Community Engagement & Events Manager

Community Engagement & Events Manager at LaunchCode connects talent to opportunity by being the face and voice of LaunchCode in St. Louis: building brand awareness, planning learner meetups and events, and serving as the host and ambassador for our St. Louis building, welcoming learners, hiring partners, donors, and community organizations. As we build an AI-ready workforce through free tech training and free job placement, this role will also lead awareness of Hire Human, our initiative for Agentic AI training and placement. This is a brand new, one-of-a-kind role, and the person in it will have real freedom to shape it into something special. We are looking for a high-energy, creative self-starter who is polished and personable, savvy with AI and new tools, and energized by building something new without a clear roadmap.

Specifics

• Full-Time Salaried (Exempt) Position

• Reports to the VP of People Operations, with a dotted line to the CEO

• Salary Range: $62,000 - $78,000, depending on experience

• Hybrid: must be located in the Greater St. Louis, MO area; on-site at least 2 days per week (typically 2 to 3) plus additional days for events and building needs. You choose your on-site days, with flexibility around your calendar.

• Local travel within the St. Louis area for community events and partner meetings; occasional evening and weekend events

Role Responsibilities

Building Ambassador & Events

• Bring creative, fresh ideas for the best use of our St. Louis building, and turn the strongest ones into programs, partnerships, and events

• Think outside the box: pilot new event formats, partner with unexpected organizations, and test ideas quickly, learning from what works and what doesn’t

• Plan and run monthly learner meetups and in-person programming such as mock interviews, partnering with the Learning Engagement Specialist and the VP of Talent Operations to bring in speakers, trainers, and employers who help learners as they move through our courses

• Design and host quarterly events at our building that build the LaunchCode brand and connect us with current and prospective hiring partners, donors, and community leaders

• Own our St. Louis building as a community hub: be its host, champion, and ambassador for learners, hiring partners, donors, and visitors, giving every guest a welcoming, professional experience of LaunchCode

• Manage the building calendar for internal and external use, and recruit mission-aligned St. Louis organizations to use the space

• Partner with the VP of People Operations to keep the building event-ready, and meet service providers on-site when needed

Community & Partner Presence

• Build and maintain relationships across the St. Louis tech, education, workforce, nonprofit, and philanthropic communities, both locally and virtually, including tabling and networking at events such as St. Louis Tech Week

• In conjunction with our account executives, meet with hiring partners and other partner organizations around the St. Louis area

• Pursue earned media, such as articles, podcasts, and speaking opportunities, to grow brand awareness

• Loop in the CEO and LaunchCode team members on events and meetings when appropriate to maximize brand awareness

Brand Voice, Hire Human & Online Presence

• Create and post social, blog, and email content that builds awareness of Hire Human and LaunchCode’s work nationwide, including stories that celebrate learner, alumni, and partner wins, using AI tools and design tools like Canva

• Monitor and respond to reviews and inquiries on Glassdoor, Google, and other platforms

• Help keep our brand consistent across public channels and flag outdated materials

Operations Support

• Own our company swag, including ordering, refreshing the designs, and distributing to new hires, event guests, and hiring partners

• Pitch in wherever the team needs help; we are a lean team and everyone chips in

Qualifications

• Experience in at least one of the following: community engagement or outreach, event planning, community liaison work, or marketing, brand, or social media. We care more about initiative and results than years of experience.

• A high-energy self-starter who takes initiative without needing step-by-step direction, and who is comfortable (even excited) working in ambiguity to build something new

• Pride of ownership and a host's mindset: you take care of a space and the people in it, and you represent LaunchCode well to every visitor

• Professional presence and strong verbal and written communication, with the emotional intelligence to read a room and tailor your message to executives, donors, partners, and learners

• Comfortable and savvy with AI tools, social media platforms, and new software, and able to learn our internal systems quickly

• A strong sense of brand and storytelling: you understand how a brand builds trust, can write and post in a clear, consistent voice, and know how to represent an organization’s mission and tone across social and online channels

• Collaborative, curious, and always learning, with no task too small

• Ability to travel locally throughout the St. Louis area

• A deep commitment to our mission and values, and a passion for transforming the technology and workforce development/education sectors

Nice to haves

• An existing network in the St. Louis tech, education, workforce development, nonprofit, or philanthropy communities

• Experience with nonprofit, workforce development, or education organizations

• Experience hosting events, tabling, or public speaking

• Experience with Asana, Canva, HubSpot (or a similar CRM), and email marketing platforms

• Experience building or maintaining a brand voice, style guide, or content calendar

• Writing or content experience, including donor- or partner-facing communications

• Familiarity with the AI and tech industries

• Experience managing online reviews or reputation (Glassdoor, Google, etc.)

About LaunchCode

LaunchCode is a nonprofit building an AI-ready workforce. We provide free education and free job placement for people who want to put in the work, and cost-effective talent delivery for employers who need results. For more than a decade we have placed people into technical roles, launching 4,000+ tech careers, building a network of 22,500+ alumni, and partnering with 500+ hiring companies nationwide, including Mastercard, Centene, Boeing, Cigna, and Broadcom.

Today we offer two free programs: AI Adoption, for people who want to lead their organizations into the AI era as Agentic Specialists or Agentic Engineers, and Software Development, for people who want to build the applications that power the modern world. Through Hire Human, our initiative focused on Agentic AI, learners can start with AI 101 at no cost and employers can hire U.S.-based Agentic Specialists and Engineers by the project. We are hungry for the future, and we hire people who are, too. Want to learn more? Visit launchcode.org and hirehuman.ai, or our careers page, to see how you can help shape our vision!

Benefits at LaunchCode

• 12 paid holidays and accrue 25 days of Paid Time Off per year

• 100% employer-funded medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employees and 75% employer-funded premiums for dependents

• 401k contribution match up to 6% vesting after 6 months

• 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave