Head of Community - Up World

Up World

Up World is the home for ambitious start-up marketers. Almost 10 years ago, Lottie organised a supper club and from that, a community was born.

Today, Up Club has 1,200 members. Big Up Club, our invite-only network for Marketing Directors, has over 70 members and is growing fast. The Marketing Accelerator has run seven times with consistently exceptional NPS scores. Up Fest is heading into its fourth year.

The brand is well known in its market. The community is deeply engaged. The product is excellent. What we're missing is someone to take all of that and build serious momentum behind it.

The role

This is a senior leadership role sitting across marketing, community, and commercial strategy. You'll own the vision and the delivery, which means you need to be as comfortable setting a 3-year plan as you are picking up the phone, hosting an event, or going to meet someone in person.

You'll own:

The strategic direction for Up World. Right now we don't have a clear 1, 3, or 5-year picture, and that makes it hard for everyone to pull in the same direction. You'll build it, get the team behind it, and keep priorities anchored to it.

Membership growth. Up World has real brand recognition but we're not converting it into the growth rate we know is possible. You'll lead acquisition strategy across partnerships, referrals, events, content, and whatever else works, and you'll have the hustle to make things happen.

Commercial performance. You'll hold the P&L and connect what the team is doing to revenue. If we're considering paid ads for the Accelerator, you'll know what we should spend and why.

The team. You'll line manage Liv (Community & Ops Manager) and Abbie (Big Up Club Lead) (Liv has a direct report Nzola, who is the Community Exec). You'll know where the gaps are, develop people deliberately, and be direct when something needs to change.

You’ll report into Lottie. Lottie is passionate about Up World, but she's genuinely ready to hand it to the right person. Today she is a strategic thought partner and sounding board, not a day-to-day decision-maker.

Why this role is different

You're stepping into a community that already has the audience, the reputation, and the goodwill. The strategic direction is still yours to shape. You'll report directly to the founder with no layers between you, working alongside a tight-knit team that genuinely cares about what they're building.

We don’t need someone in the weeds of what the team are doing, although you will need to muck in on your own workstreams. Instead we need someone make sure we're on the right track. the team is already working hard on a lot of things, we want to be doing the same output but with more impact.

What we need from you

• A real track record in brand marketing and community, ideally across both, with experience leading a team.

• You need to be comfortable with systems, taking creative brand thinking and making it operational for a lean team.

• Commercial fluency. You can read a P&L, have a view on pricing, and connect day-to-day work to revenue.

• The hustle to make things happen. You pick up the phone, go to the event, host a fireside chat with no prep, rewrite the page yourself if it isn't good enough.

• Bold strategic instincts and the confidence to back them. If you think we're wrong about something, you'll say it fast and loudly.

• A genuine curiosity about AI and automation, specifically how to run community operations faster and smarter with a small team.

• Energy for the Up World world. You're excited about ambitious marketers, start-ups, and the craft of building brands with scrappy teams.

• A deep fascination with start up marketing and a point of view on what makes it good. Ideally you’d have a network of start up marketers already and if not, you’ve got to be buzzed about making one.

What we offer

*Our salary bands are indeed bands - we only offer at the top end on rare occasions.
£65,000-75,000 - Part time (3 days considered)

25 days holiday plus bank holidays, your birthday off, and a bonus day at Christmas.

Enhanced parental leave and pay.

✨ Monthly working from home budget.

Unlimited coaching with MoreHappi.

Full Up World membership.

Our handbook is open. Read it before you apply .