General Manager - Cambridge, MA

Job Description

Job Description

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, CIC is the world’s leading operator of innovation hubs. We are seeking a General Manager for our New England campuses. If you are a community leader who has built and maintains strong relationships throughout the innovation community, has strong operational and sales experience appropriate to a role managing a team of approximately 50 people, and a deep belief that innovation has the power to make our world a better place, we’d like to talk to you.

YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK

Cambridge and Boston are the original home of the CIC model and among the most important innovation ecosystems in the world. The New England GM leads three campuses with a mandate that goes beyond occupancy and operations — to make CIC the irreplaceable home for innovators in this region, with the full power of the CIC platform visible, accessible, and driving member success.

This is a role for a senior leader already deeply embedded in the Boston-Cambridge and Providence innovation community — someone who knows the players, is trusted by the ecosystem, and understands that the most important work happens before a member ever signs a lease. Innovation programming and community building are not add-ons here, they are the job. The GM sets the vision and holds the relationships while the Directors execute the operations.

YOUR ONGOING WORK

Campus Leadership & Operations

• Accountable for campus health, member experience, team performance, and financial results across Cambridge, Boston, and Providence — while empowering Director-level leaders to own day-to-day operations.
• Lead and develop a team of approximately 50 across the three campuses, including the Directors of Events, Sales, and Operations for NE.
• Oversee occupancy, revenue, and operational targets in partnership with CIC's global operations function.
• Model CIC's Campus Service Philosophy — Radical Welcome, Frictionless Excellence, and Intentional Connection — at every level of the team.

Ecosystem Engagement & Community Building

• Maintain an active, visible presence in the Boston-Cambridge and Providence ecosystems — attending, convening, and building relationships continuously.
• Develop and sustain anchor relationships with key institutions, investors, corporates, and community organizations.
• Drive a differentiated programming strategy — curated, high-value experiences that deepen community and generate pipeline across all CIC business segments.
• Ensure Venture Café Cambridge is the most visible weekly proof point of CIC NE's community identity and pipeline generation.

Business Development (Campus–Catalyst Integration)

• Collaborate with Catalyst Business Unit leaders to develop joint programming — including Venture Clienting, Innovation Consulting, and International Soft Landing programs.
• Champion the ONE CIC model across campus staffing, ensuring teams can speak fluently to what Catalyst offers.
• Create clear pathways between campus members who would benefit from Catalyst services and Catalyst clients who belong in the campus community.
• Build shared playbooks with fellow GMs to drive US campus integration.
• Bring NE market intelligence into CIC's ongoing Campus–Catalyst strategic planning.

Commercial Growth

• Partner with the Director of Sales, NE to drive occupancy, pipeline, and revenue across all three campuses.
• Partner closely with Catalyst Advisory and Programming to build a programming calendar that is ecosystem-defining, not just ecosystem-adjacent.
• Leverage ecosystem relationships to generate referrals, anchor deals, and strategic partnerships.
• Identify opportunities to expand CIC's footprint and relevance in the NE market.
• Contribute to pricing strategy, product evolution, and service design as a senior voice in the Campuses and Labs leadership team.

Our New England Campus Scope

CIC Cambridge (One Broadway and 245 Main St.) — CIC's flagship US campus and our largest in the world, with deep ties to MIT, Harvard, and the life science and tech clusters along the Kendall corridor. Home to a sophisticated, high-engagement member environment where many companies have decade-long relationships with CIC, and a natural anchor for global soft-landing programs and cross-border innovation partnerships.

CIC Boston (50 Milk St.) — An urban campus with its own distinct community, programming identity, and a complementary mix of innovators and growth-stage companies, with strong opportunity to deepen connectivity across the broader Boston ecosystem and between our NE communities.

CIC Providence (225 Dyer St.) — Anchor of Providence's 195 District, home to 250+ companies across offshore wind, life science, and biotech clusters, with direct access to talent from Brown, RISD, URI, and Johnson & Wales. A highly occupied, mature campus with flexible 30-day terms, 25+ conference rooms, a LEED-certified Class A building, and District Hall event space for 200+ attendees.

In addition, across all three locations, there is an opportunity to leverage and build on our strong links with New England's business and innovation leadership.

ABOUT YOU

You are a seasoned ecosystem leader who is already deep in the fabric of the Boston-Cambridge and Providence innovation community — not someone who plans to build that network, but someone who is already living in it. You are energized by the intersection of community and commerce, and you understand instinctively that the best business development happens through genuine relationships, not sales cycles. You are as comfortable on a panel at a Venture Café event as you are in a strategic planning session, and you move between those worlds without missing a beat.

