ACEA - Head of Policy and Strategy

EXECUTIVE HEAD OF POLICY AND STRATEGY

ABOUT ACEA

Set in a complex geopolitical landscape of shifting priorities, ACEA seeks to hire a new Executive Head of Policy and Strategy to join its high performing team, and bring about the organisation’s mission.

ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association and voice of the auto industry, is seeking an exceptional strategic minded game changer who will, with the team and association members, envision, craft and implement a compelling, engaging and inclusive approach to fortify and underpin the sector’s progression towards zeroemission and sustainable transport.

This position is pivotal to the success of the organisation as it sets out on a journey of transformation towards a decarbonisation setting, whilst maintaining a keen interest in developing and manufacturing vehicles in Europe.

Addressing major technology developments and the changing mobility needs of Europeans, ACEA is working towards a new era of mobility, where all Europeans can access affordable transport solutions that are:

• Green & Clean

• Smart & Efficient

• Safe & Reliable

• Produced by an industry that is Global & Competitive

ACEA brings collective expertise to policy makers and stakeholders, sharing a wealth of factual information to enable well-informed decisions. It also fosters a societal debate around mobility, and is open to working with all interested parties to advance the common aim of clean, smart and safe mobility.

THE ROLE

Role: Executive Head of Policy and Strategy

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Reporting to: ACEA Director General

ROLE SUMMARY

The new Executive Head of Policy and Strategy is:

ACEA offers a competitive compensation package, with notable benefits.

ACEA practises Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

• Noted for their thought leadership, and holistic approach to successful public affairs and communications, with the eloquence and authenticity to champion captivating campaigns

• A recognised trusted advisor of policy makers thanks to their deep understanding of the policy landscape and processes and their focus on delivering creative and workable solutions

• An evidenced team player who thrives on collective innovation and will achieve the high level of team ambition by empowering each team member to build on synergies and exceed their own potential.

And the successful candidate will:

• Enhance the impact of the sector’s voice, frame the discourse, engage and influence;

• Identify new valuable strategic partnerships, maintain and deepen existing alliances;

• Help ensure transformational change within the team and organisation to optimise strategic capacity, knowledge sharing, decision making processes and internal efficiencies;

• Play a leading role in ensuring the alignment of all activity with agreed policy goals;

• Act as an inspired and inspirational leader to the Policy and Strategy team, and to the members, working in synergy with the leadership team, under the guidance of the Director General.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE

This role is a new position in the ACEA organisation.

Leading the team of 10+ professionals, the new Executive Head of Policy and Strategy will be a recognised change maker in public affairs and communications. They will devise innovative and impactful campaigns to achieve agreed policy and profiling goals as well as optimal positioning of the sector in relevant debates.

With a winning engagement approach, the successful candidate will foster lasting and comprehensive dialogue with key internal and external stakeholders with a view to enhancing relationships across the entire spectrum of actors in the landscape.

Reporting to the Director General, the new Executive Head of Policy and Strategy will ensure coordination with the other Executive Heads and Department Leads to optimise internal processes, seek procedural efficiencies and develop best practice based means of achieving desired outcomes.

Recognised leader in EU Public Affairs and Strategic Communications:

• With political savviness and proven understanding of EU and wider policy and law- making procedures, the Executive Head of Policy and Strategy will lead on devising and implementing innovative solutions for relevant policy debates - including industrial sector policy, international trade issues, zeroemission mobility and sustainable transport.

• Developing the organisation’s capacity for evidence-based and thoughtleading messaging, they will oversee the delivery of coherent, consistent, persuasive and comprehensive content, enabling timely participation of the association in key policy debates through impactful engagement with stakeholders and decision makers alike.

• In harnessing the potential of the membership, the chosen new leader

will craft winning engagement strategies using established and emerging platforms to raise the bar in visibility and collaboration across the spectrum of actors. They will forge new and maintain existing strategic alliances as a credible and effective partner and play an influential role among related sectors and in relevant policy circles.

