Programme Manager

Overview

Venture Café Manchester launched in October 2025 alongside strategic partner ARIA and working out of the Renold Building ture Café Manchester partners with companies and organisations that are evolving business, education, technology, social justice, science and the arts within Manchester and beyond. Our flagship Thursday Gathering programme convenes hundreds of creative, resourceful people who are just as invested in improving life on this planet as you are.

YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK The primary vehicle to engage the region's innovation community is the weekly collaboration event, the Thursday Gathering, which attracts 150-200 people per week. You will be responsible for curating and managing this event, which regularly convenes members of the innovation community in an inclusive and open way. This event strives to complement and amplify, not substitute or compete, with other existing innovation community gatherings in Manchester.

Venture Café includes an informal social gathering to create opportunities for serendipitous encounters as well as structured conversations and educational sessions (live performances, panels, info sessions, demo tables, etc.). You will manage and grow a pipeline of community organisations and partners to offer high-quality content based on monthly themes. Your primary role is to be the "chief curator" in order to design thoughtful, high-quality experiences for attendees.

Your work may also include working with members of the broader community to organise regular and special events. A cornerstone of Venture Café Manchester will be to drive forward the Thursday Gathering and other programmes that will help build a more inclusive innovation economy - inclusive of all types of industries and people. You will be responsible for the creation and implementation of programming that reaches into the area's underserved communities.

As you work to operate these programmes in Manchester you will be expected to:

• Work in tandem with Venture Café Director to build the Venture Café Manchester brand and position it as a neutral, valuable player that complements existing initiatives.
• Advance the mission of Venture Café Manchester which is to enhance and grow Manchester's innovation community by working to make it more diverse, inclusive, accessible and better connected.
• Share learnings in Manchester with the broader Venture Café Global Network and community.
• Research and develop innovative formats for delivering content and creating connection opportunities within the weekly event forum to maximise engagement.
• Build an effective communications infrastructure for Venture Café Manchester, including website, social media channels (particularly Linked In, Instagram) and mailing lists.
• Build and manage a volunteer team that will help the day-to-day operations of the programmes, particularly of the Venture Café Thursday Gathering.
• Manage all event logistics.
• Track metrics (i.e. marketing, attendance, quality, value, etc.) and submit a monthly report to the Venture Café Director.
• Identify key individuals and community organisations and partner with them to build a strong weekly program. You are not expected to reinvent the wheel - you're expected to leverage and raise up what's already happening in the city's innovation community.
• Balance work in the team office with being visible and engaged within the local innovation community, including attending events, meeting people, and building meaningful relationships.
• Be an advocate and spokesperson for Manchester's innovation and entrepreneurship communities. Convene and connect individuals and organizations that should know each other and potentially collaborate.
• Manage and/or facilitate other Venture Café Manchester programs and projects as needed. Collaborate with the ARIA and Sister teams to ensure weekly events are mutually beneficial.

Venture Café Manchester will look, feel, and operate like a startup. There will be a lot of uncertainty and ambiguity much of the time and no work will be beneath you (on the same day you may print name tags, move furniture, and have dinner with the CEO of a global company). This environment also creates great…