Manager, Business Development

If you’re excited about building systems that empower others to lead and want to help shape Canada’s next generation of entrepreneurial, AI-ready talent for the future of work, we’d 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 country’s 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 we’re excited to expand our team with values-aligned individuals who can contribute to what we’re building. To learn more about our hiring process and workplace philosophy, visit our Careers page.

Role Overview

The Manager, Business Development is responsible for driving participation in Venture for Canada’s programs through proactive business development, prospecting, and relationship-building.

The role has two core portfolios:

1. Employer acquisition – building a pipeline of SMEs and employers for VFC’s Internship, Intrapreneurship, AI Adoption, and other employer-facing programs.
2. Institutional partnerships – developing relationships with post-secondary institutions, incubators, accelerators, and other organizations that can drive program enrolment, bulk seat purchases, and white-labelled program sales.

The relative focus across employer acquisition and institutional partnerships may shift over the course of the contract based on VFC’s program priorities, growth targets, and capacity needs.

This is a results-driven role for someone who enjoys prospecting, opening doors, pitching, building relationships, and converting interest into measurable program growth.

Key Role Responsibilities

Employer Acquisition

• Build and manage a national pipeline of prospective SMEs and employer communities for Venture for Canada’s employer-facing programs
• Proactively identify, prospect, and engage new employers through outbound outreach, referrals, networking, events, and other business development channels
• Develop relationships with business networks, industry associations, chambers of commerce, and other organizations that provide scalable access to prospective employers
• Clearly articulate Venture for Canada’s value proposition and generate qualified employer interest in participating in Venture for Canada programs
• Consistently follow up with prospective employers and move opportunities toward submission of an employer interest form
• Develop and deliver employer-facing webinars, presentations, information sessions, and other activities designed to generate employer leads
• Attend relevant business and industry events to generate leads, build relationships, and promote Venture for Canada programs
• Identify and test new employer acquisition channels and outreach strategies
• Develop repeatable business development approaches that allow Venture for Canada to efficiently scale employer acquisition
• Meet established targets for employer pipeline, qualified leads, and employer interest generated

Institutional Partnerships & Program Growth

• Build and manage a pipeline of post-secondary institutions, incubators, accelerators, employers, and other organizations that provide access to VFC’s target program participants.
• Proactively identify, prospect, and engage institutional partners through outbound outreach, networking, referrals, and events.
• Build referral relationships that generate qualified prospective participants for VFC’s programs.
• Identify and sell opportunities for institutions to purchase bulk program seats or white-labelled VFC programming for their students, members, or communities.
• Lead institutional business development from initial outreach through presentations, proposals, negotiation, and close.
• Develop and deliver webinars, presentations, and information sessions with partners to drive program awareness and enrolment.
• Attend relevant post-secondary, entrepreneurship, and recruitment events to generate leads and develop institutional relationships.
• Track referrals, enrolments, institutional sales, and revenue generated through these channels.
• Meet established targets for institutional pipeline, participant referrals, enrolment, and program sales.

Pipeline, Performance & Reporting

• Maintain an accurate and actionable employer acquisition pipeline with clear stages, next steps, and follow-up
• Maintain accurate CRM records of employer prospects, outreach, opportunities, and outcomes
• Track employer acquisition activity, conversion rates, lead sources, and channel performance
• Use pipeline and performance data to prioritize activity and focus resources on the highest-performing acquisition channels and opportunities
• Provide regular reporting and forecasts against employer acquisition targets
• Identify barriers to employer acquisition and recommend changes to outreach, messaging, channels, or Venture for Canada’s employer value proposition
• Develop and document repeatable employer acquisition processes and playbooks

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Programs to understand program capacity, eligibility, timelines, and upcoming acquisition needs
• Work closely with Marketing to develop campaigns, collateral, webinars, events, and communications that support business development
• Coordinate with Student Programs when engaging employers already within Venture for Canada’s network to avoid duplication and ensure a consistent employer experience
• Share employer and market insights with Program, Marketing, and leadership teams to strengthen Venture for Canada’s value proposition and acquisition strategy
• Refer opportunities outside the role’s employer acquisition mandate to the appropriate internal owner

Who You Are

• You are a proactive business developer who enjoys prospecting, opening doors, starting conversations, and building pipeline
• You are comfortable with outbound sales and business development and are motivated by clear acquisition and growth targets
• You are an excellent relationship builder who can quickly establish credibility with entrepreneurs, post-secondary institutions, SME leaders, and business organizations
• You are persistent and resilient and understand that successful business development requires consistent outreach and follow-through
• You are commercially minded and naturally look for efficient ways to reach and convert prospective employers
• You are comfortable experimenting with different acquisition channels, messages, and approaches and using results to determine where to focus
• You take ownership of your pipeline and are comfortable independently figuring out how to reach a target
• You are highly organized and disciplined about CRM management, follow-up, and tracking results
• You are curious about businesses and interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities facing Canadian SMEs and entrepreneurs
• You are a confident communicator and presenter who is comfortable hosting webinars, networking, and representing Venture for Canada externally

What You Bring

• 3–5+ years of experience in business development, sales, partnerships, or a related role
• Demonstrated success building pipeline through proactive outbound prospecting and converting prospects into measurable results
• Experience developing new business relationships from initial prospecting through qualification and handoff or close
• Experience working with SMEs, entrepreneurs, or business owners is strongly preferred
• Experience developing or leveraging channel relationships, referral networks, associations, or other scalable approaches to customer acquisition is an asset
• Familiarity with Canada’s entrepreneurship, small business, economic development, workforce development, or innovation landscape is an asset
• Strong written and verbal communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills
• Strong CRM and pipeline management skills, with the ability to use data to prioritize activity and improve conversion
• Excellent organization, attention to detail, and follow-through
• Strong ownership and initiative, with the ability to independently build a pipeline and move opportunities forward
• Willingness to travel and attend external events as required

Job Details

The purpose of this job posting is to fill a temporary vacancy created by an employee leave of absence. The contract term is 12 months. 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, Ontario area to support occasional in-person collaboration. Light in-person attendance of program-related events during evenings and weekends 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 hiring@ventureforcanada.ca.

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 interview. In 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.