Project Lead

**Project Lead**

**COVE**

**Halifax, NS**

**Who is COVE?**
Since its inception in 2018, COVE has dedicated itself to fostering collaboration among individuals, concepts, resources, and assets to drive solutions and sustainable advancement within Canada's marine sector. At the forefront of building a thriving network, COVE has played a pivotal role in cultivating a robust cluster of companies and cultivating a premier startup environment. Through strategic initiatives, COVE facilitates invaluable networking opportunities, fosters connections, and leads discussions within the global ocean technology community. Moreover, COVE spearheads programs aimed at nurturing talent, expediting the release of ocean technology products, and bolstering the success of emerging ventures by startups, scaleups, and SMEs. These initiatives, coupled with COVE's ability to harness diverse skills and expertise nationally within the marine ecosystem, serve as an enabler for overcoming industry challenges, driving economic growth, and delivering value to investors.

As COVE experiences rapid expansion, we are actively seeking to expand our team to further bolster our transformative influence on the marine sector. With a thriving community of over 60 companies onsite and a global network encompassing over 400 organizations engaged in marine technology, we stand poised to emerge as a premier global hub for industry-driven innovation. We recognize that our journey toward this goal hinges on the strength of our team—a group of individuals who collaborate, innovate, and continually strive for excellence. Join us as we embark on this exciting journey of discovery and advancement.

**The Opportunity**:
The Project Lead plays a pivotal role in the planning, coordination, and execution of events and activities related to key programs, including the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and Defence Research Development Canada’s Seasonal Vessel Tracking (DRDC-SVT), amongst other initiatives at COVE. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Growth, this role is responsible for managing logistics, ensuring seamless implementation of both on-site and off-site activities, and collaborating closely with managers. This position also ensures the smooth operation of various growth initiatives while providing comprehensive support to the Vice President of Growth and the team.

The Project Lead is instrumental in managing and delivering successful events, managing communications, facilitating cohort visits, and providing comprehensive programming support. Additionally, the role works with the Marketing and Communications team to contribute to the development and promotion of program communication strategies. This role demands exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, and the creativity to programming objectives while aligning with COVE’s strategic goals.

**What you will be doing**:

- Planning, organizing, managing, and executing NATO DIANA, DRDC-SVT and other related events including program kick-off, Outreach Days (United States and Europe), and DIANA Demo Day according to individual program and COVE requirements.
- Planning, delegating and organizing workflow, supporting the Vice President of Growth and organizational initiatives while being entrusted to operate with confidentiality, sensitivity, and integrity.
- Agenda and event management, budget management, researching and hiring vendors, booking venues, and all support materials.
- Assisting the Vice President of Growth and managers with document management including preparation and administration of project proposals and contracts.
- Coordinating with cross-functional teams to ensure timely and successful delivery of program objectives.
- Designing events, ensuring regular engagement with cohorts of companies, the program teams, and other key stakeholders. This includes drafting and distributing event invitations, agendas, and follow-up communications.
- In consultation with the Marketing and Communications team, ensuring the management of media outreach, press releases, and social media campaigns, to promote program events and initiatives.
- Managing DIANA related events including contractors, sponsors, and budgets to meet expectations.
- Performing post-event tasks such as administering surveys, communications, and post-event de-briefs with relevant stakeholders.
- Other duties as assigned.

**What you will bring**:

- Bachelor's degree in business administration or equivalent education and work experience with event management and general administration.
- 3-5 years managing and executing programs with demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining strong working relationships.
- Excellent stakeholder-facing skills and communication abilities.
- Ability to think creatively to solve problems and to work without being closely managed.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to handle conflict calmly