COMMUNITY MANAGER

West Cambridge | From £45,000 | Full-time, Permanent |Hybrid/Office working

Imagine building one of the most influential entrepreneurial communities in Cambridge and seeing founders, ventures and innovators succeed because of the connections you created! This isn't only about managing a community, it's about shaping a global network that helps great ideas become world-changing ventures.

Why you will love this role:

You’ll be joining a thriving community. Across Cambridge Enterprise, there are already communities of founders, advisors, experts and alumni. Your mission is to bring them together into a connected ecosystem that creates more value for everyone involved.

One day you might be helping a founder find the perfect mentor to unlock their next stage of growth. The next, you'll be designing a community experience that makes experts feel valued, connected and eager to stay involved. You'll work with some of the brightest minds, building relationships that have a genuine impact on innovation and entrepreneurship.

This is a rare opportunity to create something lasting. You'll shape the vision, design the strategy, influence how expertise is shared across Cambridge Enterprise, and lead the evolution of a community platform that becomes the single source of truth for expert engagement.

You'll have the freedom to think strategically, the opportunity to build meaningful relationships at a senior level, and the satisfaction of seeing the difference your work makes to founders, ventures and the wider innovation ecosystem.

Reporting to the Director of ideaSpace, you'll also lead and develop a Community Executive, helping to build a high-performing community function that can grow for years to come.

What we're looking for:

• Experience building and managing professional communities, expert networks, alumni programmes or advisory groups

• Experience planning and organising a broad range of events

• A talent for creating trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and experienced professionals

• Strong community-building instincts and a passion for bringing people together around a shared purpose

• Experience designing engagement programmes, frameworks or scalable community experiences

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence, engage and tell compelling stories

• Confidence working across teams and navigating complex organisations

• The ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery

• Experience using CRM systems, community platforms or similar tools to drive engagement and insight

• A data-informed approach, using evidence and feedback to continuously improve community experiences

• Experience managing projects, priorities and multiple stakeholder groups simultaneously

Nice to have:

• Experience working in entrepreneurship, innovation, start-up or venture-support environments

• Experience managing or mentoring team members

• Knowledge of alumni engagement, volunteer networks or expert communities

• Experience developing governance frameworks, onboarding programmes or community standards

Job Description

Diversity and equality matter:

These are our ideal requirements, but we know some people are less likely to apply for the role unless they are 100% qualified. At Cambridge Enterprise, we promote a diverse, inclusive and empowering culture, so please apply if you meet the majority of the job requirements.

If you have any questions about the interview process, or if you need any reasonable adjustments, please don’t hesitate to contact people@enterprise.cam.ac.uk

Perks at a glance:

• 30 days holiday (plus bank holidays)

• Class-leading Bupa private medical insurance

• Hybrid role with genuine flexible working – including work from abroad for up to 30 days a year in most roles

• Generous University pension scheme.

• A commitment to personal development including LinkedIn learning.

• Family-friendly policies (including enhanced parental leave & childcare benefits, fertility leave, and pregnancy loss leave)

• Mental health and well-being support including access to free counselling.

• Access to Bupa's Menopause Plan for expert advice and support.

• Retail and travel discounts.

Why Cambridge Enterprise?

We are at the heart of Europe's most successful research and technology cluster and we're on a mission to bring innovation to life, making a difference to society, the UK economy, and the University of Cambridge. We connect the innovative minds of the University’s academics with the funding, start-up expertise and commercial relationships they need to help their ideas thrive.

Key dates:

Closing date: 9 August

Screening calls: w/c 17th August

First interviews: 24-25 August

Second interviews: 1-2 September

If we get a strong response, we may close the role a little earlier than planned. This could mean the timelines or key dates shift slightly, so we’d recommend applying so