Operations Lead, ScaleUP & Growth Programming

Operations Lead, ScaleUP & Growth Programming

Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Mount Royal University (MRU)

Type : Contract | Location : Calgary, AB (Hybrid : in-person + remote)

Reports to : Director, ScaleUP & Growth Programming

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE AND PROGRAMS

MRU’s Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship supports SMB growth across Western Canada through Growth Catalyst ()

strategy + leadership development for established SMEs) and ScaleUP () ScaleUP Week summit + year-round events and advisory). See the 2025 Growth Catalyst and ScaleUP Impact Reports for details.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Operations Lead is the operational backbone of MRU’s Growth Catalyst and ScaleUP portfolio. You ensure every program, cohort, and event is delivered with excellence, consistency, and a relentlessly client-first mindset.

You will support the full portfolio of open-enrolment and custom offerings across Growth Catalyst and ScaleUP, including the flagship Growth Catalyst strategy program, the annual ScaleUP Week summit, the Learning Hub, live sessions, and all supporting communications, tools, and participant touch points. As new programs come online, you will play a central role in shaping and delivering these experiences.

This is a hands-on role that blends producer, product manager, and team lead. You will :

Design, coordinate, and continuously improve end-to-end delivery of scale-up programs and events.

Protect and evolve the “current best version” of the program—content, cadence, tools, and participant experience.

Ensure cohorts and events run smoothly from pre-program onboarding through post-program follow-up and impact evaluation.

Lead a small delivery team (staff, students, and contractors) to deliver an “awesome, client-first” experience for founders, CEOs, presidents, and growth leaders across Western Canada.

Key Responsibilities

1) Program Operations & Delivery Leadership (50%)

Own operational planning and delivery for Growth Catalyst cohorts and the ScaleUP Summit, including schedules, run sheets, logistics, and milestones.

Coordinate hybrid, virtual, and in-person sessions—rooms, tech, catering, materials, and on-site execution.

Manage participant onboarding from acceptance through launch : learning agreements, sponsor letters, onboarding packages, pre-work, and access to tools (Learning Hub, WhatsApp, etc.).

Ensure the participant journey is clear, supported, and positive from first touchpoint through post-program follow-up.

Use participant feedback (including NPS and debriefs) to identify operational pain points and implement improvements.

Source and negotiate vendor quotes (venues, catering, and services), balancing cost and quality.

Manage the administrative cycle for contracts and invoices (faculty, advisors, contractors, venues), including appropriate coding and tracking.

2) Program Quality & Content Governance (20%)

Own the program calendar and critical path for Growth Catalyst cohorts and the ScaleUP Summit, aligning content, communications, and delivery milestones.

Lead the content planning and confirmation process to ensure operational governance and delivery readiness.

Ensure session plans, pre / post work, and templates are aligned, version-controlled, and finalized on time.

Coordinate with faculty and facilitators to confirm content 4–6 weeks in advance of delivery.

Maintain consistency across Learning Hub materials, slide decks, worksheets, and live delivery.

Prevent program “drift” by maintaining an up-to-date Operations Manual and SOPs for :

Client service management and CSM workflows

Participant acceptance and onboarding

Advisor sessions and faculty contracting

Event operations, facilities and catering

Monitor quality during and after each module; capture lessons learned and embed improvements into the next cohort and SOPs.

3) Team Leadership & People Development (20%)

Manage the program delivery team, including three fractional roles : Program Coordinator (0.6 FTE), Design Lead, and student support (as-needed / hourly).

Clarify roles, responsibilities, and guardrails so the team can operate with increasing independence and fewer repeat errors.

Provide day-to-day direction through stand-ups, coordination, and debriefs that keep priorities, risks, and timelines visible.

Support recruiting, onboarding, and performance feedback for team members and key contractors.

4) Ecosystem & Stakeholder Management (10%)

Advisors & Growth Navigator Network (GNN)

Coordinate recruitment, onboarding, and scheduling of advisors / SMEs for creativity sessions, peer sessions, LAUNCH.

Strengthen relationships across the advisor network and communicate a clear, compelling value proposition for volunteer advisors.

Maintain an “on-call” bench to manage cancellations and last-minute needs.

