Senior Manager, Partnerships and Engagement, Experience Ventures

at  The University of Calgary

Description
The Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking under the Office of the President invites applications for a Senior Manager, Partnerships and Engagement, Experience Ventures. This Full-time Fixed Term position is for approximately 2 years (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.
Reporting to the Sr. Director, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives at the Hunter Hub and working collaboratively across the team and with external stakeholders, the Sr. Manager, Partnerships and Engagement is responsible for building and managing partnerships and projects to drive forward the objectives of the Experience Ventures program. Experience Ventures, powered by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, enables post-secondary students to foster entrepreneurial thinking skills while learning and working alongside real world innovators. The program is delivered in partnership with post-secondary institutions nationwide.
The Sr. Manager has experience with, and an advanced understanding of program management, entrepreneurial thinking and demonstrated experience in productively engaging diverse stakeholders, and building lasting partnerships.
Success in this role will be establishing and managing partnerships, with a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to student groups, post-secondary institutions, innovation community members, and the government, that improve the quality and quantity of programs that foster entrepreneurial thinking and are made available by the Hunter Hub. The Sr. Manager, Partnerships and Engagement will be expected to build, coordinate, and deliver partnerships and strategic initiatives including large-scale pan-university initiatives that enable the Hunter Hub to achieve our strategy of reaching a large number of students, faculty, and the community across all disciplines with impactful programming supported by superior project management and backend capabilities.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

• Provide quality leadership by developing, maintaining, and modeling positive working relationships with faculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders including but not limited to government partners, post-secondary institutions, and ventures
• Demonstrate leadership by developing and securing new sources of funding to support the activities of the the Hunter Hub, including securing in-kind contributions for strategic initiatives
• Manage a small team of specialists and managers with responsibilities such as hiring, delegation of work, performance management, and disciplinary action up to and including termination; ensure staff work effectively as a team and deliver a high quality of work; develop and support strategies to promote staff engagement, problem solving, and following through as appropriate to ensure positive outcomes for all stakeholders
• Facilitate cross-functional working relationships to support the Hunter Hub’s programming priorities and mandate
• Identify opportunities to build strong relationships with internal and external networks; communicate professionally with partners, faculty, staff, administrators across the academic community, and students; respond to requests for information (and take necessary and appropriate action including triaging to appropriate team members)
• Drive the community engagement efforts for the Hunter Hub through front line engagement with students, faculty, staff, University leadership, and community stakeholders in a personable and professional manner
• Under the leadership of the Sr, Director, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, support strategic planning for regular programming (e.g., Hunter Hub Solutions Lab, Experience Ventures National Hackathon) and other community initiatives (e.g., Entrepreneurial Thinking Week, Tech Fest) to advance the Experience Ventures network and other key priorities
• Regularly communicate with senior leaders across partner organizations, providing advice and expertise where appropriate
• Responsible for stakeholder/partner communications, identification, and relationship management to advance the Hunter Hub’s strategic objectives
• Identify, secure, and leverage new opportunities, partnerships, and subject matter experts to improve or expand the reach, quality, and impact of programming and events at the Hunter Hub
• Oversee strategic program delivery supported by a small team; responsible for selecting, hiring, and managing presenters, speakers, facilitators, mentors, suppliers, vendors, and contract staff as needed
• Develop budgets for strategic initiatives and projects in consultation with the Sr. Director, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives and finance team.\

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s degree in a related field (preferably business, education or management)
• Minimum of seven years of direct experience, preferably in a post-secondary educational setting; partnership management, community relations, and/or project planning experience
• At least three years of management experience required, preferably in a unionized environment
• Strong strategic leadership skills and the ability to manage the development and planning of complicated strategic relationships, programs, campaigns, and events/conferences
• Exceptional communication skills; demonstrated experience in developing collaborative relationships with both internal and external stakeholders; experience with cross-faculty initiatives and/or partnerships in an academic environment is an advantage
• Proactive and energetic self-starter and problem-solver dedicated to superior programming, client service, and operations
• Able to successfully manage multiple competing priorities with minimal supervision and direction and deliver high quality results on time; strives to exceed the needs of all stakeholders and partners
• High degree of innovativeness and creativity while still being a team player; experience in an entrepreneurial environment is an asset
• Demonstrated experience managing program/event budgets and ensuring fiscal responsibility
• Demonstrated experience in management of cross-functional teams and direct reports; understanding of issues in human resource management and supervisory experience is required
• Knowledge and understanding of University plans and policies, as well as structure, governance, and decision-making processes is an asset; understanding of human resource management and supervisory experience is required
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Office are required; experience with University core business systems (Peoplesoft, eFIN, enterprise reporting, etc.) an asset
  Application Deadline: February 12, 2025
  We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.
  This position is classified in the Management Career Band, Level 2 of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework.
  For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

• Provide quality leadership by developing, maintaining, and modeling positive working relationships with faculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders including but not limited to government partners, post-secondary institutions, and ventures
• Demonstrate leadership by developing and securing new sources of funding to support the activities of the the Hunter Hub, including securing in-kind contributions for strategic initiatives
• Manage a small team of specialists and managers with responsibilities such as hiring, delegation of work, performance management, and disciplinary action up to and including termination; ensure staff work effectively as a team and deliver a high quality of work; develop and support strategies to promote staff engagement, problem solving, and following through as appropriate to ensure positive outcomes for all stakeholders
• Facilitate cross-functional working relationships to support the Hunter Hub’s programming priorities and mandate
• Identify opportunities to build strong relationships with internal and external networks; communicate professionally with partners, faculty, staff, administrators across the academic community, and students; respond to requests for information (and take necessary and appropriate action including triaging to appropriate team members)
• Drive the community engagement efforts for the Hunter Hub through front line engagement with students, faculty, staff, University leadership, and community stakeholders in a personable and professional manner
• Under the leadership of the Sr, Director, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, support strategic planning for regular programming (e.g., Hunter Hub Solutions Lab, Experience Ventures National Hackathon) and other community initiatives (e.g., Entrepreneurial Thinking Week, Tech Fest) to advance the Experience Ventures network and other key priorities
• Regularly communicate with senior leaders across partner organizations, providing advice and expertise where appropriate
• Responsible for stakeholder/partner communications, identification, and relationship management to advance the Hunter Hub’s strategic objectives
• Identify, secure, and leverage new opportunities, partnerships, and subject matter experts to improve or expand the reach, quality, and impact of programming and events at the Hunter Hub
• Oversee strategic program delivery supported by a small team; responsible for selecting, hiring, and managing presenters, speakers, facilitators, mentors, suppliers, vendors, and contract staff as needed
• Develop budgets for strategic initiatives and projects in consultation with the Sr. Director, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives and finance team.