Programs Officer

About Startup Canada Startup Canada is a nationally recognized, award-winning organization committed to empowering Canada’s entrepreneurs. Since 2012, we have served as a trusted gateway to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, connecting entrepreneurs with the right resources, programs, and support at the right stage of their journey.  We connect Canada’s entrepreneurs to the tools, community, and support they need to start and grow their businesses. By guiding entrepreneurs toward appropriate resources, eliminating barriers, and amplifying their voices within our extensive network of partners, we enhance the entrepreneurial experience and contribute to a stronger national economy. Our Mission To position Canada as a global leader in entrepreneurship. Our Vision To connect and empower entrepreneurs and foster an ecosystem that drives innovation, inclusion, and economic growth across Canada. Our Values We're here for entrepreneurs We Succeed when they succeed   We are one team  We collaborate and challenge with respect   We embrace an entrepreneurial Spirit  We innovate boldly, iterate quickly, and stay agile - adapting to the ever-chaning needs of founders with speed and purpose.    We make it happen We deliver impactful, high-quality programs and are deeply accountable for our work.    We operate at scale  We build solutions that grow from local to national, allowing Canadian entrepreneurs to compete at a global scale.  Startup Canada Program Officers are essential to delivering impactful national programming that champions entrepreneurs, fosters ecosystem connections, and upholds Startup Canada’s mission to position Canada as a global leader in entrepreneurship. The Programs Officer is responsible for the planning, coordination, and delivery of designated Startup Canada programs. This role ensures that all elements of these programs are strategically executed, from annual project planning and ecosystem engagement to speaker research, event delivery, and post-event reporting. The Programs Officer manages detailed project plans in Notion, sets up program structures in shared drives, coordinates schedules and briefings, and maintains regular communication with the Marketing & Communications and Design teams to produce high-quality promotional and event materials. This position oversees a robust portfolio of activities, including the delivery of webinars, industry roundtables, pitch competitions, and pop-up pitch events. Responsibilities span speaker and judge outreach and onboarding, venue and vendor coordination for in-person events, development of scripts and briefing documents, and on-the-day event management. The Programs Officer also tracks key metrics in MEPs, ensures partner integrations are documented, assists with mid-year and annual reporting, and manages regular partner and alumni communications. The below outlines the tasks and responsibilities assigned to the Programs Officer. Additional tasks that suit the job function and capacity of the role may be added as needed. Program Management

• Set up all folders in Annual Program drive
• Support in the Creation of the Annual MEPs and Annual Project Plans
• Create Annual Project Plan
• Assign all tasks from Project Plan in Notion (programs team, marcom, design)
• Create speaker calendar briefing call invites for each event to program calendar
• Create Event Pages for all events
• Speaker Research and outreach
• Update email templates
• Update scripts for events (templates)
• Update event briefing templates
• Create promo kits for sessions
• Ecosystem meetings

Webinars

• Speaker research and outreach
• Speaker Onboarding (collect marketing assets, send calendar invites, update event page)
• Content creation (Questions)
• Event briefing and script creation
• Promotional Materials (promo kit, create graphics, send to speakers)
• Regular Communication with and task delegation to MarComm team & Design team for new material
• Send thank you email to speakers
• Track KPIs in MEP

Partners

• Track partner integrations in the MEP
• Assist in creation of Mid Year and end of year reports

Pitch Competitions

• Create copy for tickets
• Create copy for pitch webpage & Pheedloop event page
• Work with MarCom to identify promotion of applications
• Set up calendar invites for briefing calls and pitch day
• Create briefing documents and other relevant document templates
• Track application numbers of weekly basis, keeping MarCom team updated
• Source venue, AV, and food & bev for in person pitches not hosted during Tour
• Venue site visits
• Support Partnerships Mgr in securing pitch partners
• Invite ecosystem to pitches
• Judge research and outreach
• Ensure Partner integrations are tracked
• Onboard judges (collect marketing assets, send calendar invites, update event page)
• Create judge briefing document and adjudication form & host briefing call
• Review pitch applications for eligibility
• Onboard confirmed pitchers (send pitch time, pitch details)
• Coordinate pitcher times and send calendar invites for timeslots
• On the day coordination and management of the first round and final pitches
• Adjudicate with judges to determine winners
• MarCom and Design tasks (promotional kit, graphic templates, ensure appropriate promotion)
• Coordinate travel and accommodation for pitchers
• Confirm judges from partners
• Create travel briefings for pitchers
• Send calendar invites to pitchers and judges
• Work with MarCom and design for promotional assets
• On the day coordination and management of judges and pitchers

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong project management skills - Excellent organization, multi-tasking and coordination skills to effectively manage many different moving parts of a program

• Strategic mindset with ability to understand the whole picture of a program along with all the details.

• Strong interpersonal skills and communications skills to maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders both internally and externally.

• Event coordination and management skills (both for in-person and online events).

• Knowledge of entrepreneurial best practices, small businesses, marketing, data management and strategies to support entrepreneurs.

• High competence level in clear and concise verbal and written communication, including excellent skillsets in writing and editing content.

• Motivated, enthusiastic, and flexible attitude, with ability to work as a team player.

• Willingness to be flexible and versatile in a changing work environment while maintaining effectiveness and efficiency.

• The ability to write and speak French is an asset.

• Perform a wide variety of tasks with little supervision or direction.

• Independently manage programs performing varied tasks.

• Decision making and ability to obtain consensus on complex issues.

• Communicate verbally and in written format with diverse groups.