More specifically, as our ideal candidate, you are:

• A natural connector and ecosystem citizen — you know the players, you're trusted by the community, and your relationships are real
• A leader of leaders who builds toward independence, not dependency — you elevate the people around you and invest in their growth as deliberately as you invest in your own
• Genuinely mission-driven about innovation — you believe that bringing the right people together in the right environment creates outsized impact
• Outward-facing by nature — you find energy in being visible, relational, and externally active, and you'd find it stifling to spend your days managing a building rather than building a community

YOU HAVE

• Deeply embedded, active relationships across the Boston-Cambridge innovation ecosystem, this is the single most critical qualification for this role. We are not hiring someone who will spend their first year building a network; this person must be known, trusted, and operating inside this ecosystem on day one
  • Relationships in the Providence ecosystem are a strong plus and will be a meaningful asset in this role
• Demonstrated experience leading community-driven or ecosystem-oriented organizations — campus, incubator, accelerator, innovation hub, or similar
• A track record of leading teams of 30+ people, including senior managers or directors
• Strong commercial instincts and the ability to connect community investment to business outcomes
• Fluency in the language and dynamics of innovation — startups, venture, life science, deep tech — enough to be taken seriously by the people building in this ecosystem
• A collaborative leadership style that works across organizational lines — comfortable with Catalyst peers and aligned to a ONE CIC vision
• A track record of developing teams and driving culture, not just managing operations

The strongest candidates will also bring:

• Prior experience at a CIC-adjacent organization — innovation hubs, life science campus, university tech transfer, venture-backed accelerator
• Established relationships with key ecosystem institutions including LabCentral, MassRobotics, Greentown Labs, MIT, Harvard, MassBio, or similar
• A track record of designing programming that simultaneously builds community and generates business pipeline
• Familiarity with CIC's Catalyst business lines and genuine enthusiasm for the integrated model

What success looks like:

• Cambridge, Boston, and Providence operating at or above occupancy and revenue targets, with a strong and visible pipeline
• Programming calendar established and recognized in the ecosystem as genuinely valuable, not just another networking series
• At least one significant Campus–Catalyst activation completed or in motion
• Team culture aligned to ONE CIC, measurable through team engagement and member NPS
• GM visibly embedded in the Boston-Cambridge ecosystem: known, trusted, and generating pipeline through relationships
• Productive collaborative rhythm established with the President of CIC Campuses

OUR OFFER

• Compensation of $225,000–$275,000, commensurate with experience
• 100% company-paid premium healthcare and dental benefits.
• 100% company-paid long- and short-term disability, and life insurance.
• 401k (must be 21+).
• 23 days of PTO accrued annually (more with seniority), plus thirteen paid holidays.

WHO WE ARE 

At CIC, our values aren't a poster on the wall - they shape how we work, how we hire, and how we show up for each other every day. You'll hear about them throughout our recruitment process:

• We are good humans — respect, kindness, and accountability in every interaction
• We are happy to help — we step forward with care, energy, and pride in our work
• We are problem solvers — curious, growth-minded, and always looking for a better way
• We are resilient — steady under pressure and adaptable in the face of change
• We deliver — dependable and results-driven, balancing speed with quality.

ABOUT CIC
CIC builds and operates spaces where startups, scale-ups, corporations, and public institutions come together to overcome challenges and grow.

Founded in 1999, CIC was one of the first companies to offer flexible office space and coworking options, providing a platform for entrepreneurs to develop their ideas in a shared environment.

CIC manages a global network of workspaces, laboratories, and event spaces across North America, Europe, and Asia. Beyond our spaces, CIC also develops innovation-focused programming, builds and enables industry clusters, and offers consulting services to help the public and private sectors foster innovation ecosystems.

We invite you to explore our opportunities and learn more about our teams here.

 

Please note: 245 Main Street, Cambridge is a dog-friendly building. Approved staff and members may bring dogs to the office. Candidates with dog allergies or sensitivities are encouraged to keep this in mind when applying.

CIC is committed to building teams that reflect the fabric of the cities we support. We welcome all candidates regardless of race, color, ancestry, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, Veteran status, or any other legally protected status. Any other human expressions and experiences not mentioned here are equally welcome. If you require an accommodation please let us know. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.