Business Development and Partnerships Officer

**Date Posted**:10/07/2025
**Req ID**: 45422
**Faculty/Division**: UofT Scarborough
**Department**: UTSC:Arts & Science Co-op Programs
**Campus**: University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC)
**Position Number**: 00057136

**Description**:
**About us**:
The University of Toronto Scarborough is a place of energy, enthusiasm and passion. Our commitment to inclusive excellence attracts the brightest learners, scholars and employees from around the globe. Our success has been made possible by the opportunity given to us by our Indigenous hosts to operate on their territory, and we cherish our continuing partnerships with these communities. The University of Toronto Scarborough is an exciting campus with unlimited potential. Join us on our journey.

**Your opportunity**:
Reporting to the Team Lead, External Relations and Industry Partnerships, the Business Development and Partnerships Officer takes a planned and informed approach to meeting new business development and partnership targets and achieving partnership and business development goals within key industry sectors. This person plays a vital role in the department to ensure that members of Industry Associations, Sectoral Councils, Board of Trade, Chamber of Commerce, Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) funding organizations are made aware of our co-op programs and therefore deepen engagement with our department.

In addition, the role will have responsibilities around prospecting new employers across various business sectors such as Life Sciences, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing etc., to name a few.

The focus of such awareness building and engagement initiatives is that our students have a wide range of quality, paid co-op work term opportunities available to them.

While balancing all stakeholder needs effectively, the primary goal of the position is to develop, nurture and manage strong relationships with employers and industry partners and sensitize them to our co-op talent. The Business Development and Partnerships Officer is responsible for developing and initiating all aspects of new industry partner and employer relationships that strategically support the academic programs within the chosen sectors. Using an analytical and informed approach, the role is responsible for conducting market research to understand the industry sectors assigned to them and identifying target employers and industry partners that are a right fit for our co-op jobs. Through sound sales, business development and partnership building techniques, the Business Development and Partnerships Officer builds their employer and industry partner account base by planning and undertaking first contact with potential new partners and move them in a journey to sign up with Arts and Science Co-op programs as partners. With an ultimate goal of strong retention and partnership expansion, the role is responsible for maintaining and expanding existing relationships with industry partners, secure new industry partners as well as employers and set up meaning engagement with them.

In consultation with the Team Lead, External Relations and Industry Partnerships, the role will set an annual plan for their sectors and performance targets both for new employer acquisition and partnership development and retention of existing partner organizations whose members have strong co-op job potential each work term. All of this is done on the foundation and ultimate collective goal of facilitating student success and supporting their co-op ambitions.

**Your responsibilities will include**:

- Building and strengthening relationships with employers and industry partners of strategic importance
- Identifying, fostering and maintaining relationships with new employers and industry associations as well as existing industry and other professional bodies
- Conducting detailed labour market analysis to inform program and partnership development
- Conceptualizing, organizing and executing event activities (in collaboration with new and existing partners)
- Developing component of program/project that supports collaboration and partnerships
- Tracking the status of business development initiatives, activities and outcomes

**Essential Qualifications**:

- Bachelor's Degree or acceptable combination of equivalent experience.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in a partnership development, sales and business development roles
- Track record of success in a target driven environment and building client relationships in existing and new market sectors
- Strong understanding and experience implementing partnership development life cycle, business development and sales funnel approaches and tracking activities to desired outcome
- Experience in planning and implementing online and in person events and measuring event outcomes for the purposes of lead generation
- Experience in market research and analysis, identification of target markets as well as direct sales and relationship development
- Knowledge of the ca