Vice President - Business Development

For over 50 years, Sunward Steel Buildings has been doing things differently. We’re a family-owned, American manufacturer and we don’t just sell steel buildings, we partner with our customers to bring their vision to life.

From industrial facilities, aircraft hangars, and self-storage complexes to arenas, barndominiums, agricultural buildings, and fitness centers, we engineer and manufacture fully custom solutions delivered to every state in the U.S. and across Canada. No two projects are alike, and that’s exactly how we like it.

We are now entering the next chapter of Sunward’s growth story. We are expanding our partner and channel network, and in mid-2027 we will launch a new cold form steel building product line - a distinct and emerging segment of the building market with significant growth potential. This hire is central to both.

The Vice President of Business Development is a senior commercial leadership role with a dual mandate: grow Sunward’s partner division through strategic channel relationships, and own the go-to-market execution for Sunward’s cold form building product line from pre-launch through market establishment. This person reports to the EVP and operates with significant autonomy - setting strategy, building pipelines, and closing deals.

This is a builder role. There is no established playbook for the cold form launch, no warm partner network handed to you, and no pre-existing 3P manufacturer roster to manage. What exists is a 50-year-old family-owned company with manufacturing capability, a strong reputation in the PEMB industry, executive commitment to growth, and the resources to back a credible go-to-market and operational scaling effort. If you have built something from scratch before - a new market, a new product, a new vendor network - and want to do it again at a company that will move with you rather than against you, this is the role.

This role carries three distinct but complementary strategic priorities. All three are active from day one.

Pillar 1: Partner Division	Pillar 2: Cold Form Building Launch	Pillar 3: 3P Manufacturer & Vendor Network
Build and expand Sunward’s partner and channel relationships	Own the go-to-market strategy for Sunward’s cold form building product line from launch through scale	Identify, evaluate, and onboard third-party manufacturers, fabricators, and vendors who can produce components or assemblies for Sunward - expanding capacity without expanding fixed overhead
Identify, pursue, and close strategic partnership agreements with builders, contractors, distributors, and industry networks	Identify and develop the buyer ecosystem for cold form - architects, modular builders, developers, contractors	Build and maintain the 3P vendor roster - using existing industry relationships to accelerate onboarding and establish quality and delivery standards from day one
Develop and manage the partner pipeline - from prospecting through contract and ongoing relationship management	Build the sales and distribution infrastructure needed to bring the cold form product to market	Negotiate commercial agreements with 3P manufacturers and vendors that protect Sunward’s margin, quality standards, and delivery commitments
Negotiate and structure commercial agreements that advance Sunward’s market reach and revenue base	Partner with engineering and manufacturing on product positioning, specifications, and competitive differentiation	Negotiate commercial agreements with 3P manufacturers and vendors that protect Sunward’s margin, quality standards, and delivery commitments
Target launch: Ongoing - grow Sunward’s partner network systematically	Target launch: Mid-year 2027 - full product and market readiness	Target: Build a functional 3P manufacturer and vendor network within the first 12 months that meaningfully expands Sunward’s production capacity

Partner Division Business Development

• Develop and execute Sunward’s partner and channel business development strategy - identifying, pursuing, and structuring relationships with builders, erectors, contractors, distributors, and other strategic channel partners who can extend Sunward’s reach and revenue.
• Build and manage a robust partner pipeline from prospecting through signed agreement and ongoing relationship management - owning the full commercial cycle.
• Negotiate and structure partnership agreements, channel contracts, and commercial arrangements that are mutually beneficial and protect Sunward’s margin and brand standards.
• Serve as the senior relationship manager for Sunward’s highest-value partner accounts - building deep, long-term connections that generate repeat and referral business.
• Develop and maintain relationships with PEMB industry associations, trade networks, and builder communities that create ongoing pipeline and market intelligence.
• Monitor partner performance and satisfaction, identifying opportunities to deepen engagement and addressing friction points proactively before they become attrition risks.

Cold Form Building Product Launch

• Own the go-to-market strategy for Sunward’s cold form building product line - defining the target market, buyer persona, channel strategy, pricing framework, and launch timeline in collaboration with the EVP and executive team.
• Build the cold form buyer ecosystem from the ground up - identifying and developing relationships with architects, modular builders, developers, general contractors, and other buyers whose project profiles align with cold form steel building solutions.
• Conduct market research and competitive analysis to understand the cold form steel building landscape - sizing the opportunity, mapping competitors, identifying whitespace, and positioning Sunward’s offering compellingly.
• Partner closely with engineering and manufacturing on product specifications, capabilities, limitations, and differentiation - becoming the internal and external expert on Sunward’s cold form product.
• Develop the sales materials, pitch decks, case study frameworks, and channel enablement content needed to take the cold form product to market effectively.
• Establish the early commercial pipeline for cold form - generating interest, qualifying prospects, and converting early adopters who will serve as proof-of-concept and reference accounts.
• Build toward a mid-2027 commercial launch readiness milestone - working backward from that date to ensure market, channel, and internal infrastructure are in place.

Third-Party Manufacturer & Vendor Network Development

• Leverage existing industry relationships to identify, evaluate, and onboard third-party manufacturers, fabricators, and component vendors who can produce for Sunward - expanding operational capacity without expanding fixed overhead.
• Build and maintain a qualified 3P manufacturer and vendor roster - establishing quality standards, delivery expectations, and commercial terms that allow Sunward to scale production capacity in response to demand without being constrained by its own manufacturing footprint.
• Negotiate commercial agreements with 3P manufacturers and vendors - including pricing, lead times, quality specifications, and performance terms - that protect Sunward’s margin, delivery commitments, and brand standards.
• Maintain senior-level relationships with Sunward’s most strategically important 3P manufacturing and vendor partners - ensuring those relationships are built on personal credibility and trust, not just contracts.
• Coordinate with the Business Manager and operations teams to ensure 3P vendor onboarding, procurement workflows, and performance monitoring align with Sunward’s internal systems and standards.
• Bring an existing network of manufacturer and vendor relationships in the PEMB, structural steel, metal building, or adjacent construction products industry - accelerating Sunward’s ability to onboard qualified 3P capacity quickly.

Strategy, Reporting & Market Intelligence

• Develop and maintain a clear picture of Sunward’s total business development opportunity - partner pipeline, cold form pipeline, and market intelligence - presented to the EVP and executive team on a regular cadence.
• Track and report on BD KPIs including pipeline value, partnership conversion rates, new partner revenue, cold form prospect activity, and market penetration metrics.
• Monitor industry trends, competitive dynamics, regulatory developments, and technology shifts in both the PEMB and cold form steel building markets - surfacing relevant intelligence to the executive team.
• Contribute to annual strategic planning, revenue forecasting, and resource allocation discussions as a senior member of the commercial leadership team.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with the EVP on strategic priorities, resource needs, and organizational decisions that affect the business development function.
• Work closely with the VP of Sales to ensure alignment between inbound sales motion and outbound business development - particularly on partner-sourced deals, channel conflicts, and market coverage strategy.
• Coordinate with engineering, manufacturing, and operations on cold form product readiness, capacity planning, and customer commitments.
• Partner with the VP of People Operations on hiring plans for the BD function as it scales.

Other duties may be assigned as business priorities evolve.