Ontario Centre of Innovation Looking for Outreach & Engagement Specialist, Automotive at Toronto, ON Full Time

The Opportunity:

The Outreach and Engagement Specialist is responsible for developing and leading external-facing program activities, including stakeholder engagement, partnership development, strategic communications, and execution of program initiatives. This individual will leverage strategic relationships, networks and program insights, and apply proven communication, networking, and problem-solving skills to help deliver on program objectives and maximize the benefit of all stakeholders.

About Us:

The Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) drives the development of Ontario’s economy by helping create new jobs, products, services, technologies, and businesses. In partnership with industry, OCI co-invests to commercialize innovation originating in the province’s publicly funded colleges, universities, and research hospitals. We also support and invest in early-stage projects, where the probability of commercial success and potential total return on innovation are substantial. A trusted partner of government in program delivery, we are committed to advancing a whole-of-government approach as a means of streamlining funding application processes for companies and entrepreneurs.

The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), led by OCI, is the Government of Ontario’s flagship initiative to support the future of the automotive and mobility sector. Through innovative programming, business and technical supports, and testing and demonstration sites, OVIN is driving the commercialization of advanced technologies and cultivating the capacity of a province-wide network to adopt future mobility solutions.

Your Contribution:

• Engage, develop, and maintain strong networks with stakeholders in the automotive and mobility sectors, including corporations, post-secondary institutions, research partners, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Foster and identify partnership opportunities to benefit OCI and the ventures we support, including automotive and mobility industry associations and government bodies.
• Identify conferences, speaking, media, and publication opportunities to promote and address the needs of our stakeholders and promote the OVIN/OCI brand.
• Keep abreast of industry and/or domain knowledge and activities, including current events, breakthroughs, trends, regulatory issues, and possess a solid understanding of the global industry to support thought leadership.
• Engage stakeholders in the creation and execution of industry-leading events and education opportunities (meetups, workshops, panels, hackathons, best practices, etc.).
• Develop and facilitate the creation of collateral and digital assets, and coordinate speaking engagements and marketing opportunities.
• Collaborate in the planning, design, development, and deployment of program enhancements, partnership opportunities and strategic initiatives.
• Provide regular updates to senior leadership, communicating opportunities and escalating risks when appropriate.
• Interface and liaise with stakeholders; work cross-functionally across departments to assemble resources and ensure the successful delivery of projects
• Identify, develop and manage outcomes, and work with the OCI marketing and communication team to develop, communicate and publish success stories.
• Other related duties as assigned, with occasional overtime as required with events outside of normal business hours, and occasional travel within Ontario.

Your attributes:

• Formal, specialized education (4-year university degree). Business or Communications/Marketing degree preferred.
• Automotive and mobility experience would be an asset.
• Minimum of 5 years of related experience in the development and delivery of partnerships and execution of strategic initiatives.
• Superior project management skills, including planning and executing on strategic initiatives in order to accomplish goals and deliver outcomes within constraints such as time, budget, and quality standards.
• Familiarity with best practices on social media channels (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram) to ensure engagement with various audiences.
• Demonstrated ability and attitude for developing and managing relationships with diverse stakeholders, and ability to work cross-functionally with internal and external teams.
• Business development and networking experience particularly working with senior level private and public sector representatives.
• Strong oral and written communication skills with proven ability to develop strategic communications, promote programs and initiatives, and execute on education and awareness activities.
• Proven operational experience, working in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment with demonstrated analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
• Innovative, enthusiastic and high-energy self-starter, with demonstrated experience taking initiative and capitalizing on opportunities.
• Consummate professional, able to represent the organization in all circumstances.
• Experience with Ontario’s industry-academic collaborations, student entrepreneurship; and proficiency in contracts and intellectual property matter would be assets.

Your Strengths:

In keeping with OCI’s values of Collaboration, Empowerment and Leadership, Communication, Agility and Accountability, we seek candidates who are:

• Team players with highly developed interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively and collaborate with people at all levels within the organization.
• Demonstrate a high degree of initiative, who are efficient, organized and able to produce high quality work under pressure in a fast-paced environment with the ability to manage numerous conflicting and changing priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and take accountability to address obstacles and overcome barriers by identifying possible resolution options and alternatives.
• Intellectually curious about developments and trends in a sector.
• Able to demonstrate integrity and ethics in decision making and in their relationships with colleagues and clients.
• Able to reflect and promote OCI’s values through work with colleagues, clients and stakeholders.