Community Associate

Job title: Community Associate

Location/Program: Boston, MA; Hybrid role with Tuesdays & Thursdays in the office plus additional to attend and support events

Manager name & job title: Chris Bauer, Community Director

Salary: $55,000 – $60,000

MassChallenge Inc. is a global startup accelerator with existing programs in Boston, Dallas, Lausanne, Jerusalem, and Mexico City. We are the most startup-friendly accelerator on the planet. No equity and not-for-profit, we provide startups with the access and resources they need to succeed – from free office space to mentoring, workshops and global network access. If you want a challenging and rewarding career in the center of the startup ecosystem, this opportunity is for you!

MassChallenge is looking for a Community Associate in Boston to oversee aspects of our community/ecosystem partner and expert experience, both key stakeholder groups at MassChallenge. Community/ecosystem partners are non-financial partners who play a key role in startup sourcing, expert recruitment, marketing, and ecosystem collaboration. The expert community is our network of successful entrepreneurs, seasoned industry leaders, and other professionals who seek to help startups succeed.

As Community Associate, you will represent MassChallenge and be a liaison between the organization, the local ecosystem, and respective communities in the region. You will be a connector and facilitator who helps the MassChallenge programs activate its expert community and connect into our network in support of our startups. You will report to the Community Director and will work closely with members of the program, corporate development, and marketing teams among others to deliver an exceptional community experience and ultimately a successful acceleration experience for startups from around the world.

While no two days are the same at MassChallenge, your main responsibilities will be managing community/ecosystem partner and expert relationships, supporting onsite innovator engagement through the Boston Residency Program, executing strategic community events to convene key stakeholders in the local ecosystem, and identifying ways in which to measure and refine the expert program through operational improvements. Please note, this role will at times require you to support or host activities outside of traditional 9am-5pm work hours–you may work with your manager to plan a flexible weekly schedule accordingly in these instances.

A note on location: This position will be based out of the MassChallenge Boston office. The office currently operates in a hybrid staff capacity with Tuesdays and Thursdays being in-office days. Frequent onsite presence in the office is critical for success in this role.

What You’ll Do

Support and Drive Connectivity Within Ecosystem

• Recruit, curate, and manage community/ecosystem, partnerships
• Support local market access programming (in-person activities to connect innovators with the Boston innovation ecosystem)
• Cultivate community through the execution of impactful virtual and in-person community events
• Lead engagement activities with community/ecosystem partners. Typical events include:
• Marketing our/their events
• Sourcing/referring startups
• Co-hosting events
• Recruiting experts

Deliver A Topnotch Expert Experience For Our Experts

• Recruit, interview, steward and deploy speakers, mentors, and judges to ensure the MassChallenge network is robust and high-quality.
• Survey the existing entrepreneur landscape to determine where we can leverage and seek alignment with existing infrastructure, events and/or opportunities.
• Build intentional relationships with community/ecosystem partners with expertise and networks relevant to underrepresented founders.
• Identify key organizations and subject matter experts to engage with the program; clearly communicate the opportunity/expectations to them to solidify their commitment.
• Support community/ecosystem partner and expert on-boarding, training, and other initiatives including spotlighting our experts as members of our vast network.

Be A Voice And Presence In Communities For Entrepreneurship

• Represent MassChallenge in the community by attending strategic local community events.
• Support a local community event strategy
• Run local residency program for alumni, current cohort startups, and key ecosystem players
• In coordination with the Marketing team, identify ways to showcase MassChallenge experts and community partners to extend our marketing reach.

Measure And Refine The Expert Program With An Eye On Operational Improvements

• Collaborate with Product & Engineering and Program teams on expert experience and data.
• In collaboration with the Program team identify ways to collect data on outcomes above and beyond KPIs and goals you’ll be responsible for.

Who You Are

• You have 1-3 years of relevant experience in relationship or community management.
• You are currently based in Boston, MA and are eager to build a network of experts in this city.
• Documented strengths in meaningful relationship building, management and growth.
• You are a consummate networker who can move comfortably and credibly in the entrepreneurial community.
• You have an understanding of the entrepreneurial journey and challenges faced by startups with the ability to match resources and experts based on these challenges.
• You have a professional, hands-on, resourceful style with the ability to work independently and as a team player, to take initiative and manage multiple tasks and projects at a time.
• You enjoy working in a fluid, dynamic organization with a minimal amount of direction yet with a willingness to be led, and comfort with situational leadership.
• You have demonstrated the ability to think creatively developing fun, engaging and innovative strategies and ideas.
• You have the ability to quickly understand and articulate MassChallenge core values, value proposition, and key messages.
• You have an in-depth knowledge of corporate innovation and strategy trends, with the ability to leverage existing relationships.
• You are extremely organized, execution-oriented, pay high attention to detail and very strong ability to prioritize and manage time well.
• You are tech savvy and quick to learn new technologies.

Who We Are

MassChallenge is the global network for innovators who are working to solve massive challenges. We connect startups, experts, corporations, and communities to grow and transform businesses and economies. At MassChallenge we:

• Help entrepreneurs build the next generation of transformational businesses by connecting them with the resources, partnerships, and communities that help them launch, grow, and scale their startups.
• Help our partners build, grow, and evolve their corporate innovation practices.
• Leverage the power of entrepreneurship to strengthen global innovation ecosystems.

Why You Should Join Us

We believe working at MassChallenge is fulfilling because of the mission, challenging because of the pace and work, and rewarding because you get to build to the next step in your career here. When you join MassChallenge you join an incredible team and network of innovators and entrepreneurs, you take ownership over significant and strategically important projects, you focus on impact and output, and you help strengthen the global innovation ecosystem.

Our Core Values:

• Founder Mindset: Optimism, Tenacity, Love the Problem
• Connect & Collaborate: Empathy & Inclusion & Fun, Build Community, Connect the Dots
• Progress over Perfection: Build on experience, Fail Fast, Demonstrate Traction

Compensation

• $55,000- $60,000 base
• MassChallenge offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment.
• Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with skills and experience.
• Internal equity considerations and the average salary of the peer range will be reviewed before making a final offer.

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MassChallenge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We seek individuals from a broad variety of backgrounds with varying levels of experience who have a desire to do meaningful work. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, color, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.