Vice President - Business Development

Sunward Steel Buildings•Denver, CO

2d•$100,000 - $250,000•Onsite

About The Position

For over 50 years, Sunward Steel Buildings has been a family-owned, American manufacturer of custom steel buildings. We are entering a new growth phase with the expansion of our partner and channel network and the upcoming launch of a new cold form steel building product line. This role is central to this expansion. The Vice President of Business Development is a senior commercial leadership position responsible for growing Sunward’s partner division through strategic channel relationships and leading the go-to-market execution for the new cold form building product line. This is a "builder" role requiring strategy setting, pipeline building, and deal closing with significant autonomy. The company offers a strong reputation, manufacturing capability, executive commitment to growth, and the resources to support this initiative.

Requirements

Minimum 8+ years of progressive business development, strategic partnerships, or commercial leadership experience in a manufacturing, construction, building products, or related industry.
Demonstrated track record of building a partnership or channel program from an early stage.
Experience launching a new product, market, or channel, including go-to-market strategy development, buyer development, and early commercial pipeline building.
Strong commercial negotiation skills with experience structuring and closing complex partnership or channel agreements.
Ability to move fluidly between strategic planning and hands-on pipeline and relationship work.
Excellent communication and executive presence.
High degree of intellectual curiosity and self-direction.
Must be authorized to work in the United States.
Valid driver’s license required for partner visits and customer travel.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the pre-engineered metal building (PEMB), cold form steel, structural steel, modular construction, or building materials industry.
Existing relationships within the PEMB ecosystem - builders, erectors, contractors, distributors, industry associations, and third-party manufacturers or fabricators.
A personal network of third-party manufacturer and vendor contacts in the PEMB, structural steel, metal building, or adjacent construction products industry.
Experience building and leading a BD team as the function scales beyond an individual contributor model.
Background working in or with a family-owned or entrepreneurial company where speed, adaptability, and resourcefulness are competitive advantages.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience).

Responsibilities

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 to expand capacity.
Identify, pursue, and close strategic partnership agreements with builders, contractors, distributors, and industry networks.
Develop and manage the partner pipeline from prospecting through contract and ongoing relationship management.
Build the sales and distribution infrastructure for the cold form product launch.
Negotiate commercial agreements with third-party manufacturers and vendors to protect Sunward’s margin, quality, and delivery standards.
Negotiate commercial agreements that advance Sunward’s market reach and revenue.
Partner with engineering and manufacturing on product positioning, specifications, and competitive differentiation.
Develop and execute the partner and channel business development strategy.
Serve as the senior relationship manager for high-value partner accounts.
Develop and maintain relationships with PEMB industry associations, trade networks, and builder communities.
Monitor partner performance and satisfaction.
Define the target market, buyer persona, channel strategy, pricing framework, and launch timeline for the cold form product line.
Build the cold form buyer ecosystem by developing relationships with architects, modular builders, developers, and general contractors.
Conduct market research and competitive analysis for the cold form steel building market.
Develop sales materials, pitch decks, and channel enablement content for the cold form product.
Establish the early commercial pipeline for cold form, generating interest and converting early adopters.
Leverage industry relationships to identify, evaluate, and onboard third-party manufacturers and vendors.
Build and maintain a qualified third-party manufacturer and vendor roster.
Negotiate commercial agreements with third-party manufacturers and vendors, including pricing, lead times, and quality specifications.
Maintain senior-level relationships with strategically important third-party manufacturing and vendor partners.
Coordinate with internal teams to ensure third-party vendor onboarding, procurement workflows, and performance monitoring align with Sunward’s standards.
Develop and maintain a clear picture of Sunward’s total business development opportunity, including pipeline and market intelligence.
Track and report on business development KPIs.
Monitor industry trends, competitive dynamics, and regulatory developments.
Contribute to annual strategic planning, revenue forecasting, and resource allocation discussions.
Partner with the EVP on strategic priorities, resource needs, and organizational decisions.
Work closely with the VP of Sales to ensure alignment between sales and business development.
Coordinate with engineering, manufacturing, and operations on product readiness and capacity planning.
Partner with the VP of People Operations on hiring plans for the BD function.