Job Description

Description

The

XPRIZE Canada Hub

under the

President's Office

invites applications for an

Operations Manager

. This Full-time Fixed Term position is for approximately 3 years (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.


The XPRIZE Canada Hub, based at the University of Calgary, is a national initiative that connects innovators, partners, and communities to solve humanity's greatest challenges. As Operations Manager, you will provide the backbone for the Hub's day-to-day operations - tracking programs and milestones, executing financial workflows, managing compliance and risk processes, and driving data reporting. You'll also support contracts, intake systems, and CRM tools, ensuring smooth coordination across teams and partners. By translating strategy into execution, the Operations Manager ensures the Hub delivers on its commitments while strengthening Canada's role in global innovation. This position reports to the National Hub Director.


Learn more at: https://io.ucalgary.ca/xprizehub AND https://xprize.ca/

Summary of Key Responsibilities

(job functions include but are not limited to):

Serve as the primary operational lead for the Canada Hub, acting as the central liaison with internal university units and external partners to ensure alignment and accountability across workflows. Oversee and manage programs, milestones, and deliverables, maintaining project plans, dashboards, and reporting cycles aligned with Hub Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Manage the Hub's financial operations, including budget development support and monitoring, expense oversight, vendor contracting, and invoice approvals, ensuring compliance with university and funder requirements. Lead risk and compliance processes, including procurement alignment, FOIP/PIPEDA considerations, and ethics review triggers; advise leadership on risk mitigation. Direct KPI data collection, analysis, and reporting, preparing high-quality materials for the National Hub Director, Oversight Committee (OC), funders, and stakeholders. Oversee CRM systems, intake processes, and contracts, ensuring accurate records, smooth operations, and effective data management. Automating repetitive processes, where possible. Supervise and support Hub staff and student hires, providing guidance, coaching, and onboarding to align with Hub priorities and XPRIZE initiatives. Lead planning and execution of Hub events, workshops, and convenings, managing logistics, speaker coordination, and stakeholder engagement to deliver high-impact experiences. Cultivate regional partnerships and ecosystem engagement, coordinating outreach, donor relations, and community activities that advance the Hub's mission. Build and maintain high-trust working relationships with leadership, partners, and stakeholders by delivering consistent, reliable, and strategic operational support.

Qualifications / Requirements:

Post-secondary degree in Business Administration, International Relations, or a related field. A master's degree or equivalent senior experience in operations, management, or innovation ecosystem leadership is an asset. Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive experience in operations, project management, or program administration, with increasing responsibility for budgets, compliance, and stakeholder management. Proven track record designing, implementing, and managing operational systems, including budget frameworks, reporting cycles, CRM/data tools, and intake/contracting processes. Experience with automation, process improvement, and systems optimization, with the ability to identify inefficiencies and implement scalable solutions. Strong ability to develop KPI frameworks, dashboards, and reporting systems that provide decision-ready insights for leadership and governance. Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to translate complex operational structures into clear guidance for stakeholders. Demonstrated leadership experience, including onboarding, supervising, and coaching staff, students, or volunteers while embedding strong processes into team workflows. Skilled at balancing strategic system design with hands-on execution, able to move between building frameworks and ensuring day-to-day compliance. Knowledge of FOIP/PIPEDA, ethics review, procurement, or other compliance frameworks relevant to universities and innovation ecosystems is an asset. Familiarity with universities, startups, nonprofits, and innovation ecosystems, with experience building cross-sector processes or partnerships. Entrepreneurial, adaptable, and improvement-oriented mindset, with the capacity to contribute to both system design and operational execution in a fast-evolving environment.

Application Deadline:

October 21, 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.

About XPRIZE:

XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity's greatest challenges. For 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Learn more at xprize.org.


After 30 years of successful impact, and engaging 174 countries, for the first time XPRIZE is establishing physical hubs in strategic locations across the globe in partnership with visionary founding partners, to further strengthen and build local communities who will participate in creating innovative solutions to build a more hopeful future. The hubs are established in partnership with Public and private sector partners with a shared mission and vision of the future.


The Canada Hub acts as a national and regional focal point for XPRIZE to create awareness about XPRIZE's mission and specific global competitions, to attract and increase the number of innovators who participate in these competitions, to create an ecosystem of partners who would be instrumental in supporting the local entrepreneurs who compete in the XPRIZE competitions in launching and building successful Solutions and scaling business toward creating the intended global impact.


The Canada Hub is made possible by the generous support of XPRIZE visionary founding member, University of Calgary.


For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our

Management and Staff Careers website

.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.


The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments

(

equity@ucalgary.ca

) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (

hrhire@ucalgary.ca).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.