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.
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 (job functions include but are not limited to):
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 our
Management and Staff Careers website .
