Job Description

Are you ready to be at the heart of Manchester's innovation scene? Venture Cafe Manchester is on the lookout for a passionate Program and Experience Design Coordinator to support our flagship Thursday Gathering and other groundbreaking initiatives.

Join us in creating a dynamic and inclusive community where innovators connect, collaborate, and drive change. If you're excited about making a real impact and fostering a vibrant ecosystem, you belong at Venture Cafe Manchester!

ABOUT VENTURE CAFE

Venture Cafe believes that Isolation is the enemy of innovation and our mission is clear: Connect innovators to make things happen. We are a neutral and trusted center of gravity that connects the entire innovation ecosystem and is available for everyone.

Our flagship program, the Thursday Gathering, is a dynamic and intentionally designed experience freely accessible to all. Featuring vibrant networking sessions activated with captivating demos or immersion in the night's theme by attending thought-provoking sessions led by inspiring speakers. Here, curiosity meets opportunity, connections flourish, and innovation thrives.

Venture Cafe was founded by Tim Rowe, founder and CEO of the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), in 2009 and helped fuel the growth of one of the world's most powerful innovation ecosystems: Boston's Kendall Square. What began with a modest gathering of 12 people at our inaugural Thursday Gathering has flourished into the Venture Cafe Global Institute (VCGI). Over the past 15 years, VCGI has united over 750,000 visionaries, developers, creatives, and civic leaders across 15 cities worldwide, building a global community of communities.
At VCGI, we believe if we're going to solve humankind's biggest challenges, we need as many amazing humans as possible involved in that process.

YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK

We are looking for a curious doer to join our fun team to coordinate an impactful program of events for a community of innovators at the Venture Cafe's flagship weekly event: the Thursday Gathering.

Your role would be to execute weekly Venture Cafe Thursday Gatherings including the following:Coordinating programs and speakers before, during, and after the event. Setting up and breaking down Thursday Gathering events, including managing program partner bump-ins and outs, setting up the Venture Cafe Kiosk, and placing signage. Coordinating local Venture Cafe Ambassadors to assist at the Thursday Gatherings. Connecting with the Venture Cafe Global Institute to share learnings and support the relationship between Venture Cafe Manchester and its global counterparts. Identifying and mitigating risks to the effective operation of the Thursday Gathering. Collaborating with the awesome ARIA team to ensure a delightful event experience. Great hospitality skills - able to keep community members engaged and happy even while resolving problems. Be able to enforce the Venture Cafe credo/guidelines in a friendly but firm fashion.

ABOUT YOU

With a background in event management, you bring creativity and flexibility to Venture Cafe Manchester, driven by a passion for mission-driven work and a commitment to hosting successful events. Your customer service excellence, problem-solving skills, and openness to learning from failure, paired with meticulous attention to detail, prepare you for success in this role. You excel in executing and innovating event experiences, engaging diverse community members, creatively using spaces, communicating effectively in various settings, and leveraging social media to promote events. Additionally, you have:Ideally at least 1-3 years of professional events experience. English fluency. Great hospitality skills - able to keep community members engaged and happy even while resolving problems. Be able to enforce the Venture Cafe credo/guidelines in a friendly but firm fashion. Familiarity with social media channels and ability to leverage them as part of your work. Willingness for domestic and international travel as needed. Ability to legally work in the UK. We are unable to sponsor visas for this role at this time.

OUR OFFER

Competitive salary, commensurate with experience 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays Supplemental medical and dental insurance 200 Monthly Commuter Allowance Life insurance Business Travel Insurance Payment Protection Employee Assistance Program Hybrid work model - You will work three days per week in the office, with Thursdays required as a core in-office day.

ATTRACTIONS OF THE JOB

In addition to helping to make the world a better place, we work to ensure each talented team member feels nurtured by many benefits, here are just a few:You'll join a team of driven and bright collaborators who are eager to lend their own unique skills to building our inspiring community. Learn and develop skills within the epicenter of the innovation community within a growing global network. Travel to Venture Cafe locations across the globe.
Venture Cafe is committed to building teams that reflect the fabric of the cities we support. We welcome all candidates regardless of race, color, ancestry, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, Veteran status, or any other legally protected status. Any other human expressions and experiences not mentioned here are equally welcome. If you require an accommodation please let us know. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.