Hiring: Business Development, Access Student Talent Program (Contract)

• August 6^th, 2020
• Community, Membership/Programs

The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce’s (GKWCC) Access Student Talent program helps connect small businesses with post-secondary student talent for work-integrated learning opportunities. When small businesses engage in work-integrated learning they can connect with future talent, increase their productivity, raise awareness about their organization and industry, and tap into the creative and innovative ideas that students bring. When students participate in work-integrated learning opportunities, they gain work experience, develop valuable skills, and make important connections to the business community that can help prepare them for their careers.

We are looking for an individual to focus on business development aspect of the Access Student Talent program. In this role, you will connect with local small businesses, as well as our educational partners from Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo, and Conestoga College with the goal of educating and engaging businesses in work-integrated learning opportunities.

There will be two main areas of responsibility for this role: Business Development and Research, Analysis & Reporting.

Business Development

• Generating leads by contacting small businesses by phone (including cold-calling), email, and in-person/virtually to educate them about working with students and to generate interest in working with a student.
• Creating prospect lists
• Assisting in event planning including seeking out opportunities, planning and representing the project
• Attending networking events, virtually and in-person when safe, to promote the initiative and develop leads
• Researching and connecting with our educational partners to determine the suitable options that a business may have for working with a student; summarizing those options for the business; connecting businesses with appropriate post-secondary school representatives to explore their interest further.

Research, Analysis, Reporting

• Conducting research and analysis and providing recommendations related to this project
• Creating resource material and writing reports as required
• Undertaking regular reporting of sales and business development activities to provide interpretation, guidance, and recommendations

• Assisting with documentation development to support reporting and budget mechanisms

Qualifications:

• Sales experience is required
• Excellent customer service skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (in-person, phone, virtually)
• Self-starter with the ability to take initiative and ownership of responsibilities
• An interest in supporting the business community
• The ability to research and summarize information succinctly
• Experience with developing sales leads is preferred
• A valid driver’s license access to a reliable vehicle for attending networking events

Position Information:

• Full time hours, 37.5 hours per week
• Contract position until March 31, 2022
• The position will be based virtually or at the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce office located at 80 Queen St. N., Kitchener, ON. Location will depend on the GKWCC pandemic protocols.
• Parking provided

About the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce:

The Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce (GKWCC) is dedicated to providing strong, continued service to over 1600 members in one of Canada’s marquee pioneering and entrepreneurial business communities. For the past 131 years, dating back to the Chamber’s founding as the Berlin Board of Trade, we have expanded into one of the largest and more innovative Chambers in Canada by focusing on the needs of all our members, big and small. THE GKWCC is one of the largest chambers of commerce on Canada. For more information, please visit https://greaterkwchamber.com/.

The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, providing a work environment free of discrimination. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We welcome applications from people with disabilities.  If you need accommodation during the hiring process, please reach out to hr@greaterkwchamber.com.

Interested applicants can send their cover letter and resume to Allison Mitchell at amitchell@greaterkwchamber.com. We thank all applicants for their interest in this role, however only those applicants that have been selected for an interview will be contacted.