Client Service Management (CSMs)

Implement and refine the Client Service Manager model : assign CSMs, set expectations, track touchpoints, and close the loop on feedback / action items.

Ensure participating companies always have a clear point of contact and timely responses.

Student Engagement

Support integration of MRU (and partner institution) students into Growth Catalyst through applied projects and work-integrated learning opportunities.

Coordinate with faculty to scope projects, match students with companies, and clarify expectations and logistics for all parties.

WHO YOU ARE

You are an operations-minded builder who loves making complex things run smoothly. You think in systems, run sheets, and critical paths. You take pride in creating experiences that feel effortless for participants, faculty, advisors, and partners.

You thrive in fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environments where cohorts, events, content, and communications move in parallel. You can hold the big picture (program calendars, governance, and quality standards) while sweating the details (room setups, templates, comms, tools, and timelines).

You are a clear communicator and practical problem-solver who :

Anticipates risks and prevents last-minute scrambles through thoughtful planning.

Brings order to ambiguity using playbooks, SOPs, checklists, and well-designed workflows.

Communicates confidently with founders, executives, faculty, advisors, students, and vendors.

Leads by example : high standards, clear direction, and meaningful support for early-career staff.

You are digitally fluent and comfortable improving the tools that power the work. You don’t need to be a developer, but you are at ease with project / team management and delivery platforms such as Monday.com, Thinkific / LMS tools, basic web / content systems (WordPress / Squarespace), engagement tools (Mailchimp, Typeform / Google Forms), and collaboration platforms (Google Workspace, Slack, WhatsApp, Zoom / Teams, Miro, DocuSign / Adobe).

Formal project management training (PMP, Agile, etc.) and experience working across both for-profit and not-for-profit / post-secondary contexts are strong assets.

PREFERRED BACKGROUND

You bring 5+ years of experience in operations, program management, project management, event production, or a similar role delivering complex programs end-to-end. Ideally, your experience includes some combination of :

Delivering multi-session programs or major events (leadership programs, accelerators, executive education, conferences, summits).

Working in a post-secondary, innovation, accelerator, or ecosystem-building context with founders and scaling companies.

Building and maintaining playbooks, SOPs, or operations manuals that improved quality, efficiency, and team autonomy.

Coordinating across multiple stakeholders (faculty, advisors, sponsors, vendors, internal teams) with strong follow-through.

You likely hold post-secondary education (or equivalent experience) in business, management, operations, project management, entrepreneurship, or a related field.

You live in Calgary or already plan to relocate, and you are open to hybrid work with regular weekly in-person days plus occasional travel across Western Canada (for cohorts, events, and production days). Familiarity with the innovation ecosystem and experience working with scaling companies are strong assets.

WHY JOIN US?

This role is an opportunity to be the operational engine behind some of Western Canada’s most impactful scale-up initiatives. As Operations Lead, you will :

Shape how Growth Catalyst and ScaleUP are delivered by owning calendars, critical paths, and quality standards that define a world-class participant experience.

Work at the intersection of strategy, leadership development, and scale-up growth—supporting founders and leadership teams building the next generation of high-impact companies.

Build and refine systems, playbooks, and digital infrastructure that allow programs to scale across cohorts, cities, and years.

Lead and mentor a small, high-performing delivery team and help staff and students build real-world operations and production skills.

You’ll join a high-trust, high-impact team at MRU’s Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, working alongside faculty, partners, and ecosystem leaders committed to evidence-based practice, practical impact, and supporting ambitious businesses. If you get energy from making complex programs work beautifully—and want your operational talent to directly enable the growth of real companies—this is a rare opportunity to do exactly that.

TO APPLY

Please submit your CV and a short cover letter to

thrive@growthcatalyst.ca

with the title “Operations Lead - job application”, that :

Describes your experience leading operations and delivery for complex programs or events.

Shares an example of a process, playbook, or digital tool you implemented that significantly improved quality or efficiency.

Explains why working with growing companies through Growth Catalyst and ScaleUP excites you.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a multi-stage interview process that may include a practical exercise (e.g., reviewing or drafting a run sheet, critical path, or SOP).