Executive Director and COO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Structural Insulated Panel Association | Multi-year management agreement (1099)

Reports to: SIPA Board of Directors (Executive Committee)

Engagement structure: Multi-year management agreement with an outside consulting firm, on a 1099 basis, under SIPA Bylaws Article VIII §1B.

Location: Virtual / remote, with Central Time member-availability window (10am–4pm CT, M–F).

Application deadline: June 30, 2026 (initial slate). Member nominations welcomed in parallel.

ABOUT SIPA

The Structural Insulated Panel Association is the national 501(c)(6) trade association for the structural insulated panel industry. Founded in 1990, SIPA represents a diverse national membership — panel manufacturers, suppliers, dealer/distributors, builders, design professionals and associates — across every region of the United States. The association's mission is to increase the use and acceptance of SIPs by providing an industry forum for promotion, communication, education, quality assurance and technical and marketing research.

SIPA enters 2026 in its strongest financial position in fifteen years. The next chapter is about converting that strength into industry growth: more architects specifying SIPs, more builders competent to install them, more code language that reflects how well they perform, and more visibility for SIPs as a credible building-envelope choice inside the broader off-site construction wave projected to grow from $51 billion in 2025 to $69 billion by 2030.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Executive Director is the chief operating officer of SIPA. The ED has full responsibility for the administration, operations, finances, marketing, member services, technical leadership, code work and external advocacy of the association. The role is engaged under SIPA Bylaws Article VIII §1B: the selected Executive Director is subject to Board approval. The ED is a non-voting member of the Executive Committee and works closely with the President, Officers, six standing committees (Code, Education, Manufacturing, Marketing, Technical, Membership), the existing six-contractor staff (Finance, Office, Communications, AV, Data) and an inherited vendor stack covering accounting, legal, insurance, web, and ICC-ES code-report administration.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES — FIRST 18 MONTHS

The role is multi-angle, not single-thread. Each priority is designed to deliver value to every SIPA member regardless of region, size, or go-to-market model.

• Marketing and visibility. Prioritize member business growth.  Convert the June 2026 awareness-campaign top-of-funnel (45K monthly site visitors, 7K YouTube subscribers, 8K view-hours last year) into measurable specification and member growth across the architect, designer, builder and developer audiences.
• Education and workforce. Address the installer/contractor/framer capacity gap that limits SIP adoption nationally. Expand the Registered and Master SIP Builder and Designer credential program with hands-on regional training. Refresh the BEST and AIA CEU library on the three-year cycle. Promote best practices.
• Multi-state code wins. Continued stewardship of ICC-ESR4689, the Florida HVHZ listings, the ASTM E119 fire-rating renewal in flight, and the NFPA 285 multistory exploration underway. Active understanding of IECC 2024 adoption state-by-state and continued Title 24 dialogue.
• Sustainability documentation. Build on existing scope (production data collection, embodied-carbon thinking) with centralized, opt-in sustainability documentation — LEED, EPDs, HPDs, Declare/Red List — for members who want the commercial-spec advantage.
• Member services across the full spectrum. Tiered services calibrated to member's go-to-market model. Restore growth in Builder category.
• Off-site coalition. Position SIPs as the original panelized off-site building system inside the $50B+ prefab wave. Coalition with the Modular Building Institute, NAHB Off-Site Construction Council and ICC off-site codes.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Five dimensions, in no particular order:

• Industry connector and member-service operator. Builds trust quickly with manufacturers, suppliers, designers, builders, code officials and allied associations. Navigates competing interests diplomatically. Represents SIPA credibly in external forums.
• Strategic execution with ownership. Turns strategy into clear action with measurable outcomes. Manages multiple long-cycle initiatives simultaneously. Owns results.
• Marketing, communication and advocacy. Strong writer and speaker. Persuasive advocate for SIPs across audiences — members, architects, regulators, media. Comfortable being the public face of the association.
• Operational and financial discipline. Runs a small, distributed operation efficiently. Strong budget and P&L discipline. Records, compliance, reporting rigor. Comfortable with modern technology and AI-assisted operating leverage.
• Industry fluency or fast-learner curiosity. Existing exposure to SIPs, prefab, off-site, building science, building products, or A&D specification is a strong plus. Where direct SIP experience is absent, demonstrate the ability to come up to speed quickly and engage technical audiences credibly while doing so.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Seven or more years of senior leadership in a trade association, nonprofit, building products manufacturer, construction-adjacent industry, or related commercial setting.
• Demonstrated experience working with boards, committees and volunteer leadership.
• Demonstrated budget, operations and program-management discipline.
• Strong sales, marketing or business-development orientation — the ED is a growth role.
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally for member engagement, trade shows, code work and the Annual Meeting.

Preferred

• Direct exposure to SIPs, prefab/off-site construction, building science, energy-efficient building systems or building-products specification.
• Experience working with the architecture and design community on specification and CEU delivery.
• Familiarity with code development, model-code processes, sustainability documentation, AIA CEU program delivery, grant writing, and government advocacy.
• Experience growing a multi-stakeholder membership organization across diverse member segments.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Professional certifications such as CAE, LEED AP or WELL AP are useful but not required.

ENGAGEMENT, COMPENSATION AND TRANSITION

• Engagement of the selected consultant as the SIPA management firm under Bylaws Article VIII §1B, on a multi-year 1099 basis. Two-year initial term with mutual six-month notice.
• Compensation commensurate with the current SIPA management contract: base management fee, monthly operating-expense allowance (travel, office, accounting, telephone, legal, banking, IT), annual escalator, and discretionary performance bonus consideration tied to membership growth, sponsorship development and committee-level deliverables. Specific range disclosed at offer stage.
• Transition: the outgoing Executive Director, Jack Armstrong / Acumen, LLC, is retained as part-time advisor on a defined scope for two months under the new ED, with monthly retainer thereafter at SIPA's discretion through the March 2027 Annual Meeting in Phoenix.
• Indemnification, intellectual property and confidentiality terms consistent with the current management-contract template.