Program Manager - Kitchener, Canada - Communitech Technology Association

Communitech Technology Association

Verified Company

Kitchener, Canada

1 week ago

Posted by:

Sophia Lee

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Description

Program Manager (Develop Strategies)
Full Time Contract position with benefits until March 31, 2026

Communitech helps founders start, grow and succeed
At Communitech, we're all about the "F" word. Founders.

We were built by tech founders who saw the need for a community of support to help ensure the future prosperity of Canada.

No other innovation hub can say that, which is pretty cool.

Established in 1997, our mission has been our guide ever since.

We're here to support the founder at every stage of their journey, providing accelerated opportunities to access talent, capital and sales.

As Canada's tech supercharger, we help founders:

Hire and retain the smartest, brightest and most experienced people-
Access growth financing at every stage-
Sell to the biggest customers at home and around the world-
Connect the right people at the right time
peers who have been there before, coaches who can guide them through the difficult spots and partners from all over CanadaCommunitech is a hybrid organization headquartered in downtown Kitchener, Ontario. In-person connection is important to us, so we get together regularly for special events, collaboration days and team socials, and we ask our team members to work onsite from our Kitchener facility for a minimum of 60 hours per month, every Tuesday being our team-wide in person collaboration day. We are a flexible, people first environment and want to allow our people to make decisions and choices about where they work to support work life balance within clear guidelines.

Communitech, through Canada's Tech Network, will roll out a coordinated ElevateIP program in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The program will facilitate IP support by BAIs (Business Accelerators and Incubators) to startups, help increase the IP capacity of the BAI ecosystem through IP education for BAIs and their startups, as well as enable BAIs to provide targeted support to help startups secure and maintain IP rights.

Reporting to the Director, Elevate IP, the Program Manager will oversee the successful development, implementation and execution of products, services and activities related to the Developing IP Strategies program pillar of ElevateIP, a federally funded initiative to ensure more equitable access to:
IP protection awareness, promotion and information-
IP strategy mentorship and coaching-
Funding the development and implementation of IP strategies
What you'll be doing:
Provide access to coaching, resources and support required by startups to develop sound IP strategies-
Establish benchmarks (e.g., education, strategy development, technology readiness, etc.) required for startups to successful qualify for services and support-
Development of cross-sectoral and professional database(s) of advisors based on expertise and need (accessible to partners, startups and BAIs)-
Facilitate access to 1:1 advisory services and strategy consulting for startups-
Create "matchmaking" processes and services to connect startups to bespoke assessments, advice, legal and advisory services, and other experts to support the development of their IP strategy-
Create programming for high-potential, IP-intensive startups to receive specialized coaching and advice-
Oversee the development and delivery of an IP strategy training module for founders from underrepresented groups-
Support the development of the program database and related infrastructure to field inquiries and point startups to regional service providers and programs-
Oversee the support for BAI delivery of programs and services, including assessment and selection of programs, as well as the disbursement of funding to BAIs-
Manage all vendor and advisory contracts and agreements-
Scale regional programs/services identified as high-potential and in-demand:
Successful net-new pilot programs-
Extend proven programs through BAIs or other collaborators
General duties:
Lead collaboration with partner organizations (Communitech partners and ElevateIP national partners), and collaborator organizations (BAIs, vendors, etc.) to successfully deliver programming-
Help recruit startups and other collaborators into the program-
Develop and control program deadlines, budgets and activities-
Prepare reports for senior leadership on project status and health-
Work with Reporting Specialist as required to ensure all program metrics are accurately collected-
Represent the Data & Advanced Technologies team at events where required-
Build relationships and work collaboratively with other groups within Communitech in support of the various initiatives-
Perform other duties as assigned
Requirements:
5+ years of experience in working in multi-stakeholder environments-
Demonstrated experience designing, managing, delivering and scaling programs involving cross-functional teams-
Knowledge of intellectual property and its importance to the Canadian ecosystem-
Ability