Partnership Development Manager
Hybrid/Kanata, ON
Essence of the Opportunity
Let us start by saying “The future in Kanata North’s technology park is bright”.
Ask anyone in Kanata North and they will tell you that the Kanata North Business Association (”KNBA”) is an incredible team of professionals that advocate for and strive to create an environment for business success for 540+ member companies and over 33,000 employees located in Kanata North, the area recognized as Canada’s largest technology park. This is the largest research and technology hub in Canada. That’s right, the largest tech hub in Canada! It’s a youthful place of brilliance, creativity, and optimism where some of the best technological minds in the country come to live, work, play, learn and innovate. It’s also a growing residential neighbourhood and recreational area.
At its core, KNBA is committed to helping Ontario’s technology sector grow and prosper through close collaboration and targeted promotion resulting in job creation and economic growth in Kanata North. KNBA focuses on initiatives that are grounded in the following three Mission Pillars:
- Sector Growth (Technology Employment)
- Infrastructure and Ecosystem Improvement
- Partnership and government support.
Hub350
By far the most ambitious initiative undertaken by KNBA to date has been Hub350. Launched in 2021, is both the virtual and physical gateway to Canada’s largest technology park. With over 40+ corporate, academic (i.e., universities and colleges), government and finance Partners working in collaboration with one another to support Kanata North companies to attract world-class investment and talent to the region.
A complete and connected living lab community, Hub350 offers a physical space and gateway to Canada’s largest technology hub where investors, talent, researchers and emerging companies can explore opportunities to live, work, play, learn and innovate in Canada's largest technology hub.
Position Description
First, let us introduce you to Julia Frame, our amazing Director of Partnerships. Our new hire will work with Julia to support all things Partnership development. They will be responsible to build our Partnership network and create an ecosystem to accelerate innovation, engagement, and growth in Canada’s largest tech park. They will support our strategy, growth and ongoing success of Partnerships to drive performance and engagement. They will also be a motivational KNBA brand champion and team player, adept at collaborative consultation, always with the community’s best interest at heart.
In addition to the duties typically associated with a Partnership Development Manager, the successful incumbent will be responsible to undertake initiatives to support the Strategic Partnership Attraction and Retention Strategy for Hub350’s Corporate, Academic, Investment, 5G, Media, and Community Pillars, and will:
- Enhance the organization’s performance by supporting the design, implementation and measurement of highly effective, results driven Partnership strategies, ensuring alignment to organizational goals;
- With the Director of Partnerships, oversee lead generation activities to ensure revenue targets are achieved;
- Draft and develop vertical specific value propositions as required;
- Support Partnership onboarding including strategic collaboration with Partners to identify common goals and opportunities for mutual success, and the development of actions to achieve these;
- Own Partnership end-to-end journey management through to long-term retention;
- Ensure ongoing communication providing regular updates to Partners to nurture positive long-lasting relationships;
- Be a change champion for continuous improvement of the sales and Partner development lifecycles from pitch to close, resulting in revenue growth and highly engaged Partners;
- Coordinate between internal teams on joint events, marketing, mentorship programs, and other initiatives to enhance Partner collaboration for mutual benefit;
- Report on pipeline and revenue growth progress, corporate engagement initiatives. Prepare quarterly reports for Board updates including forecasts, and report the results of various projects including co-created and/or co-branded content promotions, lead sharing, and/or event Partnerships. Maintain accurate records of Partner information including correspondence and interactions;
- Collaborate with senior management and marketing teammates to align internal goals with new and existing Partner relationships;
- Support marketing in preparation of market collateral (website copy, one pagers, presentations);
- Host site visits and provide tours of the Hub350 Campus to prospective Partners; and
- Support the implementation of Hub350 programming including Annual Partner Summit.
It is important to note that we are a small yet mighty team. This is a roll up your sleeves, help where you are needed without being asked to, kind of role. For example, we have many events that are all-hands-on-deck, so don’t be surprised if we ask for your help to move chairs, find a power cord, or call for food! We are looking for a new team member who will lean in to support our success when and as needed, as our team will do for you when you need it. We sometimes work late, and we sometimes pack a bag and get out of town to attend an event or conference, so the ability to work flexible and irregular hours is required.
We do respect your work/life balance (we even manage to squeeze it all into a 4-day work week in the summer months) and have a hybrid working arrangement. KNBA has adopted a “Work Where You Work Best” hybrid work model so we are open to candidates in remote locations, however we have a standing Tuesday team meeting and would really love to see you in person for 3 days of each week. We make it work so that you can live, work, play, learn and innovate at KNBA in Canada’s largest tech park.
Qualifications
While you don’t need to have all of the qualifications/skills listed to apply, we would love to hear from you if you feel you could excel at the responsibilities listed above and know in your gut that this role sounds like the right fit for you. Here are a few qualifications that will make us stop and take a closer look:
- Post-secondary education in Business or related field;
- Experience in a sales, Partnership development and/or revenue generating role, especially in the technology space;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills to represent the company’s interests both internally and externally. Ability to present in a crisp, clear and confident manner to stakeholders at all levels, with the ability to establish credibility quickly;
- Ability to strategize yet will roll up your sleeves; a strong work ethic and positive mindset;
- Ability to meet tight deadlines and handle multiple tasks;
- Strong sense of self initiative and creativity to create your own to do lists and generate results independently;
- Ability to deliver strong results, AKA gets sh$#t done;
- Incredible performance in establishing and driving KPIs, creating accountability and achieving business targets;
- At the end of the day, we are looking for someone who we can trust, a fantastic teammate and business Partner with a high degree of passion, humble, pride, professionalism, integrity, discretion and humour mixed in.
Interested?
If you wish to be considered for this position, please forward your resume, cover letter, and any other relevant material to julia@kanatanorthba.ca.
Résumé Accuracy
It is estimated that approximately one in five resumes contain material information that is untrue. Examples include the listing of degrees that have not been obtained, titles and dates of employment that are incorrect, and accomplishments that are overstated. As a result, KNBA may verify the claims made in the resumes of finalist candidates through a thorough background check. It is KNBA’s policy to discontinue the candidacy of anyone whose resume contains distortions of material information.
If you notice an error in your resume after you have forwarded it to us, please contact us immediately and send us a corrected copy.
Accommodations
Kanata North Business Association encourages diverse candidates to apply. We also strive to make your experience with us accessible, to any and all. If you require accommodation of any sort, including accessible formats, communication support or need assistance in our application process, please notify Amanda Gordon at amanda@kanatanorthba.ca for assistance.