Community Developer

Tech Valley Center of Gravity; City of Troy (NY); On-site; USD 28,930,000 - 30,996,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedule

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Comped makerspace membership

Job summary

Tech Valley Center of Gravity in Troy, NY seeks a Community Developer to be the concierge of the COG community. The role builds member connections, manages events, and handles tours, onboarding, and customer service tasks.

You will log projects for newsletters, support social media, and coordinate open houses and vendor markets. The ideal candidate has 1–3 years in customer service or nonprofit/admin roles, strong communication, and experience with social media and CRM systems.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience in customer service, marketing, public relations, and/or nonprofit administration.
• Knowledge of makerspaces and their roles in the community.
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Strong communication skills, both written and interpersonal.
• Experience with social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn).
• Experience with Google business suite (Gmail, Docs, Drive, etc).
• Experience with a customer database (CiviCRM or similar CRM).
• Prior experience in marketing, communications, graphic design, or sales; Canva or Adobe Suite is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Be the first point of contact for phone calls, emails, and walk-ins; provide tours or referrals.
• Onboard new members; assist signup, issue access fobs, and introductions.
• Assist members with customer service tasks, update payments, adjust subscriptions, and event registrations.
• Capture member projects and events for newsletters, social media, and grants.
• Create social media posts and manage posting schedule.
• Set up event registrations, update website, and publish monthly newsletter.
• Coordinate volunteer-supported events and Open Houses.

Skills

Customer service

Marketing

Public relations

Nonprofit administration

Social media

Canva

Adobe Suite

CRM (CiviCRM)

Google Workspace (Gmail/Docs/Drive)

Tools

Gmail

Docs

Drive

CiviCRM

Job description

Applications accepted & reviewed on a rolling basis.

The COG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Makerspace, hardware incubator, and STEAM education center located in downtown Troy, NY. We provide affordable access to a creative community, workspace, manufacturing equipment, and training focused on practical skills and hands‑on experience. Membership is open to entrepreneurs and hobbyists alike. The only requirement is a passion to create!

The Community Developer is the concierge to the COG community. They’re familiar with all of the resources the COG has to offer, but more importantly, they have strong relationships with our members. They actively make connections between members to build internal communities with similar interests, and to help each other solve problems. To do this, they prioritize socializing with current and potential members, to learn more about their projects, interests, goals, and roadblocks. As they build these relationships, they will manage an array of tasks that support the membership and the overall organization:

• Be the first point of contact for phone calls, general inbox emails, and walk‑ins, providing facility tours and answering questions as best as possible or making referrals to the appropriate staff member.
• Onboard new members - assist with the signup process, issue building access fobs, answer questions, and make personal introductions to other members of the community.
• Assist members with customer service tasks, such as updating payment information, adjusting membership subscriptions, and registering for events.
• Capture photos, videos, and written descriptions of member projects and COG events, logging them in the COG’s “Story Database,” to be used for email newsletters, social media, website, sponsorship asks, and grant applications.
• Create social media posts and manage a social media posting schedule.
• Complete administrative tasks, such as set up event registration pages, update the website, and compile/publish the COG’s monthly email newsletter.
• Assist with coordinating volunteer‑supported events, such as regular Open Houses and mini vendor markets.

Desired Characteristics and Qualifications

This position is suited to someone with 1-3 years of experience in customer service, marketing, public relations, and/or nonprofit administration.The COG is committed to maintaining a positive and equitable working environment. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds and education levels with relevant skills and experience to apply.

A successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Knowledge of makerspaces and their roles in the community.
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Strong communication skills, both written and interpersonal.
• Ability to switch between various tasks depending on immediate member needs.
• Experience with social media platforms (we currently use Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn).
• Experience with Google business suite (Gmail, Docs, Drive, etc)
• Experience with a customer database (we use CiviCRM, but experience with any CRM will be helpful).
• Prior experience in marketing, communications, graphic design, or sales. Experience with Canva or Adobe Suite products is a plus.

The COG is a non‑profit organization with a small staff. The ideal applicant will be an enthusiastic, outgoing team player who works well with others and is willing to occasionally assist other staff with duties outside their own department.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to see, talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to sit and reach with hands and arms, as well as move around a manufacturing environment. Occasionally, personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required to project eyes and ears. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The COG is a wheelchair accessible space.

• This is a 20 hour per week, part‑time position, paying $21 per hour.
• Benefits include a flexible schedule, paid holidays, paid time off, and comped makerspace membership.
• This is an in‑person position. Some tasks may be able to be completed remotely on an as‑needed basis.
• Our advertised staffed office hours are 11am-5pm Monday to Friday. We anticipate the main working hours to be within that time frame, but the actual schedule is flexible. Occasional evening and weekend availability required to assist with events and connect with nights & weekends members.

More Information About The COG

The Tech Valley Center of Gravity (The COG) is a 501(c)(3) non‑profit organization that serves as the Capital Region’s premier Makerspace, providing low‑cost access to equipment, tools, technology and space, as well as business expertise, education and resources. The COG is also a NY State certified business incubator supported by Empire State Development and an affiliated partner with Innovate 518, the regional innovation hotspot. In this role, we support hardware startups in their foundational phase, as they develop initial prototypes, perform customer discovery, and transition to manufacturing. The COG offers regular STEAM education programming and classes for young makers through the THINQubator, our children’s Makerspace.

The COG’s mission is to empower makers to connect, collaborate, and create.

The COG’s Vision:

• The COG will be a preeminent makerspace community that seamlessly blends hobbyist, educational, and entrepreneurial ambitions by providing a place for all makers to practice and develop hands‑on skills.
• It will be a fun, exciting, and creatively stimulating environment that encourages connection and collaboration as cornerstones to self‑empowerment.
• Every person, regardless of background, will be able to see themselves here because they’ll see active members just like them doing great work.
• Dozens of successful, world‑enhancing businesses will be able to say “We started at the COG”
• The COG will be a factor in why makers choose to live, work, and play in the Capital Region

Learn more and take a virtual tour by visiting the website at www.tvcog.net.

The Tech Valley Center of Gravity is an equal opportunity employer.