Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Lead (In-Canada)

Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Lead (In-Canada)

Location: Toronto, ON (5 Days, On-site) Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent Department: Programming & Partnerships Reports To: Director of GoEU Vacancy: This posting is for a new vacancy Salary: $85,000–$100,000 annually, plus performance-based bonus (10%)

Company Overview

At Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC), we're at the center of Canada's fastest-growing startup ecosystem—where global founders come to scale, raise capital, and build their future. Through flagship programs like Horizon, Pivot, and GoEU, we connect entrepreneurs with the partners, capital, and growth strategies they need to succeed. For more information, please visit . 

If you're a high-energy business development professional who loves chasing opportunities, building powerful relationships with venture capital firms, ecosystem enablers, accelerators, and startup communities, and turning potential into measurable results, this is your stage. Every founder you engage contributes to the next generation of innovative companies choosing Canada as their launchpad.

About the Role

The Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Lead (In-Canada) is accountable for identifying, engaging, and converting a pipeline of exporters that results in at least 70 participating companies annually , while maintaining accurate reporting and delivering measurable commercialization outcomes.

This role focuses on lead generation, outbound prospecting, relationship building, and strategic partnerships. You will build strong relationships with incubators, startup hubs, accelerators, venture capital firms, founder networks, universities, trade associations, and ecosystem partners to source high-potential companies looking to expand beyond their existing markets.

Key Responsibilities

Lead Generation & Deal Sourcing

• Generate qualified leads by prospecting through multiple channels, including email, LinkedIn, networking events, referrals, and cold outreach.

• Identify high-potential prospects using market intelligence tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Tracxn, Crunchbase, and similar platforms; companies against GoEU program criteria, growth potential

• Convert qualified prospects into active opportunities through discovery calls, needs assessments, and tailored program presentations. Communicate GoEU's value proposition clearly. Develop proposals and recommend solutions aligned with founder objectives and program outcomes

• Maintain a healthy pipeline of qualified opportunities to support application and commercialization targets.

Sales & Pipeline Management

• Manage the full sales cycle from prospect identification through application submission and conversion.

• Move founders through the application process while maintaining a high-quality customer experience.

• Track pipeline progression and conversion rates across every stage of the funnel.

• Meet or exceed quarterly application and partnership targets established by management.

Partnership development and Ecosystem growth

• Develop relationships with incubators, accelerators, venture capital firms, startup communities, universities, trade associations, and ecosystem partners across Canada and Europe.

• Develop partnership agreements that generate qualified founder referrals and increase program visibility.

• Strengthen long-term ecosystem relationships that create a sustainable pipeline of opportunities.

• Generate partnership opportunities by attending and representing TBDC at networking events, conferences, trade missions, and ecosystem engagements.

CRM, Reporting & Data Management

• Maintain accurate and timely CRM records, including outreach activities, meetings, partnerships, opportunities, applications, and outcomes.

• Monitor outreach performance and report on key performance metrics, including pipeline health, response rates, conversion rates, partnership activity, and application outcomes.

• Ensure all work is recorded in Company-approved systems to support operational visibility, performance management, KPI reporting, and funding requirements.

• Analyze performance data and continuously refine prospecting and partnership strategies based on measurable outcomes.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, or a related field. Master's degree or MBA is considered an asset.

• Equivalent experience in business development, partnerships, or startup ecosystem engagement will also be considered.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with CRM platforms such as Zoho, HubSpot, Salesforce, or similar.

• Strong working knowledge of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Tracxn, Crunchbase, or comparable lead-generation platforms.

• Proficiency with Google Workspace and CRM reporting tools.

Experience

• 3–5 years of experience in business development, sales, partnerships, or ecosystem engagement.

• Experience working with startups, incubators, accelerators, venture capital firms, or innovation ecosystems is strongly preferred.

• Experience conducting market research and qualifying business opportunities.

• Demonstrated success sourcing, qualifying, and converting leads into measurable business opportunities.

• Strong communication, negotiation, presentation, and relationship management skills.

• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

What Success Looks Like in Year One

We will define clear OKRs with you before you start, so you always know where you are driving. Broadly, success looks like:

• Qualified founder pipeline is strong. A steady pipeline of high-potential founders and companies is sourced, qualified, and moved through the GoEU funnel, supporting the goal of at least 70 participating companies annually .

• Partnerships generate deal flow. Active relationships with incubators, accelerators, venture capital firms, universities, trade associations, startup communities, and ecosystem partners generate a consistent stream of qualified referrals and partnership opportunities.

• Outreach converts. A structured outbound strategy across email, LinkedIn, networking, referrals, events, and cold outreach produces measurable response rates, discovery calls, qualified applications, and conversion rates that meet or exceed quarterly targets.

• CRM tells the full story. All outreach activities, meetings, partnerships, opportunities, applications, and outcomes are accurately recorded in Company-approved systems, providing leadership with real-time visibility into pipeline health, conversion rates, partnership activity, KPI reporting, performance management, and funding requirements.

• Targets are achieved. Quarterly lead generation, partnership development, application, and conversion targets are consistently met or exceeded, with regular reporting and continuous refinement of strategies based on performance data.

Benefits & Perks

• Health and dental benefits

• Vision care

• Life insurance

• Paid time off

• On-site parking

• Participation in company events and activities

TBDC does not use AI-enabled tools to support application screening. Final hiring decisions are made by real people.