Vp of Growth

**VP of Growth**

**Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE)**
**Halifax, Nova Scotia**

**Who is COVE?**
Since our launch in 2018, the Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE) has been on a mission to connect people, ideas, resources, and assets to propel solutions and sustainable growth for Canada’s marine sector. COVE has been central to the creation of a large cluster of companies and in generating a best-in-class start-up ecosystem. COVE provides strategic network-building opportunities, connections, and thought leadership amongst the global ocean tech community and runs programs to foster the development of the workforce, the acceleration of ocean tech product releases, and the success of new ventures by start-ups, scaleups and SMEs. These programs and COVE’s ability to nationally harness multi-disciplinary skills and capabilities within the marine ecosystem is an enabler in solving industry challenges, generating economic benefits, and providing value to investors.

COVE is expanding rapidly, and we are continuing to build our team to support our transformative impact on the marine sector. With over 60 companies on site and its global network of 2,000+ organizations that are engaged in ocean tech, it is on the precipice of becoming a global centre of excellence for industry-led innovation. We know our journey is only achievable by having a great team who shares ideas, tries new things, and learns as we go.

**The Opportunity**
The VP of Growth is responsible for revenue generation, the development, implementation and evaluation of all programs provided by COVE, and to ensure that COVE continues to innovate, evolve, and deliver high value to our clients and the greater marine sector. A trusted and engaged leader, the VP of Growth nurtures strong relationships with COVE staff, external stakeholders, and partners.

With a focus on sound business practices and fundamentals, the VP ensures strategic growth of the organization, while creating an environment for success for its employees. A strategic thinker and change agent who is creative and solutions oriented and possess the ability to translate our vision into common language and work cross functionally within the organization. Seasoned, credible and highly respected for your vision, integrity, high client service, and outcomes orientation, you are an excellent communicator and relationship builder who exhibits trust and confidence at all levels.

In this role, as a member of senior leadership, you will lead and mentor a team of professionals while reporting to the CEO and will be responsible for managing the strategy around business development and program growth for COVE.

**What you will be doing**:

- Leading a high-performing team to create and implement strategic initiatives across various programs including business development, technical projects, workforce development and market readiness programs, both locally and internationally.
- Building win-win relationships with new and existing strategic partners and supporters to expand programs and services. Assessing and attaining key performance indicators for COVE’s delivery of funded project milestones.
- Maintaining active working relationships with the COVE tenant base and maintaining knowledge of their project collaboration and partnering interests. Following ocean technology advancements and activity among a significant network of national and international players in the ocean sector to find new opportunities for COVE and COVE members.
- Ensuring IORE fulfills its role for the utilization of infrastructure at COVE, with quality/efficient access for COVE tenants and to act as a means to attract and to host project collaborations.
- Representing COVE with external partners and to the ocean community at large by serving on boards/work groups/committees and speaking at events.
- Continually fostering team culture with and between business functions and departments, supporting direct reports with frequent and transparent communications to enable their delivery of key accountabilities, accessing resources, assisting with evaluation of opportunities and challenges, and decision making.
- Overseeing budget for COVE programs, managing program effectiveness and delivery and recommending continuous improvement to ensure key metrics are achieved.

**What you will bring**:

- Degree in Business, Engineering or other relevant discipline(s).
- Minimum of 10 years experience in a senior management role.
- In-depth knowledge of business operations, program leadership and the marine sector, with an innovative approach and analytical mindset.
- Ability to think about the big picture to drive strategic organization-wide initiatives with a keen eye for the details required to see them to completion.
- Demonstrated record of initiative, leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability.
- Developed and operationalized strategies that have taken a program or organization to the next sta