Position Opening

Job Title: Director of Stewardship and External Affairs

Location: Washington, D.C. area; Hybrid work environment.

Position Reports to: Executive Director (ED)

Note: The Association’s goal is to have the position filled in early 2025 so the current occupant, who is retiring in the second quarter of 2025, can work with and train her successor over a several month period.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead the work of the Gypsum Association’s (GA) External Issues Committee (EIC) whose mission is to develop and articulate the industry’s position on environmental and sustainability issues, regulatory and legislative affairs, and industry safety matters.
  • Identify communication needs and develop plans for promoting the use of gypsum panels while positioning the GA as the technical center for the specification, application and overall use of gypsum panels.
  • Provide guidance to the GA’s Building Code and Technical Committee (BCTC) as necessary in the pursuit of its mission, goals and strategies.
  • Work with the Association’s Technical Department to facilitate adaptation of technical information and content into audience relevant media and language.

Essential Duties:

  • Serves as staff liaison to the EIC, overseeing mission, goals and strategies.
  • Leads GA communications ensuring fit with the GA vision, mission and strategic priorities.
  • Leads and coordinates industry interests within the realms of government and regulatory affairs, and safety.
  • Leads and coordinates the sustainability activities of the GA, including development and maintenance of life-cycle assessment (LCA) tools and resources.
  • Actively monitors external landscape to identify issues of potential impact to the gypsum industry.
  • Leads and coordinates industry issues and crises management planning.
  • Serves as industry representative to the committees, subcommittees and task groups of allied organizations.
  • Works with staff and the Technical Department to develop web site content, tools and resources that serve the GA’s key audiences.
  • Oversees publication and distribution of media to target audiences, including Gypsumation and Items of Interest.
  • Collaborates with the Technical Department on the development and maintenance of education programs, both for continuing education credit and non-credit.
  • Manages relationships with industry trade media while pursuing earned media placements.
  • Serves as a resource to the Technical Department on matters related to document development and vendor management.
  • Works with the ED to manage branding and organization image efforts.
  • Manages testing work as required by EIC initiatives.
  • Oversees EIC and promotion budgets.
  • Implements methodologies for evaluating performance of Association promotion initiatives.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years relevant experience.
  • Preferred fields of study include Government Affairs, Marketing, Public Relations, and Communications.
  • Experience in advocacy through prior work with legislators and regulators.
  • Experience in public policy, sustainability, media relations.
  • Experience in construction, building materials and systems is preferred.
  • Familiarity with model building codes and standards setting organizations is a plus.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Excellent research, project management and organizational skills.
  • Experience working in or with trade and professional associations is a plus.
  • LEED Green Associate or other sustainable design credential is a plus.
  • Be able to meet deadlines and work well under pressure.
  • Work effectively with representatives from member companies.
  • Proficient in leading committees, subcommittees and task groups.
  • Work collaboratively within a small staff of self-motivated individuals.

Salary Range: Commensurate with experience. Position is full time.

Description of Additional Benefits:

  • 401(k) plan with employer matching
  • Medical/Dental/Vision insurance coverage
  • Life insurance
  • Long-term disability insurance
  • Paid vacation
  • Observance of U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Federal holidays schedule
  • Free parking at GA office

Other:

  • Candidates must be qualified to work in the U.S.
  • Offer of employment will be subject to a background check.
  • Travel upwards of 10-15%.

About the Gypsum Association
The Gypsum Association (GA) represents the collective interests of gypsum panel (aka drywall or gypsum board) manufacturers based in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Gypsum panels are used to cover the walls and ceilings in virtually the entirety of residential dwellings constructed in the United States and Canada. Gypsum panels are also used extensively in non-residential construction. The primary performance attribute of these products is fire resistance.

Members of the GA manufacture over 99 percent of the gypsum panels sold in the U.S. and as can best be estimated, over 95 percent of the board that is sold in Canada. Similar associations exist in Europe, Australia, and Japan. The GA liaises informally with Eurogypsum in Belgium; however, the two organizations operate independently of each other and have no formal affiliation.

The GA was established in 1930 and was incorporated in Illinois in 1960. It was headquartered in Evanston, IL, until 1988 when the operation relocated to the Washington, D.C. area. Today, the GA office is in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland.

While the Association has a relatively small number of members (8), it represents a very large industry. The most current estimate of the North American industry places its market value at upwards of USD 20 billion. It is estimated that the industry directly employees between 7,000 and 10,000 people.

Association Focus
The GA is a small-staff association that is focused on providing services to its members in the areas where it can create the greatest collective benefit. It does not have a trade show or engage in broad public relations campaigns.

Primary areas of specific focus include:

  • Serving as a leader for the gypsum industry in the twin realms of building codes and technical product standards creation and management. This role includes interfacing with relevant ancillary organizations that represent constituencies similar to those of the Gypsum Association – i.e., the wood products industry; the steel industry; contractor organizations; and technical organizations, such as the International Code Council; National Fire Protection Association; Underwriters Laboratories; and the National Research Council of Canada.
  • Standards and technical documents creation. The GA creates many technical documents on gypsum panels for the benefit of A/E/C professionals. Examples abound on www.gypsum.org.
  • Serving as the sustainability leader for the industry. The Association is quite engaged in taking a leadership role in providing sustainability services for the industry. It has developed and published Life-cycle Analysis (LCA), Product Category Rules (PCR) and industry average Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for North American gypsum panels.
  • Coordinating the regulatory focus of the industry. This generally involves working with Federal-level regulatory agencies on precise, focused issues. The Association is increasingly involved in state level regulatory matters.
  • Serving as a lobbying coordinator for the industry on an as needed basis. The Association is not an active lobbying organization, nor does it employ (or intend to employ) a registered lobbyist; however, it does serve as a lobbying coordinator for the industry on occasion. In such situations, the Association does employ the services of a lobbying firm on a short-term basis.

Staffing and Headquarters Office
Staff consists of five individuals:

  • Executive Director
  • Operations Administrator
  • Director of Codes, Standards and Research
  • Technical and Market Advisor
  • Director of Stewardship and External Affairs

Roughly 20 key-partner vendors and consultants support the GA.

Our 2,500-sf office is in downtown Silver Spring, MD, approximately three blocks from the Silver Spring Metro Station.

Association Set-Up
The Association presently has two committees: one specifically addresses building code and industry technical issues [Building Code and Technical Committee (BCTC)] and the second addresses external issues [External Issues Committee (EIC)] including sustainability, regulatory issues and governmental topics. It also has responsibility for the specific safety and promotion issues that need to be addressed by the organization.

Committees meet face-to-face twice each year in the spring and fall. These in-person member meetings span three days, each typically in March and October. Task groups meet regularly via video conferencing throughout the year.

Salary Range $120K/yr – 140K/yr

To Apply
Interested candidates should send a resume, salary requirements, and cover letter explaining why they are qualified for the role and how they will contribute to the success of the organization to smeima@gypsum.org.