Senior Program Manager | Student Bursary Program

Overview

At TELUS, we believe in building stronger communities and helping those who need it most. Through acts of giving, big and small, we can positively impact the local communities where we live, work and serve. TELUS Friendly Future Foundation was established in 2018 through a generous endowment gift from TELUS and is an independent charitable organization that makes grants to Canadian charities addressing the education and health needs of marginalized youth and provides bursaries to in‑need post‑secondary students.

Our goal is to help youth thrive and reach their full potential.

As part of the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation team and integrated into the Corporate Citizenship & Communications team, the Senior Program Manager will be responsible for the Foundation’s flagship program – the TELUS Student Bursary – collaborating with internal and external partners to manage and execute the program with excellence. In support of our mission of connecting youth to a world of opportunities, you will work closely with academic partners, donors, students and others to run an annual application, evaluation, selection and award cycle for the TELUS Student Bursary and related named bursaries.

Our goal is to award at least 500 bursaries annually, and to date our program has awarded 2,000 bursaries valued at over $6 M combined to deserving students nationwide.

As Senior Program Manager, you will be instrumental in the development and execution of our bursary strategy and program, managing eligibility requirements, application, evaluation and award processes and systems, managing student data and storytelling, and building new and evolving wrap‑around supports to provide holistic support for students beyond financial support.

Working closely with the Executive Director and in collaboration with a small Foundation team, the Sr. Program Manager will leverage the bursary program to support fundraising, stewardship, storytelling and marketing objectives. You will also collaborate closely with TELUS team members to engage students in learning, networking and career opportunities. As a talented relationship builder and program manager, you will manage the program from end to end with excellence, an attention to detail and focus on student experience, all while supporting the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation mission, key objectives and fundraising goals.

• Lead the governance, reporting, budget management, implementation, and all other activities associated with our TELUS Student Bursary, a multi‑million dollar post‑secondary award program for students in financial need
• Oversee the full application lifecycle, from planning and intake through to adjudication and award disbursement
• Design and maintain fair, transparent selection criteria aligned with the program’s priority on financial‑need and marginalized student groups and the goal to support youth who are committed to driving social impact in their communities
• Manage strategic program, stewardship and communications partnerships in support of the Bursary
• Lead targeted outreach to post‑secondary and relevant community partners to ensure we receive sufficient applications to achieve our goals and disbursement targets for specific student groups
• Coordinate review committees and support adjudicators with training, evaluation rubrics, and documentation
• Ensure compliance with program guidelines, legal requirements, and funder expectations

• Build and maintain strong relationships with TELUS business units, donors, funders, community partners, and students
• Collaborate with People & Culture on additional program components such as internships, learning or job opportunities for bursary recipients
• Maintain strong relationships with post‑secondary organizations and foundations and identify opportunities to collaborate
• Update leadership including Executive Director, TELUS VP Corporate Citizenship and TELUS Friendly Future Foundation Board on program plans and achievements

• Serve as the primary point of contact for bursary recipients throughout the application and award periods
• Prov…