Coworking Community Manager: Role & Job Description [2024]

A coworking space manager is the secret sauce to a thriving coworking community.

They are the unicorns of the space – the fast-thinkers, the problem-solvers, the shoulder to cry on and the person cheering you on to do your best work.

Finding a great coworking community manager is about knowing who you’re looking for and creating a hiring process that helps separate the good from the absolute best. After working with hundreds of clients, we’ve seen exactly what it takes to win in the world of coworking community management.

This article was created to be your one-stop shop for understanding the role of a great community manager. The information here comes straight from our experience in coworking and often from the mouths of community managers themselves. 

By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to define, find, and hire an exceptional team member for your space.

What is a coworking community manager?

A coworking space manager, also known as a community manager or coworking community manager, is the face of your coworking space and the first touch point for your members.

They are the person who checks people in, makes the coffee, fixes the WiFi, chats with your members, creates your social content, and everything in between.

When you’re first starting your coworking business, your community manager may be yourself, especially if you’re trying to keep your costs low. Or, you may choose to automate your coworking space and not hire a community manager at all (with a platform like Optix, it could be possible!).

What does a coworking space manager do?

Coworking space managers wear several different hats including but not limited to marketer, receptionist, salesperson, tour guide, therapist, best friend, and so much more. Their exact role will depend on the needs of your space and what you define. 

Here is a breakdown of what the typical community manager role includes in a coworking space across five key categories.

1. Operations

Operations is exactly as it sounds – all of the operational bits and pieces that keep your business running. Tasks include:

• Handle invoicing, payments, and membership agreements
• Manage the coworking space software
• Coordinate mail and package deliveries
• Visitor management 

PRO TIP: Operations are typically lower thinking tasks that are prime for automation. Consider engaging software to automate as many operational tasks as you can to ensure your community manager has the time to do the human things that really matter on the day-to-day – like connecting with members and providing an outstanding experience.

2. Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing is one of the most common functions for community managers in a coworking space behind operations. It’s so common in fact that we wrote an entire article on Essential Sales and Marketing Skills that Every Community Manager Should Know.

If you’re managing a coworking space, we highly recommend checking it out. Here is a short, non-exhaustive list, of sales and marketing tasks a community manager may be responsible for:

• Manage social media accounts
• Facilitate tours
• Follow up with potential leads
• Write blogs or create other marketing content

PRO TIP: If you’re a community manager, learn how to give a really great tour of the coworking space. This is the greatest sales tool you have, and an incredible way to prove your value as a manager.

3. Community management

Community management is the meat and potatoes of the work of a community manager.Ideally, this is where they’ll be investing most of their time. It includes pieces like:

• Host events in the space
• Solve disputes between members
• Greet members when they enter the space
• Facilitate connections between members 

Tori Taylor, Founder at Bad Company Workspace in New Zealand, says she is perfectly happy with her coworking community managers spending all of their shift interacting with members and building relationships. It’s a critical part of the job and can be a critical piece to member retention. Learn more about it in our webinar on member retention below.

4. Receptionist services

The level of receptionist services a community manager does will depend largely on the space, particularly whether or not they offer virtual mail services. Those who did will find a strong need for services like:

• Answer and forward calls
• Manage virtual mail or virtual coworking services and clients

5. Space management

Finally, most community managers take on some level of management of the physical space, whether that’s ordering supplies for making sure there is always a fresh pot of coffee ready to go. Common tasks include:

• Make coffee and refill snacks
• Stock office and kitchen supplies
• Clean and tidy the space throughout the day

PRO TIP: Space management presents another opportunity for automation. Steve Krueger, Founder at ECOMsquare, set certain supplies to auto purchase on Amazon based on the average time it took for them to be used by the community. You can do this for toilet paper, oat milk, paper towels, cleaning supplies, the list goes on and on.

What qualities make for a great coworking space manager?

