Innovations Services Manager

Position Summary

The Innovations Services Manager ensures the delivery of high-quality founder experiences, programs, and daily operations for the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (VTCRC) broadly and within the Entrepreneur Resource Center (ERC) specifically. This role oversees onboarding for founders and coworking members, manages logistics for ERC programs and events, maintains the ERC’s coworking and community spaces, and activates the Startup Space digital platform to support community engagement.

The Manager supervises a part-time Innovation Services Coordinator and collaborates closely with ERC teammates—including the Program Operations Manager, Business Development Manager, and Marketing—to ensure seamless execution of programs and a welcoming, well-run ERC environment. This role plays a central part in creating an energizing, founder-centric experience and positioning the ERC as a “home base” for early-stage innovators.

Founder & Member Onboarding

• Coordinate onboarding for founders, startups, faculty innovators, students, and coworking members.
• Provide clear orientation to ERC programs, resources, and expectations.
• Maintain accurate profiles and engagement records in Startup Space and internal systems.
• Facilitate introductions to mentors, service providers, and partners as appropriate.

Program & Event Coordination

• Manage logistics for ERC programs, workshops, Founder Series sessions, and community events.
• Oversee scheduling, communications, registration, room setup, materials preparation, and day-of support.
• Coordinate with Marketing and Program & Data Ops to ensure visibility and accurate reporting.
• Support Senior Manager in ensuring high-quality, branded, program execution.

ERC Space Operations & Member Experience

• Oversee daily coworking and shared-space operations to ensure a clean, ready, and welcoming environment.
• Serve as a consistent point-of-contact for coworking members and ERC participants.
• Coordinate facility needs with VTCRC Facilities and ensure supplies and resources are maintained.
• Track space utilization trends and support implementation of ERC usage policies.

Digital Community Management (Startup Space)

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date program listings, announcements, reminders, and resources.
• Support member engagement through prompts, updates, and content in collaboration with Marketing.
• Respond to inquiries or route questions to the appropriate team member.
• Upload success stories, opportunities, and event content to support community visibility.

Internal Community-Building & Engagement Support

• Coordinate casual community-building opportunities such as coworking activation days, coffee chats, and meetups.
• Surface community needs and opportunities to the Senior Manager for potential programming.
• Support peer-to-peer networking and connections among founders and tenants.

Team Coordination & Supervision

• Supervise and assign daily tasks to the part-time Innovation Services Coordinator.
• Provide training, guidance, and workflow management for the Coordinator.
• Collaborate with Program Operations on attendance tracking, data needs, and reporting.
• Work with the Business Development Manager to support prospective tenant visits and onboarding.
• Provide Marketing with logistics details, visuals, and success stories.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, hospitality, project management, human-centered design, or related field.
• 2–4 years of experience in program coordination, event logistics, community management, customer experience, or similar roles.
• Strong organizational and multitasking skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a service-oriented approach.
• Comfort using digital platforms, community tools, and productivity systems.
• Ability to support occasional early-morning or evening events.

Preferred

• Experience in coworking environments, startup support organizations, higher education, or innovation hubs.
• Familiarity with design thinking or service design principles.
• Experience with digital community platforms (e.g., Startup Space).
• Interest in early-stage entrepreneurship.

• Customer experience and hospitality
• Event and program coordination
• Organization and time management
• Collaboration and communication
• Operational problem-solving
• Adaptability and initiative
• Community-building

• Ability to move furniture or materials for event setup.
• Ability to stand or walk for extended periods during events.
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs occasionally.
• Ability to work evenings or weekends as needed for event execution.