Events & Community Manager, Austin
Mid-level Community Marketing role at Rho. Austin · full-time · $140,000–$160,000 base.
Growth Roles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Build Austin event plans for established founders and earlier-stage startup audiences
- Run events end to end, manage spending, and track program performance
- Develop founder, VC, accelerator, and community partnerships that expand Rho’s reach
- Create customer programming that deepens engagement and brand loyalty
- Represent Rho throughout Austin and Texas as a banking platform for founders
What you bring
- Five to seven years growing active professional communities and improving membership and engagement over time
- Established relationships across the Austin and Texas startup ecosystem, including founders, operators, VCs, and other influential participants
- Working knowledge of startup dynamics and the needs of founders and operators at different stages
- Experience forming partnerships, measuring community KPIs, testing programs, and using results to improve them
- Background in community, marketing, or ecosystem work at a high-growth startup, VC firm, or scaleup
Who this fits
You’ll thrive if you already know Austin and Texas startup communities and can build trust with founders, operators, VCs, and ecosystem groups. This is a hands-on, onsite Austin role focused on frequent in-person relationship building, event execution, and representing Rho across the market. You’ll suit work that combines community strategy, partnerships, data, and practical delivery.
From the employer
About Us
Rho is the modern banking platform built for startups. Open accounts in minutes, issue cards, manage expenses, pay bills, and close the books – all in one connected platform backed by real human support.
About the Role
We're seeking a dynamic Events & Community Manager to help establish Rho as the go-to banking platform for startup founders by spearheading our presence in the Austin startup ecosystem and cultivating meaningful relationships within the Texas VC and founder community.
The ideal candidate is a natural relationship builder who leads with empathy and genuine curiosity. They should combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution capabilities, bringing both the vision to develop ambitious community initiatives and the operational excellence to bring them to life. Most importantly, they should be deeply passionate about creating spaces for meaningful connection and collective growth within the startup ecosystem.
This hands-on role centers on building authentic relationships through regular coffee chats, roundtables, and in-person connections with founders and VCs across the Austin ecosystem and the broader Texas market. You'll need to speak the language of startups fluently, bringing enough operational and investment knowledge to earn credibility and build meaningful relationships with seasoned operators and investors. You'll also need to know the rhythm of this market: when founders are around and when they're not, where they actually gather, and which amplifiers put Rho in front of the most people the fastest.
Key Responsibilities
Events Strategy: Build and execute a comprehensive events roadmap tailored to Austin's distinct founder audiences, from curated dinners and intimate gatherings for established founders to creative, high-energy formats (workouts, wellness, social events) that resonate with earlier-stage seed and Series A founders. Manage budget and track program success metrics.
Community Building: Foster relationships with VCs, startup founders, and ecosystem builders across Austin and key Texas markets. Create a network that generates qualified customer leads.
Program Excellence: Own end-to-end event planning and execution, including establishing Rho's presence with at least one major anchor event in the market. Implement scalable systems to maintain quality as programs grow.
Partnership Development: Build strategic relationships with VC firms, accelerators, and community organizations, including the ecosystem amplifiers that reach the widest founder and investor audiences (e.g., Capital Factory and leading local accelerators). Create opportunities that expand Rho's reach.
Customer Engagement: Cultivate a vibrant community among Rho customers through targeted programming and exclusive events that strengthen brand loyalty.
Brand Ambassador: Represent Rho in the Austin startup ecosystem, building relationships that position us as the go-to banking platform for founders and displace the entrenched incumbents.
Qualifications
5-7 years of hands-on experience building and scaling engaged professional communities, with demonstrated success in growing membership and driving meaningful engagement metrics year over year
Strong existing network within the Austin and broader Texas startup ecosystem, including established relationships with founders, operators, VCs, and other key ecosystem players that can be leveraged for partnerships and programming
A "boots on the ground" mentality and a proven ability to become ubiquitous in a market quickly, meeting people at scale and turning connections into community
Deep understanding of startup ecosystem dynamics, terminology, and founder/operator needs across different stages, with the ability to create targeted programming that delivers genuine value to both established and emerging founders
Strong sense of taste for events and community initiatives that resonate in the startup ecosystem with the founder audience
Track record of establishing strategic partnerships with relevant organizations, thought leaders, and community champions to amplify reach and impact
Data-driven approach to community building with experience setting and tracking relevant KPIs, running experiments, and using insights to optimize community initiatives
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the proven ability to connect authentically with diverse community members both online and in-person
Background working at a high-growth startup, VC firm, or scaleup in a community, marketing, or ecosystem role
Prior experience building communities specifically for B2B SaaS, fintech, or enterprise software companies
Active social media presence and personal brand within the startup ecosystem, particularly on platforms like Twitter/X and LinkedIn where the community gathers, is a plus
Our people are our most valuable asset. The salary range for this role is $140,000 - $160,000. Title and base salary may vary depending on relevant experience, skills, and business needs. In addition to base pay, Rho offers equity, healthcare benefits and paid time off.
Diversity is a core value at Rho. We're passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable environment for all those involved with our mission, including employees, contractors, candidates, customers and vendors. We believe every member of the Rho community enriches our ability to provide a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the market, identify problems, and drive solutions that align with our mission. We welcome all qualified applications and support each of our Rho'ers with ongoing professional growth opportunities.