• The new Executive Head of Policy and Strategy will act as an exemplary ambassador for the association in the public sphere, as delegated by the Director General - conveying complex industrial, business and specialist messages in a strategic, meaningful and compelling way to decision makers and media alike.

An inspired and inspirational team leader

• As a trusted adviser of the Director General, the new Executive Head of Policy and Strategy will provide strategic input to the organisation’s internal processes and high quality of output of the overall team. They will demonstrate top leadership qualities and motivate all to perform at their best with a heightened awareness of their personal contribution to furthering the mission and how to make a difference.

• With a noted ability to listen and inspire teams to achieve exceptional results, the new leader will be responsible for the planning and coordination of the Policy and Strategy team’s output (10+ FTE, including the communications, public affairs and horizontal policy team), ensuring cohesion and alignment in a safe and pleasant work environment.

• They will enable and empower team members to achieve their potential by providing inspirational support and guidance, ensuring optimal and close cooperation with ACEA members and encouraging meaningful networking and knowledge development activities for their team. The successful candidate will be energetically committed to building an excellent organisational culture, and will rally the team around an inspiring vision.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

Experience and knowledge requirements

• A public affairs “Thought Leader” with 12 Years + experience in a relevant sector (e.g., but not limited to, automotive, manufacturing, mobility, energy), including 5 years + in a leadership position in EU advocacy campaigns.

• A deep understanding and experience of devising successful advocacy strategies in the EU policy arena with a proven game changer mindset that inspires trustworthiness and sustained relationships amongst key EU stakeholders and decision makers.

• A strong understanding of and ability to convey the political levers and pressure points in the EU and wider, with appreciation of the nuances and sensitivities related to the work of this sector.

• A committed problem solver, consensus builder and team player who fosters constructive relationships with members, senior representatives and across the team.

• Experience of an organisational change management process as the organisation transitions and the ability to maintain high quality output and meet deadlines in that context.

• Excellent written and verbal, listening, presentation and persuasion skills and a diplomatic demeanour under pressure, with the ability to distil complex information into messages that resonate with political and regulatory audiences.

• Experience of dealing with broad and specialised media with a sound reputation in media outlets as a spokesperson.

• The experience of leading a team, setting strategy, objectives

and individual goals, managing workload and competing priorities across a team and demonstrating measurable outcomes and achievements.

• Native level English both written and verbal with one or more other European languages to be used in a professional context

• A University degree (including but not limited to Law, Economics, Environmental Sciences, International Relations, Political Sciences or other, relevant to the job description).

The successful candidate will:

• Demonstrate self-awareness and cultural competency

• Have a service oriented professional attitude

• Have the ability to make participants listen and impactful leadership

• Present recognised resilience and drive with a winning and engaging style.

• Be pragmatic and able to recognise what she/he doesn’t know in order to ensure continuous learning and improvement for the team and the organisation’s output.

• Enhance and elevate the sector and organisation’s reputation as a whole.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter as two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process.

The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

The document should be saved in PDF in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last Name-Document Name-Date (mmyy) e.g., Pat-Jones-CV-102023-ACEA or Pat-JonesCoverLetter-102023- ACEA.

TIMELINE

Closing Date: 13 November 2023

First stage interviews: TBC Final interviews: TBC

SELECTION PROCESS

All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.

EQUALITY STATEMENT

Equality and diversity are at the core of ACEA’s values. Staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.

QUERIES

If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email acea-executive-head@oxfordhr.com in the first instance.

ABOUT OXFORD HR

Exceptional leaders can inspire change and propel purpose-led organisations towards reaching their world-changing goals.

Finding such leaders can be a challenge; and yet their transition into leadership is vital to an organisations mission and success.

Oxford HR is a global leadership consultancy dedicated to searching for and supporting remarkable leaders and teams in purpose-led organisations.

We understand the nuances of purpose-led leadership because we’ve worked in organisations across the breadth of the sector ourselves. We’ve also worked with such organisations since 1995; so we appreciate just what benefits impactful people can bring.