Innovation Specialist

**We’re growing Come and join the team for an exciting opportunity**

**Company description**

**Our mission**:
At the Innovation Cluster, we drive technology-based, innovation-focused, and entrepreneur-led economic growth and job creation by fostering and supporting new company formation and growth.

We deliver on that commitment by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our clients, investors and partners. We use our portfolio of innovative services to differentiate our content and programming and are dedicated to every client’s success.

Our vision: Propelling growth, innovation and entrepreneurship across Peterborough and the Kawartha region.

**Our Values**:
The Innovation Cluster’s values are interconnected, spanning 4 main pillars: Relationship and Collaboration; Support and Facilitation; Creativity and Flexibility; and Talent and Convergence.

**Relationship and Collaboration**
- Collaborating with our broader community to create a stronger innovation ecosystem._

We function as part of a broader community that includes the business, academic, and investment communities; entrepreneurs and researchers; students and mentors; service networks and municipalities. We take on each initiative in a collaborative approach - working as a team, engaging our partners, and facilitating connections to launch client projects - we accomplish more together. We understand the power of contributing strengths and perspectives in facilitating meaningful and long-lasting working relationships. We recognize that establishing a strong Innovation Cluster is based on community collaboration.

**Support and Facilitation**
- Supporting and facilitating the business success of innovators._

We are here for our clients. The exciting part of what we do comes from our community's “out of the box” thinkers. Understanding the needs and challenges our regional innovators face helps us facilitate what they need to succeed. We help them take their ideas and connect them with the mentors, partners, investors, and business building blocks needed to bring it to market.

**Creativity and Flexibility**
- Approaching each initiative creatively and flexibly supports our ever-evolving world and technologies._

We are ready for the new. The world in which we work is always changing - whether it is a new technology or technical problem to be solved or evolving trends in the world of innovation - with each new project comes a new set of challenges. We approach each initiative with creativity and resourcefulness and understand that we need to be flexible and adapt to a new idea or environment to be successful.

**Talent Convergence**
- Leveraging diverse talents within the Innovation Cluster and our greater community to fuel client success._

We thrive on the talented people that surround us. From within our team, to the knowledge and experience of the business community, to the fresh perspectives of students - understanding how to best connect the talent drives new ideas. Connecting scientific minds with entrepreneurial spirits and bridging expertise with youthful energy creates a dynamic environment that inspires novel ideas.

**Job description**

**Title: Innovation Specialist - 12-Month Contract Position Job Description**

The Incubator Innovation Specialist will take responsibility for the initial and ongoing assessment of Entrepreneur Client needs as a client-focused advisor and advocate. The Innovation Specialist will ensure the intake process is a beneficial and positive experience for all Innovation Cluster clients. Reporting to the Programs Director, this position will require collaboration across the internal team as well as within the entire ecosystem on behalf of the client and the client’s opportunity. The Innovation Specialist will encourage Entrepreneur Clients realistically and respectfully, i.e. maintain the passion in the entrepreneur but provide timely coaching, potentially saving them unnecessary effort or resources. The Innovation Specialist will also guide, coordinate, and make connections for Entrepreneur Clients using a variety of resources within the Innovation Cluster, the team member’s own continually developing network, as well as appropriate and cost-effective external resources. The Innovation Specialist will maintain responsibility for ongoing contact with Entrepreneur Clients but will work with and brief the Experts-in-Residence on a timely basis on any situational updates.

The position will also participate in designing and delivering professional development programs and events for client entrepreneurs and researchers such as: Speakers Series, Go-To-Market Programs, Power Breakfasts, Trade Shows, Post-Secondary Presentations, Virtual Events, and Entrepreneur Boot Camps on selected topics.

**KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES**
- Recruits and proactively coordinates a list of Entrepreneur Clients.
- Facilitates and provides Business Fundamentals training
- Provides pre
- and post-program advice and o