Program Manager, Community Development

Date: Nov 30, 2025

Location: Saudi Arabia

Company: King Abdullah University of Science & Technology

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.