Executive Director, Hunter Hub

Description

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HUNTER HUB
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB T2N 1N4

The University of Calgary (UCalgary), located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations) as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations). The university recognizes that the City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 & 6). By virtue of the signing of Treaty 7 in 1877, the university recognizes that we are all treaty people. The City of Calgary is home to a culturally diverse community. Together, we share this land, strive to live together, learn together, walk together, and grow together in a good way.

UCalgary is a global intellectual hub located in Canada’s most enterprising city. UCalgary is a bold and spirited institution, recognized as one of Canada’s top-five research universities, grounded in innovative teaching and learning, and fully engaged with the community it serves and leads.

“Great cities are built around great research universities and cities that successfully reinvent themselves do so in partnerships with focused, world-class institutions. The fate of Calgary and UCalgary are inextricably tied. Our community has supported us, and now is the time to show returns on those investments for the benefit of our community. Our ambition is nothing short of UCalgary being a catalyst of economic growth and quality-of-life improvements in this city and beyond.” - Dr. Ed McCauley, President & Vice-Chancellor, University of Calgary

UCalgary recently unveiled its Ahead of Tomorrow strategic plan, which articulates a 7-year vision out to 2030. It's a bold vision that reflects our ambition to increase access to future-focused education, to maximize the impact of our research and innovation, to put the community at the centre of all that we do, and to make our operational processes clearer, simpler and better than any other university. To learn more about UCalgary’s strategic plan, visit: ucalgary.ca/about/ahead-of-tomorrow

Despite its youth, at only 58 years of age, UCalgary is already one of the nation’s leading research universities. It has five campuses in Calgary, one in Qatar, a University Innovation Quarter in Calgary, and five research stations in Alberta, BC, and the Yukon. UCalgary is a global intellectual hub for high-quality research and scholarship, one where students thrive in programs made rich by research, hands-on experiences, and entrepreneurial thinking, grounded in innovative learning and teaching; it is fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. As a Comprehensive Academic and Research University, we aim to produce the next generation of leaders who experience the best possible training in acquiring and creating new knowledge.

These foundational values and commitments enable excellence, discovery, creativity, and innovation across the research ecosystem. With over 28,000 undergraduate students, 8,000 graduate students, 575 postdoctoral fellows/associates (postdocs), and 1,800+ faculty actively engaged in transdisciplinary discovery, creativity, and innovation across 14 faculties and schools, and supported by 3,200+ staff, we deliver over 250 degree and non-credit programs – undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, postdoctoral training, and continuing and professional education programs. We increasingly attract domestic students from within Alberta and across Canada, and our knowledge and experience are enriched by international students from over 119 countries.

With over $545M in annual research revenue and more than 50 research institutes and centres, UCalgary has become known as a research powerhouse in Canada. The scholarly environment at UCalgary encourages our students, faculty, and staff to take on the tough challenges facing our society and to draw expertise from across all our domains to develop evidence-based solutions. We integrate research into graduate and undergraduate curricula, equipping students with transferable problem-solving skills tested in experiential and work-integrated learning scenarios to increase employability and opportunities for professional advancement.
UCalgary benefits from the ongoing support of our community, which rallies behind the university, recently completing the third-largest fundraising campaign in Canadian history, surpassing $1.4B.

UCalgary is a large and complex institution that drives tremendous value with an annual consolidated budget of more than $1.6B, it is among Calgary’s largest employers, and generates over $16B annually in economic impact to the province. Two-thirds of the university's 220,000 alumni live and work in the Calgary area, effectively building a city of leaders and those dedicated to improving quality of life and prosperity.
UCalgary has been recognized for eight consecutive years as one of Alberta’s Top 75 Employers (2017–2024) and Canada’s best diversity employer (2017–2024).To learn more, visit ucalgary.ca

The University of Calgary invites applications for an Executive Director, Hunter Hub. This position reports directly to the Vice-President (Research) and Provost & Vice-President (Academic).

This role is part of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

Primary Purpose of the Position

The Executive Director (Hunter Hub) will have the overall strategic and operational responsibility for the of the Hunter Hub and for the strategic development and execution of entrepreneurial thinking initiatives, and innovation programming at the University of Calgary.

The University of Calgary established the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking (the ‘Hunter Hub’) to lead the university and larger community in entrepreneurial thinking and innovation, and to meet its commitment to become Canada’s most entrepreneurial university. The University’s Ahead of Tomorrow strategy has firmly embedded entrepreneurial thinking into its student experience and campus culture, and the Hunter Hub will play a catalytic role in building capacity in these areas.

Qualifications/Expertise

• Undergraduate degree in a related field; a master’s degree preferred;
• A minimum of ten years’ experience in an entrepreneurial environment (start up or SME);
• A high degree of personal integrity;
• Professional and communication skills commensurate with an executive position;
• Familiarity or experience working in a post-secondary setting would be an asset;
• Credibility with the entrepreneurial community is important;
• Passionate about entrepreneurial thinking and its impact on community;
• Ability to inspire a broad range of stakeholders, including students and the wider community, to support and engage with the Hunter Hub;
• Energy to build and create a new initiative with clear direction and outcomes;
• The capacity and desire to be a strong ambassador of the University of Calgary’s goals and aspirations.

Accountabilities, Tasks, and Duties

• Lead the strategic direction for the Hunter Hub which aligns to the overall goals of the initiative and to UCalgary’s commitment to entrepreneurial thinking;
• Engage internal and external stakeholders to ensure a compelling and inspiring long term strategy;
• Be an internal and external champion for the Hunter Hub and entrepreneurial thinking, as well as UCalgary more broadly. Be involved in key networks and forums, as well as speaking engagements, to be positioned as a thought leader in entrepreneurial thinking;
• Build an extensive network externally to support the Hunter Hub’s activities through advice, mentorship and funding;
• Develop new innovation initiatives and programs, as well as the scale up of existing programs, to increase capacity and impact;
• Lead and manage the Hunter Hub staff, operations and finances in a prudent, responsible and accountable means;
• Provide leadership to the development of any future space plans for the Hunter Hub in coordination with other incubation/accelerator/makerspaces on campus and in the community;
• Engage with an Advisory Council on Entrepreneurial Thinking comprised of key community leaders and entrepreneurs;
• Facilitate the development of, and participation in, internal committees of key stakeholders (academic leadership, students, and faculty) to coordinate and collaborate on new entrepreneurial thinking initiatives and the scale up of existing programs;
• Develop and regularly report on clear metrics and outcomes for the Hunter Hub and entrepreneurial thinking initiatives at UCalgary;
• Facilitate and lead processes to assess initiatives and allocate funding to entrepreneurial thinking programs, as well as innovation programmingwith the Hunter Hub. Ensure that processes are in place for program evaluation;
• Engage with senior university leaders to increase support to the Hunter Hub through fundraising and appropriate government programs;

To explore this opportunity further, please submit a CV and Letter of Interest online via the 'Apply Now' link.

The University of Calgary’s comprehensive benefits and pension program is designed to promote a productive level of health and well-being to staff members through coverage for health, dental, life insurance, income protection for disability, and retirement income planning. The salary range for this position is $168,750 to $206,000 per annum and will be negotiated based on the candidate’s skills and experience.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategycommitting to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. In this connection, at the time of your application, please answer the following question: Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada? (Yes/No)