External Relations Strategic Initiatives Lead

University of Toronto; Toronto; On-site; CAD 95,000 - 123,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Toronto seeks an External Relations Strategic Initiatives Lead to coordinate shared accountabilities among co-op programs across its three campuses. The role entails strategic planning, relationship management with employers, and enhancing student co-op opportunities, requiring experience in external relations and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum six to seven years of experience in external relations.
• Experience in managing employer partnerships.
• Experience working in a Co-operative Education department preferred.

Responsibilities

• Plan and oversee implementation of strategic plans.
• Develop partnerships with co-op employer partners.
• Analyze performance of programs and recommend improvements.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree in business administration, humanities, social sciences, or education

Tools

CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce)

Job description

Date Posted: 06/23/2025
Req ID: 43763
Faculty/Division: U of T Co-op
Department: U of T Co-op
Campus:University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC)
Position Number: 00054337

Description:

About us:

The University of Toronto, Canada’s top-ranked university, is a place of energy, enthusiasm, and passion. Our commitment to inclusive excellence attracts the brightest learners, scholars, and employees from around the globe. Our success has been made possible by the opportunity given to us by our Indigenous hosts to operate on their territory, and we cherish our continuing partnerships with these communities.

This search aligns with the University’s commitment to strategically and proactively promote diversity among our community members (Statement on Equity, Diversity & Excellence). Recognizing that Black, Indigenous, and other Racialized communities have experienced inequities that have developed historically and are ongoing, we strongly welcome and encourage candidates from those communities to apply.

The University of Toronto has committed to an expansion of experiential learning opportunities for students, to enhance both the student learning experience and the University’s ability to support broader community and societal needs. Each of U of T’s three campuses are directing significant resources and energy into expanding experiential learning, particularly work-integrated learning (WIL) programming such as co-op and internships. Our goal is to ensure our graduates remain amongst the most employable in the world.

To create a seamless experience for employers, and expand the depth and breadth of work term opportunities available to co-op students at U of T, five Co-op Programs across all three campuses have formed a unique collaborative partnership called U of T Co-op. Together, they are a community of Co-op Programs all working together to facilitate co-op and internship opportunities for more than 3,500 students from over 100 academic programs annually. These programs allow students to apply their academic learning in a real-world context, build valuable professional networks and skills, and explore career options.

Our community of Co-op Programs under U of T Co-op include:
• Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering’s Professional Experience Year (PEY) Co-op at the St. George campus
• Faculty of Art & Science’s Arts & Science Internship Program (ASIP) at the St. George campus
• Arts & Science Co-op Program at the Scarborough campus
• Management Co-op at the Scarborough campus
• UTM Coop Internship Program at the Mississauga campus.


Your opportunity:

With U of T Co-op being an innovative tri-campus initiative, you will have a unique and exciting opportunity to strategically coordinate the External Relations shared accountabilities, account and business development plans, account management and relationship building best practices, and shared goals of the U of T Co-op external relations community. If you enjoy collaborating, problem solving, change management, and implementing strategic solutions in a multi-stakeholder environment, consider this opportunity. You’ll be directly involved in forging a solid, collaborative, and sustainable partnership that ensures our students have access to a wide range of co-op roles in a variety of industries and our employer partners have easy access to hiring our talented U of T Co-op students.

Reporting to the Director, U of T Co-op, the External Relations Strategic Initiatives Lead will work closely with leadership from the participating Co-op Programs to coordinate the annual shared external relations strategic planning process, including facilitating the establishment of goals and targets for both account management and business development. As part of that strategic plan, the incumbent will plan and implement business development lead generation activities targeting strategic markets that positively impact co-op job opportunity growth, benefiting the wide U of T Co-op community. With a keen focus on return on investment, the incumbent will measure and monitor their coordinated external relations initiatives, report on outcomes, and adjust future initiatives accordingly as needed.

A key outcome is to create a seamless experience for our employer partners when hiring U of T Co-op students. The External Relations Strategic Initiatives Lead will seek to continuously improve account and lead management business processes and collaboration mechanisms so that the external relations community work in partnership effectively and efficiently together in our shared pursuit of optimal employer partner experience.

