Senior Manager, Canadian Ecosystem (Canada Remote)

Department: Strategic Partnerships

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Various

Reporting To: Caroline Konrad, VP, Canadian Ecosystem

Compensation: $115,000 - $165,000 / year

Description

The Senior Manager, Canadian Ecosystem plays a pivotal role in driving Riipen’s national ecosystem strategy by leading and cultivating high-impact partnerships with key sectors, workforce development organizations, industry and postsecondary institutions. This senior role is critical in ensuring Riipen's contributions align with national talent development priorities, positioning the company as a leader in the development of innovative talent pathways.

The right candidate will be an expert in academic life cycles and the intricate mechanics and layers of influence in a Canadian college or university. You need to be able to open doors and speak with authority from the Provost’s Office to Career Service, and this fluency needs to reach beyond the walls of the institution. Riipen’s value is in bridging the gap between school and work and selling it requires a deep understanding of the municipal, provincial, and federal ecosystems of educators, administrators, employers, policy-makers, and public and private organizations with a shared stake in workforce development. 

This is a quota-carrying, strategic sales role, leading a dedicated portfolio of sales engagements across postsecondary and workforce organizations —pursuing and securing transformative, multi-year partnerships aligned to institutional priorities and workforce impact goals. As a senior individual contributor, you will own the full lifecycle of strategic pursuits from pipeline build to final close: identifying opportunities, shaping value propositions, engaging executive stakeholders, and mobilizing internal teams to secure high-value partnerships. You will operate with authority, rigor, and presence, contributing meaningfully and ensuring that partnerships are aligned with broader organizational objectives.

This role is fully remote and open to candidates in Canada. 
Significant travel is required - up to 25% per year, *particularly for candidates in Eastern or Central Canada who will need to travel regularly to Western Canada for partner visits, conferences, and other events. 

Key Responsibilities

• Sell into the Canadian higher-education and workforce ecosystems with credibility and depth—navigating executive-level decision cycles, funding models, procurement constraints, and complex stakeholder dynamics.
• Build and advance a healthy pipeline of strategic opportunities through a mix of direct engagement, ecosystem relationships, and targeted outreach.
• Lead the development of comprehensive ecosystem strategies that drive national partnership growth, leveraging your deep understanding of postsecondary, industry and regional needs.
• Identify and create new markets and initiatives by strategically cultivating relationships with senior partners, securing funding, and driving licensing opportunities.
• Engage senior institutional, industry and workforce leaders —to build trust and position Riipen as a long-term strategic partner.
• Run world-class discovery, translating institutional priorities, constraints, and policy drivers into compelling partnership narratives and proposal structures.
• Shape and present compelling narratives to senior stakeholders, leveraging data-driven insights to showcase the long-term value of partnerships and ensure future engagement.
• Spearhead the development and submission of high-impact government funding proposals, grant applications, and strategic pitches to both public and private sector partners ensuring tailored, outcome-focused proposals that reflect institutional goals and measurable impact.
• Build and advance a healthy pipeline of strategic opportunities through a mix of direct engagement, ecosystem relationships, and targeted outreach.
• Deliver against an individual new business quota, ensuring growth is aligned to partner readiness, impact goals, and long-term success.
• Collaborate with internal partners—pulling in expertise at the right moments to strengthen solution fit and accelerate partnership momentum. Ensure data, insights, and messaging are cohesive and aligned with partner needs, while also establishing Riipen’s thought leadership in the ecosystem.
• Establish yourself as a leading figure within designated sector and regional ecosystems, proactively engaging with senior industry leaders and policymakers to identify opportunities for advancing Riipen’s mission.

Ski