Associate, Partner Development & Management

ventureLAB INNOVATION CENTRE

o/a ventureLAB

Associate, Partner Development & Management — Job ID 202351

Position Profile

About ventureLAB

ventureLAB is a not-for-profit leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software companies in Canada. Our organization is led by seasoned entrepreneurs and business leaders with decades of industry experience in building IP-rich start-ups, scale-ups, and global multinationals to help businesses scale. Located at the heart of Ontario’s innovation corridor in York Region, ventureLAB is part of one of the biggest and most diverse tech communities in Canada. Since 2011, ventureLAB has enabled over 3,500 tech ventures to create over 5,000 jobs and raise more than $340 million in investment capital through our initiatives focused on raising capital, talent retention, technology and IP commercialization, and customer acquisition. Together with our community of entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and partners, we enable technology startups to accelerate the commercialization of transformational products on a global scale. ventureLAB is home to the Hardware Catalyst Initiative — Canada’s only lab and incubator for hardware and semiconductor-focused companies. At ventureLAB, we grow globally competitive tech titans that build-to-scale in Canada — for global markets.

Powering hardtech founders to build and scale globally competitive ventures that advance Canada’s knowledge-based economy.

Born Global. Built to Scale. Inclusive by Design. Inspire a new generation of global founders who choose Canada to scale IP-rich tech titans creating innovative hardware and scale-ready enterprise software solutions that transform communities and establish a blueprint for a more sustainable, inclusive tech ecosystem.

• Relentless: We are tenacious and resilient. We follow through and remove roadblocks so together we succeed and go further.
• Inclusive: We are empathetic, open-minded and collaborate respectfully so that we build trust with each other and value diverse opinions, ideas and perspectives to learn and make better decisions.
• Visionary: We inspire bold futures with our founders, team, partners and community by challenging each other respectfully and thinking differently.
• Innovative: We celebrate ingenuity and empower the team to create new ideas, processes and strategies. We are curious and resourceful by asking questions for clarity.
• Results: We are proactive and plan. We are accountable and focused. We are direct and transparent through fact-based discussions.

ventureLAB is made up of passionate, driven individuals, and is growing quickly. It is a fast-paced, flexible environment where individual contributors make a big difference and work collaboratively to achieve shared goals. We are proud to be one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures and a Great Place to Work®.

General Responsibilities

Reporting to the Business Development Manager and Supporting the Partnership function under the Growth Team, the Associate, Partner Development & Management, will manage and oversee the relationships with private sector corporations at ventureLAB and be involved in the Start-Up Visa (SUV) program by building and managing the referral partner network. The role works closely with the Business Development team to bring new private sector partners and manage partner accounts by liaison between external partners/stakeholders, ventureLAB startup founders, and ventureLAB internal departments.

Partner Management (50%)

• Cultivate relationships with existing and prospective partners, including at the senior level, and understand their unique offering, business strategy, and go-to-market focus. You'll become their trusted advisor and advocate for ventureLAB founders according to their needs and pain points.
• Coordinate partner onboarding, enablement, and support by collaborating with Marketing, Program, and Events, ensuring deliverables are planned, executed, tracked, and reported.
• Support Business Development to negotiate partnership renewals and draft legal contracts.

Partnership Development (25%)

• Support Business Development to hunt, qualify, and onboard new private sector partners with offerings that could benefit ventureLAB start-up founders.
• Prospect, develop and maintain a pipeline for the Start-Up Visa referral partnerships.
• Research “Blue Ocean” partnership opportunities that ventureLAB has not contested and implement vertical-focused development plans, value propositions, and "go to market" initiatives

Data Tracking & Reporting (15%)

• Ensure all private sector partnership data are updated, tracked, and documented in the CRM and partnership tracking sheets.
• Track referrals and introductions between ventureLAB partners and startup founders made by ventureLAB and generate data reports for partner metrics reporting.

Sales Enablement (10%)

• Design and collaborate with Business Development, Partnerships, Product Management, and Marketing to develop sales collateral materials and enablement resources
• Support in creating and re-designing business development products/services by actively capturing feedback from existing/potential partners, startup founders, and stakeholders in the startup ecosystem.

Essential Skills and Qualifications

• Post Secondary Degree in business administration, or a related-field
• Minimum 3 years experience and proven skills in account management, partner development, and partnerships experience
• Demonstrates great interpersonal skills along with excellent verbal and communication skills and presentation skills
• Strong relationship building skills with an ability to impact and influence at all levels
• Strong data tracking, analytical, and reporting skills to manage partners data
• Excellent time-management and organizational skills
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and G-Suite
• A self-starter that can work under minimal supervision
• Strong entrepreneurial mindset and a great team player
• Experience working with Salesforce is an asset
• Experience working with start-ups is an asset

How to Apply

Apply by Friday, March 15th to quoting “Associate, Partner Development & Management — Job ID 202351” in the subject line. Include your resume and a brief note telling us why you’d be a great addition to the ventureLAB team. Early submissions are encouraged as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

In addition to salary, ventureLAB offers a comprehensive benefits package, learning and development opportunities and 4 weeks vacation.

At ventureLAB, we value diversity, inclusion, and respect. Diverse experience, perspectives, and backgrounds bring great ideas and create stronger teams — we embrace it, because we know that by including everyone, we all thrive. Accommodations are available on request for candidates with disabilities taking part in the recruitment process.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only qualified candidates will be contacted.

Response to COVID-19

Effective December 1, 2021, all newly hired employees will be required to provide proof of full vaccination (first and second dose) against COVID-19 of a vaccine currently approved by Health Canada or provide documentation to support an exemption based on grounds covered by the Ontario Human Rights Act (i.e. medical exemption).

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Dental care
• Flexible schedule
• Paid time off

Flexible Language Requirement:

• French not required

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree (preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Markham, ON L3R 9Z7 (preferred)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Markham, ON L3R 9Z7

Application deadline: 2024-03-15