Community Associate

Plug and Play; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Heart of Silicon Valley

Exposure to startups & investors

Collaborative environment

Cross-functional experience

Global platform career

Job summary

Plug and Play in San Jose is seeking a highly organized Community Associate to support programs, events, and engagement with startups and corporate partners. The role spans program delivery, business development, and ventures support in a fast-paced environment.

You will coordinate with startups, mentors, investors, and internal teams to bring activities to life, onboard startups, and track engagement. A strong organizational mindset and proactive attitude are essential.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years of professional experience in community engagement, business development, program coordination, operations, startups, technology, or a related field.
• Experience in a startup, accelerator, incubator, or innovation ecosystem is highly preferred.
• Strong interest in technology, startups, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with diverse stakeholders.
• Able to manage multiple priorities and support different functions as needs evolve.
• Proactive, resourceful, hands-on approach to getting things done.

Responsibilities

• Support planning and execution of programs, workshops, pitch sessions, and community events, in-person and virtual.
• Coordinate with startups, partners, mentors, investors, speakers, and teams for smooth delivery.
• Assist startup engagement, onboarding, check-ins, communications, and feedback collection.
• Help with event logistics, outreach, registration, materials, and vendor coordination.
• Build and maintain relationships across the local startup and innovation ecosystem.
• Support community engagement initiatives and opportunities to connect startups, corporations, investors, and ecosystem stakeholders.
• Track participation, prepare reports, and identify opportunities to improve the participant experience.

Skills

Community engagement

Business development

Program coordination

Operations

Startups

Technology

Innovation

Job description

WHO WE ARE

Plug and Play Tech Center is the ultimate innovation platform, bringing together the best startups and the world’s largest corporations to create the most meaningful connections that bring innovation to anyone, anywhere. We are on a mission to bring the benefits of Silicon Valley to all four corners of the world. Within our platform, we focus on various sectors, including a dedicated energy vertical where pioneering startups meet industry leaders in the energy sector.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Plug and Play Tech Center is looking for a highly organized, proactive, and entrepreneurial Community Associate to join our San Jose team. This role will support a broad range of activities across community engagement, program delivery, business development, and the startup ecosystem.

The ideal candidate is someone who enjoys working across different areas, building relationships, staying close to startups and entrepreneurs, and helping bring programs, events, and community initiatives to life. This is a hands‑on role that requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, adaptability, and the ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced environment.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Program, Events & Community Engagement

• Support the planning and execution of programs, workshops, pitch sessions, and community events, both in-person and virtually.
• Coordinate with startups, corporate partners, mentors, investors, speakers, and internal teams to support smooth program and event delivery.
• Support startup engagement, including onboarding, check‑ins, communications, and feedback collection.
• Assist with event logistics, outreach, registration, materials, and vendor coordination.
• Help build and maintain relationships across the local startup and innovation ecosystem.
• Support community engagement initiatives and opportunities to connect startups, corporations, investors, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
• Assist with tracking program and event participation, preparing reports, and identifying opportunities to improve the participant experience.
  

Business Development Support

• Support the team in identifying potential corporate partners, startups, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
• Research target companies and relevant market opportunities to support business development efforts.
• Assist with outreach, meeting preparation, follow‑ups, and maintaining accurate records of business development activities.
• Help prepare presentations, proposals, reports, and other materials for external stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate information in internal systems and support the team in keeping pipelines and databases up to date.
• Support selected relationships and business development activities

Startup & Ventures Support

• Support startup sourcing, research, and ecosystem mapping across relevant technology sectors.
• Assist with identifying and engaging promising startups.
• Help coordinate introductions between startups, investors, corporations, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Track relevant startup developments, funding activity, partnerships, and ecosystem news.
• Support ventures‑related research and internal initiatives as needed.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• 2–3 years of professional experience in community engagement, business development, program coordination, operations, startups, technology, or a related field.
• Experience working in a startup, technology, accelerator, incubator, innovation ecosystem, or similar environment is highly preferred.
• Strong interest in technology, startups, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships with different types of stakeholders.
• Comfortable working across multiple priorities and supporting different functions as business needs evolve.
• Proactive, resourceful, and willing to take a hands‑on approach to getting things done.

WHAT WE OFFER

• The opportunity to work at the heart of the Silicon Valley innovation ecosystem.
• Exposure to startups, corporations, investors, and leading technology companies.
• A highly collaborative and entrepreneurial working environment.
• Opportunities to develop experience across community, programs, business development, and ventures.
• The opportunity to grow within a global innovation platform and develop a career across multiple areas of the business.