Associate, Strategic Initiatives

If youre excited about building systems that empower others to lead and want to help shape Canadas next generation of entrepreneurial AI-ready talent for the future of work wed love to hear from you!

Venture for Canada is a national registered charity equipping talent across Canada with the entrepreneurial skills mindset and opportunities to succeed in a 21st-century economy increasingly shaped by rapid change and emerging technology. We believe that to be entrepreneurial is to act upon opportunities to create value for others. The resourcefulness and creativity of people across Canada are essential to addressing our countrys greatest challenges. Venture for Canada serves as a catalyst by empowering individuals to create a more prosperous inclusive and innovative society.

Since 2013 Venture for Canada has grown in meaningful ways and were excited to expand our team with values-aligned individuals who can contribute to what were building. To learn more about our hiring process and workplace philosophy visit our Careers page.

Role Overview

The Strategic Initiatives Associate is a highly cross-functional role that works closely with Venture for Canadas executive leadership to advance strategic priorities beyond day-to-day program delivery. This supporting role spans government relations strategic initiatives thought leadership and executive enablement helping strengthen Venture for Canadas partnerships influence and long-term impact.

Working across multiple priorities the Strategic Initiatives Associate cultivates relationships identifies collaboration opportunities researches emerging opportunities in entrepreneurship and workforce development. The role also contributes to policy reports strategic initiatives and government engagement while helping strengthen Venture for Canadas broader role within Canadas entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.

This role is well suited to someone who thrives in ambiguous fast-paced environments and can comfortably move between research relationship management project coordination and executive support. Success in this role comes from exercising sound judgment working proactively and translating ideas into action with minimal direction.

Key Role Responsibilities

Strategic Initiatives & Partnership

• Partner cross-functionally with senior leadership on high-priority strategic initiatives as organizational priorities evolve
• Research emerging opportunities in entrepreneurship workforce development and innovation
• Support the leadership and program teams in development of new program concepts partnership opportunities and international collaborations
• Contribute to and maintain partnership tracking systems and CRM records
• Support initiatives that strengthen Venture for Canadas engagement within Canadas entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem

Government Relations

• Prepare briefing notes meeting materials and background research for government relations engagements
• Coordinate with external government relations firms and support RFP preparation as needed
• Research government priorities policy developments and funding opportunities relevant to Venture for Canadas work
• Help maintain stakeholder engagement records and support relationship tracking

Thought Leadership & Research

• Support development of policy reports white papers and strategic publications including Venture for Canadas work on AI adoption among SMEs
• Develop case studies research summaries and other materials that showcase Venture for Canadas impact and strategic priorities
• Translate research and external insights into actionable recommendations for senior leadership

Strategic Enablement & Executive Support

• Provide executive support to senior leadership including calendar coordination scheduling email support network management and other administrative support as needed
• Prepare briefing materials presentations and talking points for meetings speaking engagements and external event support
• Draft and edit correspondence and other communications on behalf of senior leadership
• Triage time-sensitive requests and prioritize competing demands with sound judgment
• Coordinate logistics for leadership travel and external engagements

Who You Are

• You are a strategic thinker who is comfortable pivoting between very different types of work week to week and self-directed with minimal structured management
• You bring the pace professionalism and communication style of a business or corporate environment and youre energized by fast-moving ad hoc requests rather than fixed routines
• You are a strong researcher and writer equally comfortable digging into a partnership landscape or drafting a policy brief
• You build relationships easily whether with a prospective partner organization government officials or members of the senior leadership team
• You care about entrepreneurship workforce development and Canadas innovation ecosystem and you want your work to directly grow Venture for Canadas reach and impact
• You can pivot easily proactively moving from one task or project to the next without letting pieces fall through the cracks; your flexibility is unmatched
• Youre comfortable with a role that will evolve you dont need a fixed playbook to do good work

What You Bring

• 2 years of professional experience ideally in business consulting government relations policy or a professional-services environment
• Strong research skills and the ability to translate research into clear structured written materials (briefing notes reports case studies)
• Experience developing and managing external relationships partnerships or stakeholder ecosystems including maintaining relationship pipelines CRM systems and engagement tracking processes
• Exposure to government relations public affairs or policy work (e.g. briefing notes RFPs coordinating with external firms) is a strong asset
• Experience supporting senior executives is a strong asset
• Skilled in working across multiple unrelated workstreams simultaneously without losing quality or follow-through
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to adapt messaging for different audiences including executives partners government stakeholders and external audiences

Job Details

The purpose of this job posting is to fill an existing vacancy. The anticipated start date is immediate.

Arrangement

Venture for Canada is a remote-first organization with offices based in Toronto and Vancouver. This is a remote position open to candidates across Canada. While all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply preference may be given to candidates based in the Toronto area to support occasional in-person collaboration and team connection. Moderate in-person attendance of program-related events is required.

Language Requirement

As a national organization serving communities across Canada professional proficiency in written and spoken English is required. Proficiency in both English and French is considered a strong asset for this role.

Commitment to Diversity and Accessibility

Venture for Canada is dedicated to fostering an inclusive equitable and accessible workplace. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds experiences and identities. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates participating in all stages of the recruitment and selection process. If you require an accommodation please contact

Applicant Notice

Venture for Canada may use artificial intelligence-enabled tools to support certain aspects of the recruitment process; all hiring decisions are made by our talent acquisition stakeholders. Only selected applicants will be contacted for an accordance with applicable laws candidates who are interviewed will be notified of the hiring decision within 45 days of their final interview. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Canada at the time of application; we are unable to provide employment sponsorship or support work permit applications for this position.

Required Experience:

IC