Remote Community Manager Job at TechChange | $65–$85/Hour

About the role

TechChange is seeking an experienced Community Manager to oversee a growing virtual community of practice for a nonprofit partner.

The community focuses on developing and adopting a shared data model and standard for postsecondary and workforce education. The partner organisation sets the overall strategy and direction, while TechChange manages the community's day-to-day activities.

The successful candidate will be responsible for member engagement, onboarding, community events, working groups, communications, reporting, and relationship management. They will help members progress from initial interest to active participation and meaningful contributions.

This is a hands-on, senior-level position for someone who can manage a professional or technical community independently, build relationships with stakeholders, and keep projects moving without requiring constant supervision.

The initial contract runs from the start date until April 2027, with a potential extension until April 2028, depending on performance and continued funding.

Responsibilities

• Manage the community's daily activities and implement its engagement plan.
• Welcome and onboard new members, follow up with participants, and encourage meaningful contributions.
• Maintain regular community engagement through discussions, updates, resources, and member outreach.
• Organise community calls, quarterly learning sessions, and working group meetings.
• Prepare meeting agendas, document discussions, and follow up on agreed actions.
• Participate in Developer and Governance working groups as a subject-matter contributor.
• Coordinate feedback between community members and the partner's product team.
• Draft governance documents, working group charters, and participation guidelines for approval.
• Turn working group discussions and outcomes into reports, summaries, and other useful documentation.
• Monitor community health through participation, engagement, member satisfaction, and relevant CHAOSS indicators.
• Coordinate outreach activities with the partner's communications team to grow community membership.
• Promote community activities and share lessons learned in relevant professional and open-source communities.
• Maintain relationships with stakeholders across higher education, education technology, data standards, and open-source ecosystems.
• Chair regular project meetings and manage project plans, timelines, and reporting schedules.
• Prepare progress reports for TechChange, the partner's leadership, and funders.
• Represent the community at selected external events and professional gatherings when required.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience managing or leading communities of practice, preferably in open-source or open-standards environments.
• Experience organising community meetings, onboarding members, moderating discussions, and encouraging participation.
• Knowledge of data models, data standards, and postsecondary or workforce education.
• Ability to participate confidently in technical discussions about data models and standards.
• Experience working with nonprofits, foundations, public education institutions, or other mission-driven organisations.
• Credibility when working with senior stakeholders in higher education and education technology.
• Excellent organisational and writing skills, including the ability to prepare agendas, summaries, member updates, and reports.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and follow through on commitments.
• Strong relationship management and communication skills.
• Comfort managing a community under another organisation's brand and communications policies.
• Availability during US Eastern working hours.

Strongly preferred qualifications:

• Experience working with open-source projects or standards communities, including GitHub.
• A background in developer relations.
• Experience with the CHAOSS community or willingness to become involved.
• Familiarity with FHIR or health data interoperability.
• Experience working with or reporting to a major foundation.
• Knowledge of education data standards and interoperability initiatives, such as 1EdTech, the Learner Information Framework (LIF), or Ed-Fi.
• Experience with nonprofit organisations that support open-source projects or standards, such as Apereo or Lyrasis.
• Experience running virtual events, meetings, and online communities.
• Familiarity with Kolab, TechChange's virtual collaboration platform, or similar tools.

Benefits

• Competitive hourly compensation: Approximately $65–$85 per hour.
• Flexible workload: Approximately 30 hours per week, equivalent to 75% of a full-time workload.
• Remote work: Work remotely while maintaining availability during US Eastern business hours.
• Contract duration: Initial engagement until April 2027.
• Potential extension: The contract may continue until April 2028, depending on performance and funding.
• Professional exposure: Opportunities to collaborate with nonprofit leaders, education institutions, technical communities, and data standards stakeholders.
• Leadership experience: Take ownership of community engagement, member participation, and operational delivery.

Note: The announcement does not specify paid leave, health insurance, or other employee benefits. This is an independent contractor engagement, not a standard employment position.

How to apply

Interested candidates should apply through the official TechChange recruitment page.

Application link:
https://www.techchange.org/jobs/apply-community-manager

Applicants are required to provide:

• Their LinkedIn profile.
• A shareable link to their CV or résumé.

No document uploads are required.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Important: The role requires availability during US Eastern working hours. The announcement does not explicitly confirm whether applicants residing outside the United States are eligible, so international candidates should verify any geographic or contracting restrictions before applying.