Program Manager, Community Development

Job Purpose

The Program Manager, Community Development is responsible for leading the planning, development, and execution of strategic community programs, initiatives, partnerships, and engagement activities that foster a thriving and inclusive community. This role ensures alignment with Campus & Community mission, values, and strategic goals, strengthens the resident experience, builds long-term capacity through sustainable community programming, and plays a key part in designing and implementing the annual activity calendar for programs, initiatives, and events.

Major Accountabilities

• Strategically plan, develop, and oversee the delivery of community development programs, initiatives, and activities to ensure alignment with departmental objectives and the needs of KAUST residents.
• Lead and manage Program Specialists through guidance, coaching, workload planning, and performance feedback to ensure effective initiative delivery and continuous improvement.
• Establish frameworks, guidelines, and standards for community clubs, initiatives, language programs, and community spaces to ensure consistency, compliance, and quality of resident experience.
• Provide strategic oversight of community clubs—including approval processes, governance, sponsorship support, venue allocation, standard setting, and risk mitigation—to ensure sustainable operations.
• Direct community needs analysis processes—including surveys, focus groups, forums, and data interpretation—and translate insights into actionable program strategies and service enhancements.
• Develop and maintain community partnerships and collaborations with organizations, clubs, and interest groups to increase program capacity, shared value, and resident engagement.
• Direct the end-to-end planning of major community events and strategic programming, guiding Specialist teams to deliver high-quality, impactful resident experiences.
• Oversee the strategic development of English and Arabic Language Programs, defining learning outcomes, resourcing plans, inclusive access strategies, and quality assurance standards.
• Manage program budgets, including forecasting, cost control, procurement support, and return-on-investment tracking to ensure fiscal responsibility.
• Drive sponsorship, procurement, and partnership models to expand opportunities, in-kind support, and resources available to residents and community clubs.
• Establish measurement and reporting systems that track community engagement, program participation, and resident satisfaction to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Ensure effective risk management, safety protocols, and compliance across all community programs, activities, and spaces.
• Foster a culture of innovation, volunteerism, cultural expression, and collaboration to strengthen community connection and shared identity at KAUST.
• Drive continuous improvement in customer satisfaction by establishing structured post-event surveys, engagement mechanisms, and feedback analytics to optimize future community offerings.
• Execute any additional managerial functions aligned with departmental strategy, organizational priorities, and service excellence within Campus and Community.

Person Requirements 

Competencies

• Ability to define and communicate long-term community development strategies.
• Strong leadership and people management skills with coaching mindset.
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement across multicultural environments.
• Proven strategic planning and program governance capability.
• High-level organizational, analytical, and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Sound judgment when managing sensitive community issues and feedback.
• Ability to balance innovation with operational practicality.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; familiarity with project management platforms preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Community Development, Education, Social Sciences, or related discipline.
• Project management certification (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2), community engagement training, or related professional development credentials.

Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in community development, social programming, resident engagement, or similar community-focused environments, preferably within a diverse, international, or residential campus context.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience managing teams, including responsibility for coaching, performance oversight, workload prioritization, and professional development.
• Demonstrated experience leading strategic programs, initiatives, or services that enhance community wellbeing and engagement.
• Experience developing and overseeing budgets, resources, or operational plans for community-based programs.