Job Description

Description

The

Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking

invites applications for a

Specialist, Partnerships & Engagement, Experience Ventures

. This Full-time Fixed Term position is for approximately 1 year (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.


Created with a transformational gift from the Hunter Family Foundation in 2017, the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking is UCalgary's community innovation hub that transforms lives and economies through fostering entrepreneurial thinking in students, faculty, and the community. Our mission is to create and support game-changing innovators and accelerate their ideas from conception to impact. Located in the President portfolio, the Hunter Hub contributes directly to the University of Calgary's strategic vision to be the most entrepreneurial university in Canada.


Reporting to the Senior Manager, Partnerships and Engagement at the Hunter Hub and working collaboratively across the team and with external stakeholders, the Partnerships and Engagement Specialist is responsible for supporting 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.


Success in this role will be supporting partnerships and programs, 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.


The Specialist, Partnerships and Engagement enables connections between faculty, students, staff, and community partners to enrich and expand programs offered by the Hunter Hub.


The incumbent will manage a high volume and variety of work, with significant impact. This role requires a proactive approach in a complex environment and requires considerable sensitivity towards numerous stakeholders. This position is required to maintain complete confidentiality regarding all business matters and to exercise a high degree of professionalism in the execution of its duties.


This position will be a in a fast-moving, innovative environment with a high volume of visible, complex work. There will be competing demands based on multiple deadlines and the incumbent must communicate regularly with many stakeholders with a high degree of professionalism and judgement.

Summary of Key Responsibilities

(job functions include but are not limited to):

Enable positive working relationships with faculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders including but not limited to government partners, post-secondary institutions, and ventures Identify and support 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 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 Assist with identifying new opportunities, partnerships, and subject matter experts to improve or expand the reach, quality, and impact of programming and events at the Hunter Hub Under the leadership of the Sr. Manager, Partnerships and Engagement, support strategic planning for regular programming (e.g., Experience Ventures Solutions Lab, Experience Ventures Hackathon) and other community initiatives to advance the Experience Ventures network and other key priorities Support follow-up activities and draft professional correspondence and action plans that arise from meetings and engagements Under the leadership of the Sr. Manager, Partnerships and Engagement, develop, enhance, implement, evaluate, and report on programs, campaigns, and events related to entrepreneurial thinking, and innovation to enhance the impact, reach, and reputation of the University of Calgary Coordinate with presenters, speakers, facilitators, mentors, suppliers, vendors, and contract staff as needed Provide support for the Hunter Hub team's partnership contracts and vendor procurement process for programming; identify and qualify vendors, create contracts for procurement, and ensure smooth delivery of all agreed deliverables and activities Assist with collecting metrics and content for reporting to government funders and other stakeholders, as required; actively develop knowledge and records of our internal and external stakeholders to enable high-quality deliverables and broad reach to all stakeholders where necessary

Qualifications / Requirements:

University degree in a related field (preferably business, entrepreneurship and/or education). A Master's degree is an asset 2 - 5 years experience running entrepreneurial activities, work integrated learning programs or initiatives, preferably in an academic environment with a diverse cohort of inexperienced and/or new innovators Demonstrated expertise in entrepreneurial thinking, partnership building, and program coordination Experience with cross-faculty education, initiatives, entrepreneurship and the development of the innovation ecosystem at the University of Calgary is an advantage Superior organizational skills required. Demonstrated project planning skills and experience successfully running impactful, high quality, multi-stakeholder events and initiatives The incumbent will have an in-depth knowledge of local innovation ecosystems; demonstrated experience in developing collaborative relationships with both internal and external stakeholders Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written) with strong attention to detail are required 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 asset Demonstrated ability to work both independently and in a team environment that is complex and fast-moving Sound judgement, problem-solving and negotiation skills required 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 High degree of innovativeness and creativity while still being a team player Experience in an entrepreneurial environment is an asset Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Office are required. Experience with University core business systems (Peoplesoft, eFIN, enterprise reporting, etc.) an asset Knowledge and understanding of University plans and policies, as well as structure, governance, and decision-making processes is an asset

Application Deadline:

August 1, 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 part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the

Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase 2.


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.