What does a Community Manager do at Changing Social?

As we get ready to launch our graduate scheme, one question keeps coming up: what actually is a Community Manager at Changing Social?

It’s a fair question. The role doesn’t follow a traditional or linear path, and there’s no single background or degree that defines it. What does define it is people. Supporting communities, building relationships, and helping organisations get real value from Microsoft 365 in a way that works for them.

Rather than trying to describe the role ourselves, we asked three of our Community Managers to share their experiences in their own words. Their journeys are all different, but together they give a pretty honest picture of what the role looks like day to day. How learning is supported, and why it suits people from a wide range of backgrounds.

 

Charlie: learning, variety, and clear progression

No two days as a Community Manager at Changing Social are ever quite the same. Which is something I’ve always loved about the role. A typical day usually involves a mix of client calls, community management, and session preparation.

I spend time logged into our customers’ Microsoft Teams communities, posting about upcoming sessions, sharing top tips, and creating engagement posts to keep conversations flowing. Alongside this, I regularly join client calls to check in on progress, align on upcoming campaigns, and make sure we’re delivering value in a way that works for them. For each customer I work with, I also present twice every twelve weeks – once to kick off a campaign and once to review it.

Delivering sessions to clients is a core part of my role and one of the most rewarding aspects. Depending on the number of clients I’m supporting, I typically deliver a couple of sessions a week. I start with a core Changing Social PowerPoint template and adapt it for each client, tailoring the content to their needs, preferences, and where they are on their Champions journey.

Campaign Briefings sit at the start of each twelve-week campaign and focus on what we’ll be learning together. I always try to make these sessions interactive, building in activities to help with engagement and enjoyment. The campaign review sessions (Champions Showcases) are my favourite. I analyse and prepare the campaign data in advance, then use the session to reflect on progress, share insights, and hear success stories directly from Champions. I aim to make these sessions intentionally informal and collaborative, creating a space where people feel comfortable contributing.

Working with clients early on taught me a lot about adaptability. I’ve supported organisations across banking, local government, law firms, technology companies, insurance, and the creative industries. Each comes with its own culture, pace, and expectations. Learning the nuances of how different clients like their calls run, sessions delivered, and communication handled has been key. Building strong relationships early on is essential – and it’s one of the most enjoyable parts of the role.

I’ve been at Changing Social for 18 months, and my progression has been clear and supported throughout. My first year was focused on learning the role and understanding the business. From there, I was encouraged to explore other areas of the organisation and reflect on where my skills and interests aligned best. I decided to move into the Adoption and Change Management team and was given a clear progression plan with defined goals. Having that clarity made a huge difference, and I’m excited to be moving into the team next week.

My educational background reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the role. I studied Liberal Arts and Economics at the University of Exeter, focusing on development and social economics, before working in sustainability research. At Changing Social, I’ve been able to build on that foundation while learning about business, technology, customer success, Power Platform, project management, and now adoption and change management consulting. It’s a role that genuinely values varied backgrounds and puts learning and opportunity first.

 

Teddy: coming from a non-technical background

My name is Teddy and I am a Community Manager. I studied Classics at university before joining Changing Social. While this may seem unrelated to technology or community management at first glance, the skills it developed have been highly transferable.

Studying Classics involved close reading, critical thinking, and clear communication. It also required engaging with different perspectives and facilitating thoughtful discussion, all of which are central to community work.

Coming from a non-technical academic background has shaped how I approach my role. It has made me comfortable asking questions, breaking down complex concepts, and helping others build understanding step by step. It also reinforces the idea that there is no single route into working with technology, and that a range of educational backgrounds and life experiences genuinely add value to the team.

Delivering this service to many different clients creates a fast-paced environment that balances clear structure with the ability to adapt quickly. There are established ways of working and shared priorities, but also the flexibility to respond to new challenges, client needs, and opportunities as they arise. This pace encourages momentum and curiosity, and means you are often learning while doing rather than waiting for everything to be fully defined upfront.

At the beginning of my role, I was given time and space to build a solid foundation in Microsoft 365 and develop my skills at a sustainable pace. Alongside this learning time, I was also introduced to client calls and client work early on. This meant I could see how what I was learning translated into real conversations and real needs.

That early exposure helped bridge the gap between theory and practice. Sitting in on client discussions, contributing where appropriate, and gradually taking on more responsibility made the learning feel purposeful rather than abstract. This was particularly true when working with the Power Platform, where I supported deployments and helped think through how solutions would actually be adopted and used day to day.

The team culture strongly supports learning by doing. You are encouraged to experiment, share what you have learned, and be open about what you are still figuring out. If something does not quite land, it is treated as insight rather than failure, creating a psychologically safe environment where people can grow quickly while still feeling supported.

 

Lorna: people skills, confidence, and feeling supported

Hi! I’m Lorna, the newest Community Manager for Digital Champions as a Service. My journey to this role was far from conventional. After studying Psychology in Bristol, I worked a mix of hospitality and housekeeping jobs, travelled to 14 countries, and worked in three of them.

Transitioning from hospitality to the corporate world, I was genuinely worried about missing the sociability and camaraderie that comes so naturally in those settings. I even told the recruiter that my biggest fear was having a job where I felt I couldn’t chat. From my first day, I was reassured that wasn’t the case at all.

I felt incredibly welcomed from the outset. My onboarding was clearly structured. With monthly goals mapped out for my first six months and plenty of reassurance around the support available to help me achieve them. Introductions across the business were organised so I could get to know different teams, and I even had a meeting with Steve, our CEO, which really gives you a sense of the kind of company Changing Social is.

I’ve had weekly 1:1s with my manager where the focus is always on feeling supported, appropriately challenged, and happy – not just hitting targets. My background in Psychology is genuinely appreciated. Particularly when it comes to understanding behaviour, analysing data, and building relationships. The interpersonal skills I developed through backpacking, volunteering, and hospitality work have also been invaluable, as this role is all about being approachable and building trust.

Surprisingly, my volunteering experience has been a real strength here. I mentioned in my interview that if I can lead a pub crawl with 50 people, I can certainly hold people’s attention in a Teams meeting – and so far, that’s proved true.

One of my initial worries was time management and organisation, as these weren’t skills I’d had much chance to develop previously. But the support and time I’ve been given, along with advice from colleagues, has made a huge difference to my confidence in this area.

 

Thinking about joining us?

These three stories look different on the surface, but they share a common thread: curiosity, people skills, and a willingness to learn.

As we launch our graduate scheme, we’re not looking for one “type” of person or background. We’re looking for people who are interested in how technology and people intersect, who enjoy working with others, and who want to grow in a supportive, collaborative environment.

If that sounds like you, we’d love you to keep an eye on what’s coming next.