Associate, Learning Solutions

MaRS Discovery District•Toronto, ON

4d•CA$55,000 - CA$62,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a permanent, full-time position. The Associate, Learning Solutions provides support in the creation and implementation of a portfolio of high-impact services to startup ventures across the MaRS network by working closely with the Senior Manager, Learning Solutions. This is a hands-on role focused on designing, managing, and delivering high-impact programming and partnership experiences that empower founders and strengthen the startup community whilst balancing the administrative load that makes everything on the team work. A successful candidate will be able to take a customer-centric approach to product development by heavily involving ventures and subject matter experts in the product design process, incorporating their learnings early on and constantly iterating based on feedback in order to develop impactful products. This role will include working with a variety of local and national stakeholders and partners, including a group of experienced entrepreneurs who facilitate programs and advise startups; CRM database management; community and program participant engagement; supporting the Senior Manager, Learning Solutions in the creation and delivery of new products, and administrative responsibilities that help the Learning Solutions team and ventures address their challenges to grow and scale. You should be a detail-oriented, analytical, innovative, and well-organized individual who is able to quickly grasp current needs and solve problems autonomously. This person will also help improve overall team efficiency by leveraging different tools (Calendly, Intercom, Formstack, etc.) and actively implement efficient processes for the delivery of new programs in order to better serve MaRS startups and those of our partners. This role will also be conducting extensive market research, deeply understanding the latest startup problems by staying up to date on industry leaders/speakers, and best practices to inform MaRS product development, event planning, and practices.

Requirements

2+ years of work experience, client-facing experience required
Experience in managing relationships with external stakeholders/vendors
Excellent time management skills and the ability to shift priorities as needed
Service oriented, with the ability to support multiple stakeholders
A demonstrated ability to communicate with professionalism and empathy
Project management skills
Applicants must be legally eligible to work in Canada, reside in Ontario and be willing to work out of our Toronto office (101 College Street) a minimum of 3 days per week.

Nice To Haves

University or College degree in communications, marketing, education or business
Experience community management, startup events/ programming, or events management experience
Strong interest in entrepreneurship and startups
Experience working in an agile, startup, or high-growth environments

Responsibilities

Develop and lead initiatives to enhance founder experiences online and in-person, fostering a sense of belonging and creating opportunities for authentic peer-to-peer connection, such as, but not limited to, expert or partner led programming
Work with internal and external stakeholders to design and execute event strategies that resonate with founders' needs and add value to their entrepreneurial journey
Own and proactively work to fulfill contractual obligations to program funders and partners as signed and agreed upon by MaRS
Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with partners, sponsors, and other key stakeholders, ensuring all deadlines and outcomes of partnership deliveries are met while working collaboratively with other teams
Own and manage the engagement and use of Learning Solutions services across Ecosystem Partners, particularly Regional Innovation Centres
Track and report on partnership outcomes, service outcomes, learnings, and areas for growth to stakeholders
Actively gather and apply founder feedback to continuously improve the experience and address emerging needs in the startup ecosystem
Coordinate programming end-to-end and ensure initiatives are well documented, key stakeholders are informed and taking appropriate actions including logistics, speaker management, content planning, marketing and distribution, hosting events, post-event reporting, SalesForce logging, and continuous improvement
Set and track clear goals, KPIs, and budgets, ensuring all programs are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with strategic objectives
Coordinate with cross-functional teams to align event programming with broader organizational goals, founder needs, educational content, and partnership objectives
Design and implement a scalable knowledge-sharing framework to capture insights, best practices, and key learnings from programming and partnerships to amplify impact to the rest of the MaRS portfolio
Lead reporting to funders and other stakeholders, on a quarterly, monthly and annual basis, working closely with other business units to ensure a smooth and effective reporting cycle
Lead the administration of team meetings, expenses, and invoicing
Assist Senior Manager and broader Learning Solutions team with business development opportunities
Other administrative duties as assigned