Chief Operating Officer Security Industry Association SIA

The security industry is an expanding and essential sector of the U.S. economy, with a total economic impact of $431 billion and supporting over 2 million jobs nationwide. The Security Industry Association (SIA) is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with more than 1600 member companies dedicated to keeping people and critical infrastructure safe—including schools, government facilities, residential communities, ports, public transit systems, commercial enterprises, and places of worship.

With increasing membership, a robust event portfolio, and new opportunities to help member companies learn, innovate, and do business together, SIA is entering its next phase of industry impact.

SIA is financially strong ($9.5 operating budget and $12M in reserves) with an innovative growth strategy. As Chief Operating Officer, you will drive that growth by ensuring staff have clear priorities, coordinated workflows, and shared systems that enable consistent planning, communication, and decision-making. Your work will enable SIA to scale programs that deliver value for members, identify and quickly act on new opportunities, and phase out initiatives that no longer produce results.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as second in command, you will oversee Learning & Development, Member Services, and Standards & Technology, leading three senior directors with a total team of approximately 9 staff. Early priorities include developing frameworks for evaluating training and certification programs, aligning strategy and execution across SIA’s owned events, standardizing project management workflows, evaluating pricing structure, and building real-time performance dashboards for leadership and the board.

You will also play a key role in systems modernization, including the selection and implementation of a new association management system (AMS) and event registration platform.

This is a high-impact role for a strategic, process-oriented leader who can bring structure to how work is planned and executed across teams, while taking a data-driven approach to evaluating programs and revenue opportunities.

How You’ll Make an Impact

Your work will bolster SIA’s ability to move strategic initiatives forward, anticipate member needs amid rapid advances in technology, and respond effectively to shifts in the security industry landscape. Key focus areas include:

• Operational Leadership. Develop an operational strategy that moves teams quickly from plan to action. Provide internal management and coordination to ensure we consistently develop goals per the strategic plan and apply a data-driven approach to measure results and improve.

• Process Optimization. Evaluate and streamline internal processes across Learning & Development, Member Services, and Standards & Technology. Develop and implement strategies to increase performance through workstream clarity, effectiveness, and efficiency.

• Team Management. Evaluate the strengths and knowledge of teams and recommend effective team structures that will enable staff to do their best work. Oversee performance management procedures that align mission and business strategy with performance. Create professional growth opportunities for staff.

• Program Evaluation. Develop a data-driven framework to evaluate the performance, relevance, and revenue potential of programs and member services. Establish criteria and reporting methods that inform decisions about whether to invest in, refine, or discontinue offerings.

Work Environment, Salary, and Benefits

• This role offers a hybrid work environment with two days each week in our Silver Spring, MD, office. Travel up to 20% is required to attend events and meetings.

• The budgeted salary range for this position is $220K - $250K with an outstanding benefits package including 20 days of annual leave plus paid company holidays; sick, bereavement, and parental leave; medical and dental insurance with an FSA option; life and short- and long-term disability coverage; a 401(k) with 6% employer contribution; cell phone and transit reimbursement, and more.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Operations

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