As U of T Co-op continues to evolve and innovate, the incumbent will be integral in establishing connections to other internal partnership development offices to support coordination of our work and common priorities. Additionally, the incumbent will establish an external relations community of practice to integrate U of T Co-op to other groups internally at U of T who also focus on partnership development for their own departments and divisions. We are stronger together as one U of T and, in collaboration with others, we strengthen our strong multi-pronged partnerships and continuously improve our service to our external community.

About the U of T Co-op Department:

The U of T Co-op department is a centralized group that equally supports all Co-op Programs included in the partnership. With a tri-campus mandate, the team travels occasionally to the three campuses (St. George, Scarborough and Mississauga), to be on site and collaborate with colleagues from our wide community. Team members are encouraged to go on campus independently to interact in person with our community members and we currently have at least one anchor day per week when the full team comes together on one of the three campuses in a scheduled manner. The department is administratively connected to the Scarborough campus. However, the team maintains its tri-campus focus and supports all co-op programs within our U of T Co-op community equally, regardless of their location, as part of our mandate. The incumbent should be comfortable working remotely and traveling to the three campuses periodically.


Your responsibilities will include:

• Planning and overseeing the implementation of strategic plans
• Analyzing and recommending improvements activities to develop strategic markets
• Analyzing statistical information to evaluate the performance of programs and/or partnerships
• Creating and maintaining prospect management system procedures and guidelines for users
• Developing components of programs and initiatives that advance strategic objectives
• Developing, revising and operationalizing business processes that support unit activities and objectives
• Drafting, reviewing and recommending future business innovations and/or process changes to senior leadership
• Fostering and maintaining positive relationships with senior management to gain approval for strategies and plans

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in business administration, humanities, social sciences, or education, or an acceptable combination of equivalent education and recent experience
• Minimum six to seven years of experience in external relations involving the management of relationships with co-op employer partners, including account management with existing employers and developing new employer partnerships.
• Experience working in a Co-operative Education department at a higher education institution
• Experience leading groups and teams, creating an engaging atmosphere that motivates the group toward accomplishing common goals
• Proven ability in creating and implementing external relations strategic plans and supporting the development of business goals and targets
• Experience in planning and executing tactical job development activities, including the incorporation of marketing lead generation tactics.
• Experience in developing and executing lead management and account management business processes
• Experience using and/or administering customer relationship management (CRM) systems such as Symplicity’s CSM or Salesforce
• Experience in market research and analysis and identification of target markets
• Proven data-driven approach to measuring tactics and initiatives, including new job development growth and job retention outcomes
• Ability to work with team members in a diplomatic manner that reconciles diverse perspectives and facilitates cooperation and consensus
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills with an ability to present and discuss complex topics in a way that establishes rapport, persuades others and gains understanding
• Strong listening skills, seeking to understand and consider all perspectives, angles and potential ripple effects when creating and implementing plans
• Strong ability to effectively balance the needs of multiple stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team and relate to and collaborate with all levels of staff
• Good judgement, tact and discretion and able to resolve issues, problems and competing goals
• Ability to prioritize work and multi-task
• Ability to make strong and confident presentations to a range of audiences
• Ability to work independently and within a team with strong organizational skills and a focused attention to detail
• Ability to maintain discretion when dealing with sensitive and/or confidential information
• Applicants are expected to show evidence of a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and the promotion of a respectful and collegial learning and working environment

Assets (Nonessential):

• PMP certification or formal Project Management training

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Communicator
• Diligent
• Goal oriented
• Organized
• Perceptive
• Team player

NOTE :

• A full job description is available upon request from the UTSC HR Office.
• This role is currently eligible for a hybrid work arrangement, pursuant to University policies and guidelines, including but not limited to the University of Toronto's Alternative Work Arrangements Guideline.

Closing Date: 07/03/2025, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: USW
Appointment Type: Budget - Continuing
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone:
USW Pay Band 15 -- $95,627. with an annual step progression to a maximum of $122,290. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol.
Job Category: Administrative / Managerial
Lived Experience Statement
Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.