Lead, Learning Design
Job Summary
If youre excited about building systems that empower others to lead and want to help shape Canadas next generation of entrepreneurial AI-ready talent for the future of work wed love to hear from you!
Venture for Canada is a national registered charity equipping talent across Canada with the entrepreneurial skills mindset and opportunities to succeed in a 21st-century economy increasingly shaped by rapid change and emerging technology. We believe that to be entrepreneurial is to act upon opportunities to create value for others. The resourcefulness and creativity of people across Canada are essential to addressing our countrys greatest challenges. Venture for Canada serves as a catalyst by empowering individuals to create a more prosperous inclusive and innovative society.
Since 2013 Venture for Canada has grown in meaningful ways and were excited to expand our team with values-aligned individuals who can contribute to what were building. To learn more about our hiring process and workplace philosophyvisit our Careers page.
Role Overview
The Learning Design Lead plays a critical role in shaping and delivering the learning experience for Venture for Canadas Student Programs including our Internship and Intrapreneurship Programs. This role leads the design of curriculum learning materials live sessions and multi-day participant events that help post-secondary students across Canada build entrepreneurial skills mindsets and confidence.
Reporting to the Student Programs Manager the Learning Design Lead is a strong curriculum designer facilitator and project lead. They understand how to turn learning goals into practical engaging experiences for young adult learners. They are collaborative organized audience-focused and comfortable working across programs teams facilitators and external partners.
This role owns the full cycle of identifying vetting and onboarding subject matter experts to co-create and deliver learning experiences. It also includes supporting the Student Programs Team with the setup and maintenance of admissions and matching workflows including via HubSpot (approximately 20% of the role).
Key Role Responsibilities
Curriculum Strategy & Learning Experience Design
- Collaborate with the Student Programs Manager to design articulate and deliver the curriculum strategy and learning experiences for each cohort of our Student Programs
- Support the Leadership Team to ideate and design training curriculum for future program offerings targeting post-secondary students
- Contribute to current and future Student Programs curriculum strategy by:
- Maintaining expertise on post-secondary students in Canada as the target audience for Student Programs training
- Staying current on relevant trends reports research and learner needs that should inform curriculum changes
- Identifying opportunities to improve the participant learning experience across self-paced live virtual and in-person formats
Learning Materials Resources & Participant Communications
- Lead the design and delivery of materials resources communications and sessions for current and future Student Programs training
- Scope design and deliver self-paced learning materials for Student Programs participants during their participation in the program
- Develop participant-facing resources facilitator guides session materials learning activities and related training assets
- Support the broader organization to understand and communicate the Internship and Intrapreneurship Program curricula to participants employers funders and other stakeholders
Live Learning Sessions & Facilitation
- Scope design and deliver live learning sessions for Student Programs participants during their participation in the program
- Serve as a trainer and facilitator across Venture for Canada programs when needed
- Own the process of sourcing vetting onboarding briefing and supporting external facilitators speakers and subject matter experts who contribute to Student Programs learning experiences
- Act as the main contact for external facilitators speakers and learning partners connected to Student Programs training and events
Bilingual Delivery & Accessibility
- Work with staff translators and external partners to ensure all Student Programs training is delivered in French and English
- Ensure learning materials and participant communications are clear inclusive accessible and appropriate for Venture for Canadas target audiences
- Review translated or adapted learning materials to support consistency quality and alignment across English and French program delivery
Participant Events & Summits
- Lead the learning design for in-person and virtual multi-day participant events with a particular focus on designing and delivering the Internship Program Summits
- Collaborate closely with Events Team stakeholders to support the planning and delivery of live events
- Design event learning arcs session flows participant activities facilitator materials and supporting communications for multi-day learning experiences
Program Operations Budget & Targets
- Support the Student Programs Manager to manage and monitor Student Programs training budgets deliverables and training targets
- Track learning-related deliverables timelines facilitator requirements participant communications and resource needs
- Coordinate with internal teams to ensure training materials sessions and events are delivered on time and aligned with program goals
Evaluation & Continuous Improvement
- Use participant feedback program data research and team insights to continuously improve curriculum quality learner engagement and program outcomes
- Identify patterns in learner needs and participant experience and recommend updates to curriculum session design resources or delivery methods
- Contribute to post-program reflection reporting and curriculum planning for future cohorts
Who You Are
We care as much about how you work as what you know. The following qualities matter deeply to us for this role:
- You take real ownership. You do not wait to be told how to start. You see what needs to be done and you move on it. You follow through without being chased
- You communicate clearly across teams. You can synthesize complex information and present it in ways that are easy for colleagues stakeholders and learners to act on
- Youre comfortable working independently managing competing priorities and staying calm when timelines shift or unexpected challenges arise
- You design learning with purpose: You can translate program goals learner needs and organizational priorities into clear curriculum learning arcs and training experiences
- You understand learners not just content: You think carefully about the audience especially post-secondary students and early-career talent and design learning that feels relevant practical and engaging
- You can build self-paced and live learning experiences: You know how to design resources activities facilitator guides participant materials and live sessions that support different learning formats
- You facilitate with confidence: Youre comfortable leading live sessions supporting group learning and creating an environment where participants feel engaged and able to contribute
- You manage external contributors well: You can source brief coordinate and support facilitators speakers translators and learning partners so they deliver a strong participant experience
- You design for inclusion and accessibility: You care about creating learning experiences that are clear inclusive accessible and appropriate for diverse learners across Canada
- You use feedback to improve: You gather participant feedback review program insights and make thoughtful improvements to curriculum materials and delivery
- You can manage moving pieces: Youre organized detail-oriented and able to manage timelines deliverables facilitators materials events and communications without losing sight of the learner experience
What You Bring
- 4 years of professional experience including at least 3 years focused on learning design curriculum development training facilitation education program design or related work
- Experience designing learning experiences for post-secondary students young adults early-career talent or career development programs
- Strong writing skills that create clear engaging participant-facing learning materials and communications
- Strong virtual and in-person facilitation and curriculum delivery skills
- Confidence in owning outcomes and working with a high degree of autonomy
- Familiarity with tools such as Google Workspace Zoom Slack Canva Hubspot learning management systems survey tools or other learning/content platforms
Job Details
The purpose of this job is to fill an existing vacancy.
Arrangement
Venture for Canada is a remote-first organization with offices based in Toronto and Vancouver. This is a remote position open to candidates across Canada. While all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply preference may be given to candidates based in the Vancouver British Columbia area to support occasional in-person collaboration. Some in-person attendance of program-related events may be required.
Language Requirement
As a national organization serving communities across Canada professional proficiency in written and spoken English is required. Proficiency is both English and French is considered a strong asset for this role.
Commitment to Diversity and Accessibility
Venture for Canada is dedicated to fostering an inclusive equitable and accessible workplace. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds experiences and are available upon request for candidates participating in all stages of the recruitment and selection process. If you require an accommodation please contact .
Applicant Notice
Venture for Canada may use artificial intelligence-enabled tools to support certain aspects of the recruitment process; all hiring decisions are made by our talent acquisition stakeholders. Only selected applicants will be contacted for an accordance with applicable laws candidates who are interviewed will be notified of the hiring decision within 45 days of their final interview. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Canada at the time of application; we are unable to provide employment sponsorship or support work permit applications for this position.
Required Experience:
Manager
About Company
Venture for Canada is a national charity that links interns and recent grads to paid opportunities at Canadian startups and small businesses.