Senior Manager, Venture Community (13-Month Term)

SENIOR MANAGER, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (13 Month Term)
INVEST OTTAWA – VENTURE SERVICES

Reporting to the Director, Venture Services, the Senior Manager, Community Engagement leads Invest Ottawa’s startup and entrepreneurial community strategy and delivery. This role owns the full lifecycle of Studio7, Invest Ottawa’s premier co-working and collaboration space, oversees mentorship and startup benefits programs, leads flagship ecosystem events, and owns the Venture Resource Centre digital platform.

• Corporate Pay Band E: $91,200-$136,800
• Hiring Salary Range: $91,200-$114,000
• Reason for opening: Maternity Leave 13 Month Term
• This position will be required to work onsite at Bayview Yards, minimum 10 days a month.
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WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

Collaboration & Partnerships

• Lead cross-organizational collaboration with Marketing, Bayview Operations, Finance, Venture Development, Capital, Facilities, and Executive Leadership to deliver community programs, events, and initiatives.
• Serve as the central coordinator across teams that do not report to you, aligning timelines, resolving risks, and keeping projects on schedule and within budget.
• Negotiate and manage partner, vendor, and sponsor relationships, including the annual SaaS North partnership agreement.
• Manage community communication channels, such as newsletters and Slack workspaces.
• Integrate community engagement into IO Ignition, IO Flex, IO Accelerator, and IO ScaleUp programs.

Event Leadership & Portfolio Governance

• Lead strategy, budgeting, planning, execution, and post-event evaluation for AccelerateOTT, SaaS North (including the Invest Ottawa pavilion and official after-party), and International Women’s Month (F-Factor).
• Oversee annual event budgets, including sponsorship, procurement, vendors, speakers, exhibitors, and risk.
• Govern Venture’s events portfolio of approximately 30 to 35 events per quarter: maintain the events calendar, facilitate monthly manager reviews, and assess new proposals against founder needs, strategic priorities, capacity, and duplication.
• Maintain a consolidated master event plan, budget, and schedule, and standardize planning, communications, CRM reporting, and measurement.

Studio7, Platforms & Founder Experience

• Own Studio7 member acquisition, onboarding, retention, waitlist and occupancy, financial and contract administration, programming, and daily operations.
• Own the Venture Resource Centre platform, including product strategy and roadmap, governance and content standards, vendor management, configuration, user engagement, and performance reporting.
• Oversee Startup Perks and the Mentorship Program to maximize startup access to resources and advice.
• Measure and analyze engagement, participation, and NPS to guide continuous improvement.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build and maintain a diverse team, recognizing and leveraging each member’s strengths.
• Foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, and provide the supports each team member needs to succeed.
• Lead and coach the Community Engagement team, manage performance, provide regular feedback, and support development.

WHAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED/ GAINED THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 7+ years of experience in community engagement, event management, or program coordination, preferably in a startup, innovation, or non-profit environment.
• Experience leading large-scale events and managing budgets of $100,000 or more, including sponsorship and vendor agreements.
• Experience managing teams, client-facing programs, and digital platforms or products.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to lead initiatives across teams without direct reporting authority.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, and relationship-building across sponsors, vendors, partners, and government stakeholders.
• Experience negotiating vendor, partnership, and sponsorship agreements.
• Proficiency with community engagement tools (e.g., Slack, Mailchimp, Eventbrite) and CRM reporting.
• Analytical skills to interpret engagement, financial, and event performance data.
• A creative mindset and a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Do you have some of these skills but maybe not all? We still encourage you to apply as we would love to review your unique application and learn more about you!

At Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards, we know that diversity, inclusion and a sense of belongingness are critical success factors for globally competitive organizations and are required to drive sustainable wealth creation and prosperity across our region. We prioritize the creation of an inclusive culture and infuse diversity into our programs, operations and governance. As an equal opportunity employer that doesn’t simply accept difference but celebrates, supports and thrives because of it, we invite all qualified candidates to apply, and especially encourage those who identify as members of underrepresented groups. Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards are determined to provide a barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you require accommodation during any phase of the evaluation process, please contact hr@investottawa.ca to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

At Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards, we are focused on doing better and committed to leading by example because it’s what’s best for us, our culture and our community.

We may use an AI-enabled assistant to take notes during our recruitment process to help our team stay present and engaged during interviews. The tool does not screen, assess, or select applicants, and all hiring decisions are made by people. We welcome inquiries about AI use and/or requests for accommodations at any stage of the hiring process. Personal information (including recordings, transcripts, and summaries) is safeguarded in line with our privacy policy and applicable Ontario privacy legislation.