The American Underground is a startup hub, coworking space, and professional community. With multiple campuses in downtown Durham, the AU is home to 250+ startups, entrepreneurs, investors, agencies, remote workers, nonprofits, and more.

The AU is seeking to hire a Strategic Growth Manager to grow and support our thriving community of members. This person will own the revenue function for the AU, which includes coworking memberships, office leasing, meeting rooms, and event rentals. Because the AU is a small and collaborative team, this role will require both a broad skill set and also the willingness to jump between strategic thinking and hands-on work. A given day may include giving tours, negotiating agreements, responding to meeting room requests, running revenue projections, connecting with members, and assisting with AU events.

The ideal candidate demonstrates a commitment to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. Familiarity with the Triangle startup community and/or experience as an entrepreneur is an added bonus.

This position will report to the AU’s Executive Director and is an in-person position based at the AU’s locations in downtown Durham.

The American Underground seeks to be the most diverse startup hub in the world, and our team should reflect that. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply to this position.

Job Responsibilities

• Manage and execute all American Underground coworking membership and office rental activities
  • Actively manage an inbound sales funnel of prospective members with a strong sense of urgency, organization and efficiency
  • Provide engaging tours while communicating the story and value of AU
  • Manage the office space inventory to identify current and future opportunities; think strategically about potential tenants for both community curation and growth potential
  • Provide prompt and welcoming communication to prospective members, and coordinate closely with the Community Manager for onboarding and support
• Scale up the meeting room and event rental revenue line
  • Work with the AU team and partners to drive growth in meeting and event rentals
  • Actively manage inbound rental inquiries with friendly efficiency
• Maintain a high level of knowledge of the AU community
  • Constantly seek to connect with both new and existing members, to provide support and uncover opportunities
  • Attend AU events and meetups
• Attend community events, meetups and other relationship-building opportunities to increase AU brand awareness and drive membership and event leads

Job Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in a sales, business development, or partnerships role
• Experience managing a consultative sales process for both inbound and outbound leads, from start to finish
• Experience with negotiations and contract development
• Strong sense of urgency and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to multitask, and strong attention to detail
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to draw insights
• A positive attitude, confident but friendly approach, and a desire to be the best
• Ability to quickly develop relationships and establish credibility through consultative, needs-based conversation
• Bonus: Experience as an entrepreneur, in a startup, or with a startup ecosystem organization