Principal Director - Building Code (USA)

Archistar • Los Angeles, CA

19h • Remote

About The Position

Archistar is redefining how cities plan, permit, and build — at a time when governments globally are under unprecedented pressure to deliver housing, infrastructure, and predictable outcomes. As an award-winning govtech company, Archistar partners closely with municipalities, counties, states, provinces, and agencies to modernize zoning, land use, and permitting systems responsibly. Our platform translates complex planning and zoning regulations into structured, digital systems, supports automated and assisted review of building designs, and delivers deep GIS and parcel-level insights — helping planners and reviewers make faster, more consistent, and more defensible decisions. To support this mission, Archistar is establishing a Centre for Technical Excellence (CTE) and is seeking a Principal Director – Building Code (USA) to serve as the senior, nationally recognized authority governing how U.S. building codes are interpreted, assured, and operationalized within digital plan review and e-permitting platforms. This is a principal-level leadership role for an exceptional building code professional who operates comfortably at the intersection of regulation, public safety, and technology. As Principal Director – Building Code (USA), you will be Archistar’s highest authority on building code interpretation and regulatory defensibility across the United States. Reporting to Executive Leadership (COO), you will set the strategic direction, governance framework, and assurance standards that underpin how building code requirements are translated into digital, rules-based environments at scale. Rather than focusing on a single jurisdiction or code cycle, this role operates nationally — shaping how state adoptions, local amendments, administrative discretion, and enforcement practices are consistently and defensibly represented across jurisdictions. Your leadership will directly enable statutory reliance on digital plan review outcomes, de-risk government adoption, and establish trust in automated and assisted compliance workflows. This role is suited to a senior building official, chief plans examiner, state-level code authority, or nationally respected code leader who values judgment over throughput, defensibility over speed, and influence over hierarchy — and who wants to modernize building regulation while preserving life safety intent, professional discretion, and due process.

Requirements

• 10+ years’ experience in building code enforcement, plan review, inspections, or regulatory compliance
• Deep, practical expertise in U.S. building codes (e.g. IBC, IRC, IECC, IFC, ADA) and permitting workflows
• Strong professional credibility with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) at local or state level
• Demonstrated sound judgment in interpreting complex, discretionary, or performance-based provisions
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level and public-sector engagement
• Experience providing governance or assurance over digital plan review, permitting, or code compliance systems
• Strong understanding of how building code requirements are represented in structured or digital rule environments
• Deep understanding of how U.S. building codes vary by state adoption cycle, local amendment, and enforcement practice
• Experience contributing to, assuring, or overseeing automated or digitally assisted compliance workflows
• Involvement in major code adoption cycles, permitting modernization, or digital transformation initiatives

Nice To Haves

• Exposure to rules engines, machine-readable code implementations, or automated plan review systems
• Experience partnering with technical teams building or maintaining compliance platforms

Responsibilities

• Serve as Archistar’s principal technical and regulatory authority on U.S. building codes, including structural, life safety, accessibility, energy, and fire-related provisions
• Set and govern the national framework for building code interpretation, assurance, and regulatory defensibility within digital plan review systems
• Own the principles, standards, and guardrails that govern how building codes are translated into structured, rules-based environments
• Act as the final authority and escalation point for complex, ambiguous, or high-risk code compliance matters
• Review and assure interpretations involving alternative methods, equivalencies, performance pathways, and discretionary determinations
• Ensure that life safety intent, professional judgment, and real-world enforcement practice are preserved within automated and assisted review workflows
• Provide senior technical leadership and assurance for complex or high-risk municipal and state implementations
• Guide jurisdiction-specific approaches to state adoptions, local amendments, and administrative discretion, ensuring differences are accurately and defensibly represented
• Establish scalable approaches for managing code variation across jurisdictions while balancing consistency with local autonomy
• Partner closely with product, engineering, and data teams to review, validate, and sign off on digital building code logic
• Participate in statutory assurance processes, audits, and go-live readiness decisions
• Represent Archistar in senior government, regulatory, and enterprise engagements, including RFPs, pilots, and statutory reliance discussions
• Engage directly with building officials, plans examiners, fire marshals, regulators, and executive public-sector stakeholders
• Develop internal building code standards, assurance frameworks, playbooks, and technical guidance
• Mentor senior technical staff and strengthen building code capability across the organization

Benefits

• Apply your building code expertise at a national, cross-jurisdictional scale
• Work with governments that value legal defensibility, due process, and professional judgment
• Be part of an award-winning planning technology company partnering with leading municipalities and agencies
• Competitive executive-level salary package, including equity participation
• Remote-first flexibility across North America, with purposeful travel
• A collaborative executive team that values rigor, autonomy, and public-sector credibility
• Mission-driven work supporting housing delivery, permitting modernization, and better planning outcomes

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 51-100 employees