Mastering the hard skills of community management is one thing, but having the right qualities can be harder to find. You’re looking for a community manager who is quick on their feet, deeply empathetic, a people person, and a problem solver. In short, a unicorn.

We asked five of the best community managers what it takes to be exceptional in their role. Here are some of the qualities that were mentioned.

1. Trustworthy
2. Respectful
3. Welcoming
4. A good listener
5. Friendly

To learn more about what it takes to be a great community manager, according to those who do it, check out our article here. 

How to hire a great community manager

Now that you understand what a community manager is and what their job may entail, it’s time to break down how to hire one. This guide will be most helpful to you if you’ve never hired a community manager before. If you have, use it as a gut check to refine your process.

1. Conduct a community manager job analysis

A job analysis is standard practice when hiring for a role. It involves conducting research via other job descriptions, identifying the required outcomes for the job, examining job efficiencies, and determining if training is required.

For a community manager position in a coworking space, a job analysis may involve the following steps:

1. Review the job requirements

Think about exactly what it is that you need your community manager to do. Will they be a generalist who is expected to troubleshoot WiFi problems and greet members with a smile? Or would you prefer a specialist who is a wiz at social media with limited experience in hospitality?

Start by getting clear about the requirements that you need in your space and write them down. This ensures you include exactly what you’re looking for when it comes time to create the job listing.

2. Analyze existing job listings

Chances are, there are a ton of existing job listings and job descriptions for a community manager already (we even include an example later in this article). 

Analyze what exists in the market already to get a sense of what is typical. Pay attention to things like:

• Typical and recurring responsibilities
• Any speciality experience or education that is required
• Fair compensation for your geographic location

This would also be a good time to reach out to other coworking owners and operators and get a sense of how they’ve hired community managers in the past. To do this, you can join the We Run Flex community on Facebook, a free private community dedicated to helping coworking owners and operators level up. 

3. Identify outcomes required for the job 

What would success in this role look like? What do you hope your coworking manager will help you achieve? 

For coworking spaces, the outcome of a successful community manager may mean the space is clean and well-stocked, members feel comfortable and supported, and leads are being followed up with on a consistent basis. 

Many leaders agree that poor hiring decisions happen when they are not clear on what success in the role looks like – so this is a very important step that you won’t want to skip! 

4. Determine the skills and training required for the role

What specific skills are required to achieve the desired outcome that you defined? If a candidate does not possess these skills, how much training will you provide? 

Every candidate will require some level of training to become familiar with your space and how your business operates. However, determining up front whether you are looking for someone with no experience, 1-2 years of experience, or 4+ years of experience will help you filter the right candidates through your evaluation process.

5. Define the compensation

One of the most important steps in the job analysis process is defining the compensation for the role. This will be highly dependent on where you’re located, your budget, the tasks you’re asking your candidates to perform, and their level of experience.

Community managers can be paid anywhere from minimum wage to $30+ USD an hour. The average seems to be around $20-$25/hr USD depending on where you’re located.

When creating a job description, it’s always best to include a salary range of the upper and lower limit for the role for transparency (and depending on where you are in the world, it may be required). 

2. Write a community manager job description

After you conduct a job analysis, the next step is to write a great job description for your listing. 

Here are some best practices to follow when writing your job description for your superstar community manager.

1. Implement a clear structure

Most job descriptions follow a similar structure, whether you’re writing them for a role in a coworking space or not. That structure typically includes:

• About the job: explaining the company and the role at a high level
• Key duties and responsibilities: detailed description of what the duties of the role will be
• Skills & Experience: key skills that the candidate will be bringing to the role
• Education: any required education or certificates 
• Salary: anticipated salary range
• Perks and bonus: additional benefits outside of compensation

You don’t need to follow this structure exactly. However, these are all things you’ll want to ensure are accounted for in your JD.

2. Aim for 300-600 words

Be detailed in your description…but not too detailed. Aim for your description to be between 300 and 600 words. You want to make sure you’re giving candidates enough information about the role, without overwhelming them.

