Role Overview
- Position: Hackathon Project Coordinator
- Employment Type: Contract (3 months)
- Experience: At least 1 year of project coordination, consulting, workshop design or large event execution experience
- Location: Canada (Toronto-based highly preferred, as there is an expectation that you will spend a couple of days per week working in our downtown coworking space)
- Start Date: ASAP (Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis)
As a Hackathon Project Coordinator, you will play a critical support role in planning and executing large-scale internal hackathons and innovation learning programs for our clients. You will work closely with the Hackathon Project Lead, as well as internal teams, clients, and technology partners to ensure seamless execution and a top-tier experience for participants.
This role requires strong communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to produce high-quality deliverables on tight timelines. You should be highly organized, proactive, and comfortable engaging with hackathon participants, mentors and technology partners.
Key Responsibilities
Client Project Responsibilities
- Project Coordination & Documentation – Capture client notes, track action items, and document project deliverables to ensure alignment across all planning team members and stakeholders.
- Workshop & Hackathon Support – Assist the Hackathon Project Lead in designing and running workshops, tracking project progress, and supporting participants throughout the event.
- Stakeholder Engagement – Act as a key point of contact for participants, mentors, and technology partners, ensuring smooth, timely communication and an engaging experience.
- Facilitation & Meetings – Lead certain workstream meetings and support the facilitation of client sessions, including mentor onboarding and mentor check-ins.
- Deliverable Creation – Develop high-quality presentation decks, marketing materials, and other assets to be used in live client meetings, workshops, and hackathon communications.
- Marketing & Communications – Be responsible for crafting hackathon marketing materials, including all participant email communications, Microsoft Teams Announcements, as well as post-event summaries that highlight key insights and success stories from the hackathon.
- Technology Partner Coordination – Support and maintain relationships with partners such as AWS, Google, Microsoft and IBM to align their tools and expertise with our hackathon programs.
- Research & Content Development – Conduct research on emerging AI tools, industry trends, and best practices to help shape our learning workshop content.
Internal Responsibilities
- Continuous Improvement – Identify opportunities to enhance Onova’s hackathon playbook, methodologies, and best practices.
- Technology & AI Fluency – Stay ahead of emerging AI tools and platforms, integrating them into hackathon experiences for greater impact.
- Cross-Team Collaboration – Work with Onova’s other business units, including Earth (our hackathon platform), to enhance our hackathon services and overall operational efficiency.
- Thought Leadership & Content Creation – Establish yourself as a thought leader in AI and innovation by sharing key learnings, insights, and trends through blog articles, LinkedIn posts and our Onova newsletter. Contribute to Onova’s growing content library by highlighting best practices, interesting case studies, and emerging technologies within the corporate innovation space.
What We Look For
Success Factors
- Strong Growth Mindset & Receptiveness to Feedback – You actively seek opportunities to improve, embrace challenges, and quickly apply feedback to refine your approach and execution.
- Startup Hustle & Ownership Mentality – You take initiative, work proactively, and are willing to put in the effort required to make every hackathon a success. You are self-motivated and take full ownership of your work.
- Thrives in Ambiguity & Takes Initiative – You excel in fast-moving environments where there may not be clear-cut instructions. You take ownership of solving problems and driving impact without waiting for direction.
- Emotional Intelligence & Self-Awareness – You are highly self-aware, able to navigate complex team dynamics, and communicate with empathy, vulnerability and a high degree of emotional intelligence.
- Highly Detail-Oriented & Organized – You ensure that no detail is overlooked, effectively manage multiple moving parts, and maintain structure and clarity in your work.
- Project Coordination Excellence – You have a proven ability to lead and support on projects, manage deadlines, and coordinate multiple stakeholders to deliver high-quality outcomes.
- Confident & Persuasive Communicator – You can articulate ideas clearly, inspire confidence in clients and team members, and lead effective discussions with various levels of stakeholders.
- Supportive & Team-Oriented – You collaborate effectively, provide assistance where needed, and help ensure that everyone on the team is aligned, motivated, and executing their tasks efficiently.
Requirements
- At least 1 year of project coordination, consulting, event execution, or innovation programming experience.
- Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, technology, or a relevant field.
- Experience managing large-scale events or corporate learning programs is a strong asset.
- Familiarity with AI, startup methodologies, and corporate innovation best practices is a plus.
- Must be eligible to work in Canada (or able to secure a work permit before commencing full-time work).
Why Join Onova?
- Work with Global Fortune 500 Companies – Lead innovation programs for some of the world’s biggest brands and global consultancies.
- Entrepreneurial & Fast-Paced Culture – Be part of a team that values creativity, experimentation, and bold ideas. We hire top, like-minded talent. You will be surrounded by a group of ambitious employees that will motivate and inspire you.
- Hybrid Work Model – Flexibility to work remotely, with in-office collaboration in Toronto.
- Personal & Professional Growth – Access to personal mentorship and a high-growth career trajectory. Our goal is to make your time here as rewarding as possible and a launchpad for your career, whether within or outside of Onova. We aim to build and inspire the next generation of elite employees, executives, and entrepreneurs.
- Exciting Perks & Retreats – Participate in semi-annual cottage retreats where we run our own internal Onova Hackathons, along with team socials and personalized gifts to celebrate special occasions.
