry landscape. 

• High degree of curiosity to learn about the mission and impact of the organization and its areas of specialization. 

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Public Affairs, Political Science, Government Relations or related field. Advanced degree preferred. 

• Minimum 10 years of related work experience. 

• Minimum 2 years of people management experience. 

• Progressive experience in public affairs or government relations, developing and executing external positioning and thought leadership strategies that increase organizational influence and reputation. 

• Demonstrated success building strategic partnerships and engaging with media, including direct engagement with high-level reporters, media event partnerships, and crafting messages and materials designed for press outreach. 

• Experience in a safety standards, advocacy, nonprofit, regulatory, public policy, or mission driven organization preferred.