Are you ready to be at the heart of Warsaw's innovation scene? Venture Café Warsaw is on the lookout for a passionate Program Lead to support the coordination of our flagship Thursday Gathering and lead 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 Café Warsaw!
VENTURE CAFE, WARSAW
Venture Café Warsaw launched in 2019 alongside strategic partner CIC Warsaw. Venture Café Warsaw partners with companies, public entities, NGOs and variety of and organizations that are evolving business, education, technology, social justice, science and the arts within Warsaw and beyond. Our flagship Thursday Gathering convenes hundreds of creative, resourceful people who are just as invested in improving life on this planet as you are. Recently we have developed more programs fostering collaboration and innovation, broadening the scope of our activity.
ABOUT CIC
CIC is a global leader in building and operating innovation communities. Founded in 1999 in Cambridge, MA, CIC is one of the first companies to offer flexible office space and coworking options, providing a platform for the world’s most impactful entrepreneurs to innovate better and faster.
We have locations in Boston, Cambridge, Philadelphia, Providence, Rotterdam, St. Louis, Warsaw, and Tokyo and are growing into other cities, within the US and abroad. CIC has supported over 6,000 startups, growth companies, and branches of larger organizations, representing for-profit, mission-driven, and non-profit sectors across a wide array of industries.
CIC co-founded a number of mission-aligned organizations including Venture Café, CIC’s primary public benefit programming partner, and CIC Health, offering COVID-19 testing services to companies and the public.
We invite you to explore all our openings and learn more about our teams here.
ABOUT VENTURE CAFÉ GLOBAL INSTITUTE (VCGI) & Venture Café Global Institute (VCGI) began in 2009 within the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) in Massachusetts, aiming to connect people, ideas, and resources globally. Today, it has grown into a worldwide movement, facilitating over 660,000 connections among innovators, creatives, and leaders across cities like Boston, St. Louis, Fukuoka, London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Tokyo. VCGI's mission is to drive global change by building a community of communities focused on solving humankind’s biggest challenges.
YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK
•Develop and coordinate ongoing events and programs (e.g community gatherings, acceleration programs, grants, speaker series) that align with organizational priorities.
•Manage all event logistics: Coordinate recurring programs, including scheduling, venue setup, vendor coordination, and post-event follow-up.
•Work with leadership to strengthen the organization’s brand as a connector and thought leader in the community.
•Partner with community organizations and key individuals to co-create programming and amplify existing initiatives.
•Track metrics (i.e. marketing, attendance, quality, value, etc.) and submit a monthly report to the Venture Café Director.
•Research and implement innovative event formats to increase accessibility, inclusion, and engagement.
•Advance the mission of Venture Café Warsaw which is to enhance and grow Warsaw’s innovation community by working to make it more diverse, inclusive, accessible and better connected.
•Coordinate and report engagement of events promotion through digital channels, newsletters, and community outreach, manage the foundation’s Social Media channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook)
•Affiliation with tools as: Wordpress, Mailchip, Google Workspace and Canva is a plus.
•Serve as a visible ambassador for the organization by attending external events and building meaningful relationships within the community.
•Guide and coordinate volunteers and ambassadors to ensure smooth event operations.
•Foster knowledge-sharing and alignment with global or national networks to enhance program impact.
•Stay up to date with trends in community engagement and event programming to continuously evolve strategies.
ABOUT YOU
•You express an exceptional openness and an eager- to-learn mindset.
•You are willing to work later hours due to event coordination.
•You are diligent and detail-orientedYou are motivated to grow in your role.
•You have been involved in innovation, the arts and/or entrepreneurship initiatives, preferably in a founding, leadership, or advocacy role and have an understanding of the innovation process.
•You believe that innovation and entrepreneurship are instruments to improve the human condition, not ends themselves, and that innovation and entrepreneurship take many forms beyond making apps and creating VC-funded startups.
•You are familiar with the Warsaw community overall, as well as its innovation community, its key players, and believe in its potential for growth. An extensive social network in this community is desirable, as well as the ability to build local partnerships.
•You understand region’s most pressing challenges and embrace them as opportunities for change and problem-solving.
YOU HAVE
•A bachelor’s degree in any field.
•Advanced degrees add significant value.
•Experience with event envisioning, curation, planning, and implementation.
•Availability to work at the biweekly Venture Café Thursday Gathering from 2–10pm, with the ability to adjust working hours accordingly (e.g. taking equivalent time off on the following day), and to coordinate or attend events outside of the regular 9–5 schedule.
•Knowledge of Warsaw’s innovation community, key influencers, networks and
organizations.
•Prior experience in securing and managing grants will be considered a strong asset.
•At least B2 level proficiency in Polish.
•English language proficiency.
•Excellent organizational, project, and task management skills.
•Great hospitality skills – able to keep community members engaged and happy even while resolving problems.
•Be able to enforce the Venture Café credo/guidelines in a friendly but firm fashion.
•Outstanding written and oral communication skills and an excellent listener.
•Natural comfort with public speaking, in formal and informal settings, is key. Ability to communicate and collaborate across sectors and silos.
•A diplomatic and consensus-oriented approach to decision-making.
•An appreciation for the role of design and aesthetics in creating better communication tools, spaces, products, and services.
•Attention to detail, understanding that form is as important as function.
•Familiarity with social media channels and ability to leverage them as part of your work.
•Global outlook with local roots and commitment.
•Clear views and positions without being dogmatic. Not a “yes-person”.
•Strong relationship with technology.
•Familiarity with Google Apps, Mailchimp and WordPress, a big plus
•Willingness for domestic and international travel as needed.
• Ability to legally work in Poland. CIC is unable to sponsor visas for this role at this time.
OUR OFFER
• Compensation is within 8500 - 9500 zł gross range, depending on experience.
• Full-time employment contract (no B2B option).
• Private medical care (family or individual plan).
• City transportation card (ZTM).
• Access to my-benefit platform.
• PPK (optional).
• Access to the coworking space for a family member or close person
• Hybrid work model. You will work three days per week in the office, with Thursdays required as a core in-office day.
• Necessary tools for work (laptop and phone).
• Allocated budget for training (customized to specific requirements of the role and organization's objectives).
Please submit your application in English. Thank you!
CIC welcomes all candidates regardless of race, color, ancestry, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status or disability. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
