Board Associate Opportunity: Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC)
One-year term, renewable · Voluntary role · Toronto / Hybrid (virtual participation welcome) · Applications due Friday, November 27, 2026
About SBC
For more than 20 years, Sustainable Buildings Canada has been a catalyst for the positive transformation to a sustainable Canadian built environment. Through programs such as Better Buildings Boot Camp, Savings by Design, Codes Acceleration Workshops and Deep Energy Retrofits, SBC brings together designers, builders, owners, researchers and policymakers to make high-performance, low-carbon buildings the norm.
The opportunity
SBC is inviting applications for our 2027 cohort of Board Associates. This is an opportunity to gain hands-on governance experience alongside an engaged board of leaders from engineering, architecture, law, real estate, academia and people leadership. You’ll lend your expertise to an organization at an important moment of renewal, with a new Executive Director and a refreshed strategy.
Several of our current directors began as Board Associates, and the program is designed as a pathway to board service. No prior board experience is needed.
We’re especially looking for people with experience in one or more of these areas:
- Fundraising, grants and foundations. You’ve led or shaped funding strategy at a foundation, government funder, corporate giving program or not-for-profit. You understand how to build relationships with Canadian funders and diversify revenue.
- Accounting and audit. You’re a CPA with experience in not-for-profit audit, controllership or financial reporting. You’re interested in supporting our Audit Committee and possibly growing into a future Treasurer role.
- Human resources. You bring experience in people and culture, such as compensation, performance management or talent. You’re interested in supporting our HR Committee.
- Equity, accessibility and reconciliation. You bring leadership in Indigenous relations, reconciliation or Indigenous-led housing, or practice in accessibility or EDI, ideally connected to the built environment. You’ll help SBC embed its READI framework (Reconciliation, Equity, Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion) across its programs and partnerships.
You don’t need a background in sustainable buildings. Our board already brings deep sector expertise, and we value fresh perspectives and lived experience.
What the role involves
- Attending the Board’s four meetings a year and the yearly Strategy Session in January
- Taking part in Board committees or other board activities if you wish, such as Audit, Governance, HR or Programs
- Contributing actively, offering input and insight from your field
- Acting in line with SBC’s Bylaws and the Board of Directors Code of Conduct, and signing the Board’s Confidentiality Agreement and Code of Conduct
The fine print
- This is a voluntary, unpaid role.
- Board Associates are invited by Board resolution for a one-year term, which may be renewed once.
- The role is non-voting and exploratory. Associates don’t take part in in-camera discussions, hold officer positions or chair committees.
- Because the role is non-voting, it is not intended to carry legal liability. Associates also do not speak on behalf of the Board or SBC.
What you’ll gain
- Practical experience of not-for-profit governance, strategy and oversight
- Connections with leaders across Canada’s sustainable building sector
- A chance to shape the work of an organization driving climate action in the built environment
- A potential pathway to a director role
How to apply
Apply online at https://form.jotform.com/263076628576065 by Friday, November 27, 2026. It takes about 15 minutes. You can also email a note and your résumé or LinkedIn profile to HR@sbcanada.org, or ask for a short conversation instead of a written application. New Board
Associates will be confirmed at our December Board meeting.
SBC is committed to a board that reflects the communities we serve. We warmly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, Black and racialized people, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, women, and others from equity-deserving groups. If you need an accommodation at any stage of the process, please let us know at HR@sbcanada.org.
