Founder Experience Specialist

FOUNDER EXPERIENCE SPECIALIST

Location: Hybrid – Waterloo, ON (2-3 days in office per week)

Employment Type: Full-time

Reports To: Manager, Founder Experience

Start Date: Position is available now

About the Accelerator Centre

The Accelerator Centre (AC) is a world-renowned hub for startup innovation, offering a suite of programs that support entrepreneurs in launching and scaling high-growth ventures. Our mission is to build the next generation of globally competitive companies through a unique combination of mentorship, education, and access to capital.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Manager, Founder Experience, the Founder Experience Specialists (FES) play a critical role in understanding and adding value to our award-winning programming. The ideal candidate lives and breathes customer service experience. The successful candidate for this role must have experience supporting clients and have a desire to help find creative solutions to challenges. They must enjoy talking to entrepreneurs and being a liaison between offered services and partners, both internal and external. Being organized, detail oriented, energetic and experienced with business, sales and/or entrepreneurship is a plus. 

Key Responsibilities

Founder Experience Specialists are the problem-solvers and connectors for all AC clients. They are the go-to people for founders to find solutions, get introductions, and learn about opportunities and events. The FES role is all about taking special care of all AC founders to ensure data and company metrics are recorded, mentor interactions are tracked, and clients are following the program guidelines. They will work closely with Program Managers, fellow team members, and mentors to support the delivery of a high-quality experience for all founder organizations within our unique community. FESs are experts on all AC programs, responding to requests in a timely, proactive, and positive manner. 

• Responsible for meeting with clients as assigned by the Manager, Founder Experience
• Will stay in contact with each assigned client and meet regularly via electronic tools (such as Slack, CRM, email, etc.) as program details outline, and/or as requested.
• Deliver support as needed for all founders to grow and thrive.
• Responsible for client data collection and tracking in CRM
• Warmly introduce clients to various partners (PSP) as required
• Responsible for keeping track of all assigned clients' interactions with mentors and ensuring program engagement
• Daily execution of "tickets" or "tasks" assigned in HubSpot
• Attend and participate in mentor meetings and training sessions with confidence and purpose.
• Show initiative and commitment to clients by engaging in, and communicating, client wins with the full team; and by suggesting improvements to internal processes and systems as observed.
• Lead special program-specific meetings between founders & mentors as appropriate and be responsible for all follow-up activities and actions, taking care to track resulting commitments.
• Communicate effectively and speak confidently about all AC programming. Suggest programming solutions both internally and externally by understanding the local ecosystem of support and referring clients to other programs and opportunities as appropriate.
• Understand client needs and be the voice of the founders at team meetings and externally, when at various tradeshows, and industry meetings.
• Attend community events and ecosystem engagements as requested, and/or as appropriate, representing the AC in a positive light.
• Works under close supervision of the Manager, Founder Experience.
• Responsible for the tools and processes required to complete the job.
• And other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 1-2 years of experience providing exceptional customer service in a customer-focused industry
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (English)
• Conduct business in a professional manner, leading by example with a positive attitude
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
• Works well both in groups and independently
• Juggle multiple projects and priorities successfully to get the job done with pride
• Strong attention to detail and timelines
• Thrilled by seeing results, metrics and exceeding expectations
• Confident and friendly
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in Canada
• Thrive in a collaborative environment and are energized by contributing to a team's shared success
• Comfortable giving and receiving constructive feedback and see it as a valuable tool for growth and continuous improvement.

Preferred Qualifications

• An understanding of the startup life cycle  
• Experience with HubSpot or similar CRM platforms 
• Experience using Learning Management Systems 
• Conflict management experience 
• A post-secondary education and/or significant experience related to business management. 
• Speak more than one language 

What We Offer

• A mission-driven, collaborative work environment focused on innovation and impact
• Opportunities for professional development in instructional design and entrepreneurship
• Flexible hybrid work model
• Comprehensive benefits package and competitive compensation