Manager, Founder & Venture Initiatives

University of Calgary; Calgary; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Job summary

University of Calgary is seeking a Manager, Founder & Venture Initiatives to lead and scale founder support programs. You will manage staff and mentors, design programs like Innovation Sandbox and Innovation Forge, and align operations with strategic goals across campus.

The role emphasizes collaboration with internal and external partners, budget oversight, and driving impact for entrepreneurial ventures within the university ecosystem.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a relevant field is required.
• Minimum 7 years of startup/founder experience.
• Proactive self-starter able to manage multiple priorities with minimal supervision.
• Strong understanding of startup lifecycle and university context.
• Experience designing and delivering programs supporting innovation/entrepreneurship.
• Experience building networks of mentors/advisors and onboarding processes.
• Experience managing budgets or program-related funds.
• Ability to collaborate across diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of university plans/policies is an asset.
• Familiarity with HR coordination/operations is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Direct, motivate and manage staff, students and interns; oversee recruitment and annual workplans.
• Lead design and delivery of initiatives like Innovation Sandbox/Innovation Forge for founders.
• Establish onboarding processes aligned with program goals.
• Develop tools and procedures to support venture development.
• Build and manage mentors/advisors networks with onboarding and engagement.
• Track venture outcomes and reporting for funders and stakeholders.
• Conduct meetings with founders to set goals and action plans.
• Ensure feedback loops to continuously improve delivery.
• Identify gaps and design new initiatives aligned with Hunter Hub goals.
• Engage external stakeholders to benefit founders and ventures.
• Stay informed on trends in venture support and funding.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders for strategic alignment.
• Represent entrepreneurship on internal/external committees.
• Design operational systems to reduce admin burden and improve quality.
• Align with data/reporting strategies; manage funds and forecasting.
• Source and negotiate vendor services within budget.

Skills

Entrepreneurship

Program management

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Budget management

Project coordination

Communication

Strategic thinking

Facilitation

Education

Advanced degree (Masters/PhD) in a relevant field

Job description

Description

The Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking (Hunter Hub) under the Office of the President invites applications for a Manager, Founder & Venture Initiatives . This Full-time Fixed Term position is for approximately 24 months (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's Office portfolio, the Hunter Hub contributes directly to the University of Calgary's strategic vision to be the most entrepreneurial university in Canada.

Comprising a campus community of more than 38,000 students, faculty and staff, the University of Calgary has set ambitious goals for excellence in research, scholarship, teaching, innovative thought, and the student experience. The university strives for inimitable excellence through innovative teaching and learning, cutting-edge exploration, and community linkage. Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Programs and Events, the Manager, Founder & Venture Initiatives plays a pivotal role in designing, managing, and scaling initiatives that directly support founders and ventures at the Hunter Hub and the university.

This role leads the development and delivery of founder and venture support programs such as the Innovation Sandbox and Innovation Forge and ensures operational excellence across these initiatives. The manager will work closely with internal stakeholders and external actors (e.g., early-stage investors, funding agencies, foundations) when such engagement directly enhances support for founders and ventures.

The work is dynamic and complex, requiring strategic thinking, operational design, and a deep understanding of the entrepreneurial journey. The manager will lead a team of staff, interns, and coaches/mentors/advisors, and will be responsible for streamlining processes to reduce administrative burden while maximizing impact. The incumbent will have demonstrated experience in supporting academic founders and ventures, and a strong understanding of the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. This position has full management responsibility, including recruitment, hiring, annual goal setting, recognition and performance management.

The work of this position is dynamic and complex, with varying work volume, multiple priorities, and numerous, often simultaneous deadlines.This is a fixed-term position with a 35-hour work week.

Summary of Key Responsibilities

Founder & Venture Program Management

• Direct, motivate and manage activities of staff, students, and interns, including recruitment and hiring, development of annual workplans, and ongoing performance management.
• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of initiatives such as the Innovation Sandbox and Innovation Forge to support early-stage founders and ventures.
• Establish and maintain a clear, consistent process for vetting and onboarding new participants to these initiatives, ensuring alignment with program goals and venture readiness.
• Develop tools, resources, and procedures to support venture development, and ensure these are regularly updated based on feedback from participants and stakeholders.
• Build and manage a high-quality pool of mentors, advisors and partners, including processes for recruitment, vetting, onboarding, and ongoing engagement.
• Track and report on venture outcomes, metrics, and impact; contribute to internal and external reporting requirements, including funder and stakeholder updates.
• Conduct individual and small group meetings with founders to build rapport, identify barriers, and co-develop goals and action plans for entrepreneurial success.
• Ensure a feedback loop from participants is in place to achieve excellence by continuously improving initiatives delivery and support.
• Identify gaps or emerging needs in venture support and design new initiatives or programs to address them, in alignment with the Hunter Hub's strategic goals.

Strategic Engagement & Ecosystem Connectivity

• Engage with external stakeholders, such as early-stage investors, angel networks, funding agencies, and foundations, when such interactions directly benefit founders and ventures.
• Stay informed on trends in venture support, innovation funding, and startup development to inform program design and strategic direction.
• Collaborate with internal university stakeholders to ensure alignment with broader innovation and entrepreneurship goals.
• Successfully represent entrepreneurship on internal and external committees and working groups pertaining to entrepreneurship, bringing the unique perspective gained by working at the forefront of entrepreneurial engagement.

Operational Design and Optimization

• Design and implement operational systems that reduce administrative burden while enhancing the quality and consistency of venture support.
• Align operational practices with Hunter Hub's data and reporting strategies to ensure efficient tracking and evaluation.
• Manage Hunter Hub funds allocated to support founders and ventures, including budget forecasting, fund allocation, tracking, and reporting.
• Source and negotiate vendor services when appropriate to ensure quality and value for participants, while remaining within budget guidelines.

Qualifications / Requirements

• The successful candidate will have a background in entrepreneurship, research, innovation and business, supported by an advanced degree (Masters, PhD) in a relevant field.
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in working in startup environments and in working with founders.
• Proactive and energetic self-starter and problem-solver dedicated to founder and venture support; able to successfully manage multiple competing priorities with minimal supervision and deliver high-quality results; consistently strives to exceed the needs of founders, stakeholders, and partners.
• Strong understanding of the startup lifecycle, venture development, and innovation ecosystems, particularly within a university or research context.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering programs or initiatives that support innovation, entrepreneurship, or venture development.
• Proven ability to streamline operational systems and workflows to improve program delivery and reduce administrative burden.
• Experience building and managing networks of mentors and advisors, including onboarding and quality assurance processes.
• Experience managing budgets or program-related funds, including tracking, reporting, and ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across diverse teams and stakeholder groups to advance shared objectives.
• Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills with the ability to nurture positive working relationships across campus and external networks.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Knowledge of university plans, policies, structure, governance, and decision-making processes is an asset.
• Familiarity with human resource coordination, operations, and supervisory practices is beneficial.

Application Deadline

November 30, 2026

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 M1 of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view the 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 ii' taa'poh'to'p 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.

The university's commitment to the Indigenous Strategy is evident through the oversight of 18 Elders serving on the Circle of Advisors and the many unit-based circles working towards implementation of the strategy including the Faculty Advisory Circle and teams such as the Office of Indigenous Engagement, the Writing Symbols Lodge, and the Indigenous Research Support Team. Many Indigenous-based events and processes are impacting curriculum, programming and polices at the University of Calgary.

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 Office of Institutional Commitments ( [e-mail] ) and requests for accommodations can be sent to People & Culture ( [e-mail] ).

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