3. Focus on what you can offer them

Many job descriptions focus solely on what an employer is looking for in a candidate. One way to stand out and show you are a desirable place to work is to focus on what you as an organization can offer your candidates. 

Whether that’s free snacks, team-bonding events, or extended health coverage, remember to focus your attention on what a candidate is receiving rather than just what is required of them.

4. Include keywords that are not specific to coworking in the job description (ie. receptionist, hospitality, waitress, etc.)

Although coworking is growing in popularity, it is still a relatively new sector in the flex industry. Therefore, it may be challenging to find people who have worked as a community manager before, especially if you’re operating a rural coworking space or a place where coworking is less known.

However, the skills of a community manager are highly transferable from other customer service or receptionist type positions. You may have luck with adding keywords like “receptionist” or “customer service attendant” to your job descriptions, or including in your Requirements & Skills section that any hospitality experience is a bonus – not just coworking!.

5. Let your personality shine

Add your personality into the job description and look for ways you can creatively convey the information you’re presenting. At the end of the day, it is as much about making your organization appealing to job applicants as it is about finding the right person for the role.

BONUS: Example of a coworking space manager job description

Looking for an example of a job description for your community manager role? Below is one example that you can tailor to fit the needs of your space. 

This organization approached the description with a story-telling format, included what they offer, and put their accommodation policy at the end. Use this as inspiration for your own JD!

Community Manager

Los Angeles, California

[Summary of company] We’ve built the world’s largest workspace network so that our customers can work better, faster, and happier. Join the team in one of our coworking spaces. Promote our products and services to new and existing customers. Bring more freedom to more people and businesses. And you’ll be able to work better, faster and happier too.

The opportunity

[Summary of role] As a Community Manager, you’ll be responsible for the smooth running of the space. You’ll motivate your team to create a great working environment to ensure customer satisfaction and retention.

A typical day 

[Role duties] You start the day with an informal team talk over coffee, to plan the day and make sure everyone’s prepared.

With one eye always on reception, you see members turning up and also the first meeting rooms guests arriving. You welcome them and take them to their meeting room, show them the facilities and help them set up their WiFi connections and AV system for their presentation.

Later you have a meeting to learn more about a new member and get to understand his business needs. You think about the other members and how you might be able to introduce him to a couple that may be of interest at the networking event later in the week.

A large company is taking a whole floor of the space and is moving in next week. You run through the move in detail with the reception team, ensuring the welcome kit is prepared, and all badges and keys are ready for handing over.

At lunchtime a couple walks in enquiring about coworking membership. Your colleague from sales is on their lunch break so you offer them a coffee and give them a tour of the coworking space, explaining all the benefits of membership.

Later in the afternoon you host a monthly operations meeting for Community Managers from your local cluster of spaces, along with the regional Operations Manager. After the meeting you do a final walk around the building, speaking with members, asking how their day went as they start to wind down and head for home.

About you

[Requirements] We’re looking for someone who has the experience and aptitude to manage a smooth running operation. You’ll need to be an accomplished multitasker, able to pre-empt issues before they become problems, and keep a team motivated and focused on service excellence. You also need to be:

• A good communicator, used to dealing with customers – ideally in the hospitality or events industry
• Happy taking ownership of problems and finding ways to solve them
• Positive, enthusiastic and able to adapt to fast-changing situations
• Confident using MS Office and other basic IT packages

What we offer

[What we offer] On top of a competitive salary package you’ll enjoy:

• A bright and inspiring work environment
• Training and development opportunities
• The best coffee for free

Accommodation Policy:

[Accommodation] We are committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity. Accommodations are available upon request for all applicants with a disability throughout the recruitment process.

There is no single “right way” to write a job description. Focus on making it an interesting, exciting, and accurate reflection of your space to attract the right kind of candidates to the role.

