General Manager, Strategic Sales & Partnerships - Berlin, DE

Are you a dynamic leader with a passion for growth and innovation? CIC is looking for a second General Manager to oversee Sales, Events, Marketing, Partnerships, and Venture Café Berlin at our new Berlin campus. Working alongside the General Manager, Strategic Operations, you will play a key role in shaping our presence and engaging with the vibrant local community. If you thrive on challenges and are eager to make a significant impact, we want to hear from you!

ABOUT CIC & CIC BERLIN

CIC builds and operates a global network of innovation campuses where startups, scale-ups, corporations and public entities connect, work, and grow. Founded in 1999, CIC manages more than 111,000 square meters of innovation-focused workspace, laboratories, and event space across North America, Europe and Asia. Different from other traditional workspaces, CIC creates and activates communities of innovation across its centers with Venture Cafe Thursday Gathering programming. Additionally, CIC develops innovation-related programming through our platform division, boosting innovation skills and capabilities across the ecosystem stakeholders, building and enabling industry clusters, connecting innovators across our global network, and providing world-class innovation consulting.

CIC opened our newest location in Berlin in April 2024. The location became the third CIC Innovation Campus in Europe, serving as a strategic addition to our campuses in Warsaw and Rotterdam, and an integral part of our global expansion plan.

The campus spans 13,500 square meters and features a combination of large, medium, and small private offices and shared workspace, event space, and a range of shared amenities. CIC intends to build on the location’s deep commitment to innovation and bring our distinct approach to enabling startups, scale-ups, corporations, and public entities to thrive.

Venture Café Berlin will launch in Q4 2024 alongside strategic partner CIC. Venture Café Berlin partners with companies and organizations that are evolving business, education, technology, social justice, science and the arts within Berlin and beyond. Our flagship Thursday Gathering convenes hundreds of creative, resourceful people who are just as invested in improving life on this planet as you are.

Learn more about us here.

YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK

As the General Manager of Strategic Sales & Partnerships, you will be responsible for setting the vision and implementing strategies to grow our community at CIC Berlin. This includes overseeing sales, events, marketing, Venture Café Berlin, and community activation to drive the center's success and growth. In this role, you will be responsible for creating and expanding this business area and for driving the combined sales of innovation programming with other CIC services in Berlin, increasing our local community at the CIC center.

You will lead the sales, platform, events, and program teams (including Venture Café), ensuring they have clear visions and goals and are working effectively to achieve them. Additionally, you will collaborate closely with the General Manager of Strategic Operations, who oversees HR, finance, operations, facility management, sales, and administration, to ensure the innovation center thrives. Your role will involve supporting these areas as needed to help achieve our goals.

We have opened the site recently hence alongside your co-GM you will be overseeing the growth of our Campus in Berlin. That is why we have added an additional section specifically on your work in the first 12-18 months.

FIRST 12-18 MONTHS:

• Developing and executing a robust strategy to attract and retain clients, including building a strong initial community of Berlin’s leading startups, investors, and innovators. Working to engage key strategic partners in and outside our location.

• Representing CIC publicly for business development and networking opportunities; as well as hosting strategic tours.

• Establishing events business model, creating and growing the Venture Cafe community and collaborating with restaurant operator and/or other facility partners.

• Working together with co-GM, VCGI and CIC’s People Success Team to recruit, hire, and train a strong team.

• Establishing the sales goals and KPI's to meet the financial goals and business targets of the platform business and Venture Café Berlin; and contribute to the budget of the center through events, business leads, and other synergies from community activation and or strategic partnership and programming.

• Supporting the execution of marketing campaigns to drive membership growth and enhance brand visibility in the market

YOUR ONGOING WORK:

Business Strategy & Leadership

• Managing the business, events and Venture Café operation in coordination with co-GM.

• Using data to make recommendations and form strategies aimed at reaching the business goals.

• Leading the partnership efforts between CIC and real estate partners to expand our product and reach.

• Employing an entrepreneurial mindset to improve our product.

Management

• Effectively building and leading sales, events, marketing and strategic partnership teams; helping individuals grow professionally; strategically looking out for the needs and morale of staff.

• Working closely in tandem with the General Manager, Strategic Operations, VCGI in order to ensure CIC Berlin’s growth and success.

• Supporting and participating in creation of a culture of inclusivity and equity as well as a sense of shared belonging amongst all staff.

• Communicating and integrating work across local, managed teams; serving as primary liaison to corporate in matters of Sales, Events, Marketing, and Partnerships.

Community Engagement & Strategic Partnerships

• Overseeing various CIC initiatives includes negotiating and introducing dedicated programming and partnerships, as well as overseeing non-profit activities both inside the campus and beyond.

• Liaise with Platform team leaders to ensure strategic alignment and proper deployment of global offerings as it relates to Events and Connect services.

• Growing and supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem by developing relationships with our partners, as well as local entrepreneurs and community leaders through partnership building with key allies, networking, speaking engagements, and involvement with area civic and industry organizations.

• Work closely with Co-GM and Ops staff in building and maintaining strong relations with the local neighborhood stakeholders and authorities, as well as the local community and grassroots ecosystem stakeholders. This includes preemptively ensuring acceptance and productive relationships with all key local stakeholders who have strong local mobilization outreach.

• Expanding client offerings through partnership development.

ABOUT YOU

CIC seeks a highly capable, self-motivated individual to co-manage the full array of functions for a successful center that is constantly improving and evolving. CIC has become integral to every innovation community we support, and we are seeking a collaborative leader to continue the trend of success at our Berlin site.

As our ideal candidate, you have a track record of creative leadership within Germany's innovation and entrepreneurial sector, particularly in Berlin, with experience in nurturing new businesses. You know the innovation ecosystem in Berlin and have a strong network across the Berlin and/or German ecosystem stakeholders. You possess a solid understanding of financial statements or the capacity to learn quickly. You excel in building positive relationships, and are comfortable in outward-facing roles. Additionally, you are humble, willing to share the spotlight with others, and ready to assist with day-to-day tasks as necessary.

YOU HAVE

• 7-10+ years of professional experience in business development, which includes managing teams and developing staff.

• Experience in building or expanding a business within the German market, combined with strong financial acumen to drive growth and profitability.

• Experience in the innovation, real estate and/or startup sector are a plus.

• Minimum of a bachelor's degree (advanced degree preferred). Other diplomas and certificates e.g. CIM, PMP, Agile Management are all welcome!

• Fluency in both German and English (C1 level).

• Mastery of Google Apps for Business (Gmail, Calendar, Drive) and of Microsoft Office (Powerpoint, Excel, etc.).

• Demonstrated success leveraging and supporting others in the achievement of their goals.

• Ability to legally work in Germany. CIC is unable to sponsor visas for this role at this time.

Expectations include:

• Frequent attendance at innovation community gatherings across Berlin, as well as Venture Café Berlin Thursday Gatherings, after regular business hours and very infrequently on weekends.

• Some travel to other CIC locations as part of team events.

OUR OFFER

• Employment contract.

• Commuting / Transportation allowance.

• Gym card.

• Private pension plan.

• Allocated budget for training (customized to specific requirements of the role and organization's objectives).

Please submit your application in English and add a GDPR clause given below. Thank you!

I hereby give my consent for the processing of my personal data included in this resume for the purpose of the recruitment process, in line with GDPR requirements. I understand that my information will be used exclusively for recruitment and kept secure. I also acknowledge my right to access, correct, or delete my data by contacting the designated data protection officer, and that my data will be retained as necessary for the recruitment process.

CIC welcomes all candidates regardless of race, color, ancestry, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status or disability. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.