Description AVP Strategy Enterprise Commercial is currently seeking a Full-time Regular
Senior Commercial Business Opportunity Manager and Development Lead.
The Senior Business Opportunity Manager and Development Lead is the University's senior opportunity and business development lead for its most complex and consequential strategic and commercial opportunities. Operating with significant autonomy on behalf of the Associate Vice-President, Commercial and Enterprise Strategy, the Vice-President (Finance and Services) and other executive sponsors, the role shapes, negotiates and advances opportunities that materially affect institutional value, financial sustainability, strategic assets, partnerships and reputation. The position is highly visible, requires strategic decision-making, problem-solving, and relationship-building at all levels of the University. The incumbent must manage complex projects with significant organizational impacts, navigate sensitive stakeholder relationships, and demonstrate sound judgment under pressure.
The role is accountable for assigned opportunities and their value from initial identification and framing through approval, negotiation, implementation and transition to the business/customer owner. It establishes the, decision rights, assurance and executive visibility required to keep each selected project, transaction, partnership or operating solution aligned with the underlying business need, approved outcomes and University governance requirements.
As an experienced business line leader, the Senior Business Opportunity Manager and Development Lead mobilizes multidisciplinary teams through influence, stewards the quality and traceability of major opportunity decisions and provides enterprise oversight for assigned subsidiaries and related entities. The role ensures decision-makers receive timely, evidence-based options, trade-offs and a clear recommendation to proceed, modify, hold or stop.
This position reports to the Associate Vice-President, Commercial and Enterprise Strategy.
Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):
Enterprise Opportunity Leadership and Value Stewardship
- Own the purpose, scope, business case and value of assigned opportunities from identification through approval, implementation, transition and value realization; these could include new revenue opportunities, infrastructure projects, land development, public-private partnerships with UCalgary.
- Lead the Initiation phase by establishing disciplined intake; confirming the business/customer owner, must-wins and executive sponsor; defining the need, strategic alignment, outcomes and value; and setting the work, performance criteria and decisions for subsequent phases.
- Provide expert guidance to teams and stakeholders in ensuring the effective integration of sound commercial, financial and project management principles in the planning, execution, completion, and sustainment of various strategic ventures and initiatives across the University.
- Maintain the opportunity mandate and integrated business case through each stage, including scope, assumptions, economics, risks, resources, governance pathway and decisions.
- Maintain traceability of material decisions, assumptions, conditions and accountabilities through implementation.
- Receives and operationalizes the opportunity mandate.
- Clarifies the business need, strategic rationale, and value proposition.
- Establishes the governance and decision-making framework.
- Develops the opportunity strategy, business case, and implementation pathway.
- Leads opportunity assessment and recommendation development for executive decision-making.
Enterprise Mobilization and Delivery Integration
- Mobilize multidisciplinary teams and integrate commercial, financial, legal, technical, operational and stakeholder inputs.
- Partner with the business/customer owner to refine requirements and acceptance criteria and confirm ownership of operating performance and benefits after handover.
- When a Project Manager or functional lead is appointed, retain accountability for opportunity purpose, value and business case while the delivery lead owns scope, cost, schedule and technical execution.
- Transition the solution to the business/customer owner with agreed acceptance criteria, performance expectations, residual risks and benefit measures.
Major Deal Origination, Structuring and Negotiation
- The Senior Manager acts as the University's lead negotiator and transaction lead.
- Design negotiation strategies, commercial structures, partnership models, term sheets, risk allocations and approval pathways within University governance.
- Lead valuation, due diligence and definitive agreements through closing while protecting the approved value case.
- Leads negotiations on behalf of the University.
- Structures commercial arrangements, partnerships, and transactions.
- Coordinates due diligence and stakeholder alignment.
- Develops term sheets, agreements, and approval materials.
- Protects approved value, commercial objectives, and risk positions throughout negotiations.
Subsidiary and Portfolio Performance
- Support the University in exercising its shareholder, member or sponsor responsibilities, including annual planning, support for University-appointed directors and oversight of key issues.
- Monitor strategy, delivery, financial sustainability, capital requirements, material risks and major transactions, along with resolution of day to day issues and needs.
- Coordinates transition to operational ownership and tracks realization of intended benefits.
- Lead strategic opportunities, reviews and structural changes involving subsidiaries, controlled entities and joint ventures.
- Maintain an enterprise view of interactions with assigned entities to support alignment, coordinated delivery and timely escalation across the University.
Executive Advice and Decision Support
- Serve as a trusted commercial advisor to the Associate Vice-President, Commercial and Enterprise Strategy, the Vice-President (Finance and Services), executive sponsors and governance bodies.
- Prepare concise, decision-ready materials for executives, the Board and its committees on assigned opportunities and other complex or sensitive matters.
Qualifications / Requirements:- Undergraduate degree in business, law, finance, economics or a related discipline; an MBA or similar graduate degree is preferential.
- Minimum 15 years of progressive experience leading complex transactions, partnerships or major corporate or enterprise opportunities. Proven experience as strategist and negotiator on high-value, multi-party and high-risk deals through closing and implementation.
- Has lead teams and owned a P&L of a business line or unit. Expert commercial, business, and financial acumen, including business cases, valuation, scenario analysis, transaction structuring, agreement operationalization, compliance and risk allocation.
- Demonstrated credibility with executives and boards and ability to lead senior multidisciplinary teams through influence.
- Experience with subsidiary performance management & oversight, joint venture management, or managing infrastructure partnerships is highly desirable.
LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES
- Enterprise judgement: balances immediate opportunity objectives with strategy, precedent, reputation, stakeholder needs and long-term value.
- Commercial courage: challenges assumptions, negotiates firmly and recommends stopping when the value case no longer holds.
- Business Line Ownership: Takes ownership as the business, leading direct and indirect stakeholders towards a desired business result, balancing outcomes with approach.
- Leadership through influence: communicates with authority, discretion and clarity to create alignment and sustained accountability across organizational boundaries.
- Decision discipline: frames the decision required, tests evidence and trade-offs and delivers clear, timely recommendations in high-stakes settings.
- Integrative leadership: brings commercial, financial, legal, technical and operational perspectives into a coherent path forward.
- Stakeholder stewardship: builds trust, navigates competing interests and protects durable institutional relationships.
- Navigating ambiguity and conflict: creates clarity amid incomplete information, conflicting direction and competing stakeholder views and needs.
- Execution focus: converts ambiguity into action, maintains momentum and follows decisions through to measurable outcomes.
Application Deadline: November 26, 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
Professional Career Band, Level 5 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 .