3. Post your ad on as many places as possible

Now that you’ve written a clear and compelling job description, it’s time to post your ad on as many job boards as you can! 

You can start with some of the more popular generic job boards like:

• LinkedIn
• Indeed
• Google for jobs
• Craigslist

Promote the job through your own personal network as well to get in front of as many people as possible. You’ll also want to consider coworking specific job sites and opportunities including the Coworking Job Board by Coworkies to make sure your role is getting in front of the right people.

4. Evaluate candidate applications

Evaluating applications for a role is as much of an art as a science. People dedicate their entire lives to matching the right person with the right role, and it’s a skill worth mastering as your business and team grows.

One thing that can be helpful at this stage is separating the need-to-haves from the nice-to-have qualities.

Finding a community manager who has sales experience, a customer service background, social media experience, is great with technology, and can make a mean cup of coffee can feel next to impossible.

Before you begin looking at applications, consider writing out all of the qualities your perfect community manager possesses. Then list these qualities in order of importance.

For example, maybe your space is known for being warm, welcoming, and community-driven. Hiring an extraverted community manager with strong interpersonal skills will be an absolute must, while other qualities, like deep knowledge of coworking SEO or IT experience, may come second to that.

Think about exactly what it is that your space needs and keep these qualities top-of-mind in the hiring process. 

5. Interview qualified candidates and make a selection 

Finally, we’ve gotten to the interview process! For a part-time community manager role, a single interview is all that usually makes sense. But that’s more than enough time to get the information you need about a candidate.

An interview will typically start with a brief introduction (“Tell me about yourself and why you want this role”) , followed by some behavioral questions to gauge their skill level.

Tailor yours to the coworking experience by asking questions specific to common occurrences in your coworking space. Here are a few examples:

• There is a member in the space who frequently disrupts other members while they’re working. How would you handle this situation?
• You get to the space in the morning and realize that the coffee machine is broken. What do you do?
• Members are abusing the phone booth and not following booking policies on a regular basis. What do you do to ensure this doesn’t happen?

You’re looking for answers that show you how the candidate handles difficult or uncomfortable situations. Qualities like patience, understanding, and adaptiveness go a long way in these situations.

Throughout the entire interview process, you’ll also want to pay attention to the general energy of the individual. 

When hiring your community manager, look for someone with a personality that will fit well with your space and your members.

Any skill can be taught. It’s more important to find people with the right personality who are a right cultural fit for the space.

And finally, look for someone who has the skills to both attract and retain members.

Attracting members: this includes things like following up with leads, managing social media accounts, updating the website, and giving a great tour.

Retaining members: this includes things like engaging the community, holding events, and seamlessly managing the day-to-day operations of the space.

Ideally you’ll find a community manager who is great at both – someone who has the sales skills necessary to bring people in and the hospitality skills necessary to get people to stay. But if you need to prioritize one skillset over the other, it’s best to figure that out before you begin the hiring process.

A final tip on hiring a community manager for your coworking space

Before you run off and hire someone for your space, we want to leave you with one final piece of advice: don’t hire someone until you can financially support it. 

First-time operators can sometimes make the mistake of bringing people and tools on before they’re financially ready, and community managers are not cheap. 

If you’re based in North America, you may expect to pay between $400 and $1,000 a week for your community manager depending on their roles and responsibilities – if not more.

Make sure you have the cash flow to support bringing another person on board before you begin the hiring process. If you are in need of some extra help, but can’t afford a full-time manager, consider looking into a community volunteer, virtual assistant or running your coworking space autonomously with the help of coworking software.

Set yourself up for hiring success

Hiring a community manager is a huge milestone for new coworking operators, but it’s not always easy.

By following a careful hiring process that considers both qualifications and cultural fit, you can find the right person to lead your coworking community and help you develop meaningful connections with your members. 

Looking for more advice on how to hire for your coworking space? Here are four best practices for hiring your coworking staff.