United Kingdom · Knowledge management · Principal/Manager (12-16 years)

Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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Free to start: a plan built for this role, and a Future Fluency module to try first. No card.

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Where should we send it?

One email: what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for, where it leads, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

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Experience bandPrincipal/Manager (12-16 years)
Direct reports10-25 reports
Reports toDirector, Knowledge & Collaboration Strategy
UK framework levelUsually a manager, or the deepest specialist in a team

Also advertised as Head of Knowledge & Communities · Senior Knowledge Manager · Community Programme Lead

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership Chartered Management Institute · Level 5 · covers 4 of 10 standards

City & Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Principles of Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 10 standards

City & Guilds Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 10 standards

City & Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 10 standards

City & Guilds Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 10 standards

iCQ Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership iCan Qualifications Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 10 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Manage knowledge in an organisation CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership

Knowledge and information management City & Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Principles of Leadership and Management

Managing Information and Knowledge iCQ Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner

AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly

Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs

Change Fluency taking people through change

Systems Fluency seeing the whole picture

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Your Plan Illustration

Built for Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities

3 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

Manage knowledge in an organisation Chartered Management Institute · covers 4 of 10 standards Level 5
Knowledge and information management City & Guilds Limited · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 5
Managing Information and Knowledge iCan Qualifications Limited · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 5

These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skill this role is being asked for

AI-Driven Knowledge Orchestration

Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluencyworking with AI as a thinking partner
AI Governance Fluencyusing AI responsibly
Automation Fluencybuilding AI into how work runs
Change Fluencytaking people through change
Systems Fluencyseeing the whole picture

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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3What this role really is

This role involves building and leading a team that makes sure people can find the knowledge they need, when they need it. It covers managing platforms, setting the strategic direction, and managing a budget. The job is about connecting experts with those who need their insights.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Higher Logic, Khoros, Vanilla Forums, Viva Engage (Yammer) Strategic

Leading platform selection, defining integration strategy with CRM/LMS, managing vendor relationships and budget. You'll set the direction for how we use these platforms to build thriving communities.

Confluence, Notion, Guru, SharePoint Online Architect

Setting enterprise-wide governance for the knowledge base, defining the strategy for federation vs. centralisation, and approving major architectural changes to ensure 'Single Source of Truth' where possible.

Slack, Microsoft Teams Strategic

Defining the enterprise strategy for real-time vs. asynchronous communication, setting policies on data retention and external collaboration, and ensuring these tools support knowledge flow.

Power BI, Tableau, Common Room, Google Analytics Strategic

Defining the overarching measurement framework to prove business value (e.g., correlating community activity to customer retention or employee productivity). You'll present findings to executive leadership using these tools.

Camtasia, Canva, Loom Strategic

Allocating budget for content creation tools and resources, and defining the multimedia content strategy for the organisation to enhance knowledge sharing across platforms.

Coveo, Sinequa, Lucidworks Fusion Architect

Owning the enterprise 'Findability vs. Searchability' strategy. You'll champion investment in cognitive search platforms and define the roadmap for unifying disparate content sources to improve information access.

Anaplan, ServiceNow GRC, Collibra Strategic

Using Anaplan to model KM programme budgets and forecast ROI, leveraging ServiceNow GRC to manage knowledge governance workflows and compliance, and using Collibra to ensure key knowledge assets are catalogued and align with enterprise data governance standards.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choice	Coming in	Where you are now	The step above
Departmental Budget Allocation	No authority. Follows budget guidelines for small purchases (up to £100).	Recommends budget allocation for specific projects (up to £5K).	Approves project budgets up to £50K. Consults Director on larger programme spend.
Team Hiring & Performance	No hiring authority. Provides feedback on candidates.	Participates in interviews. Provides input on performance reviews.	Leads interviews for junior roles. Mentors 0-2 individuals. Provides input on performance.
Platform & Tool Selection	Uses existing tools. Reports issues.	Evaluates new features of existing tools. Proposes minor tool enhancements.	Researches and recommends new tools for specific workstreams (e.g., a new content creation tool).
Knowledge Governance & Policy	Follows established content guidelines.	Proposes improvements to existing content templates or tagging standards.	Designs and implements governance for specific knowledge domains or communities.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Business Impact (Value Attributed)

The quantifiable value our knowledge programmes and communities bring to the business, such as reduced support costs, faster project completion, or improved employee productivity.

Target · Attribute £1M+ in value annually.

Through documented case deflection via self-service, our customer support costs were reduced by £300K this quarter. Or, our internal community-sourced solution saved the Product team £250K in development time.

Programme ROI

The return on investment for the total cost of the Knowledge Management programme, including platform subscriptions, team salaries, and content creation resources.

Target · Maintain a positive ROI (e.g., 1.5x or higher).

Our total KM programme cost was £800K this year, but we attributed £1.5M in savings and value, giving us an ROI of 1.875x.

Organisational Knowledge Maturity

Improvement in the organisation's overall knowledge sharing maturity, often measured against a recognised framework like the APQC Knowledge Management Capability Assessment.

Target · Improve maturity score from Level 2 to Level 4 over a 3-year period.

After implementing new governance and community programmes, our APQC score for 'Knowledge Capture & Reuse' moved from 'Ad Hoc' to 'Managed' this year.

Community Engagement & Contribution Rate

The percentage of active community members who are regularly contributing content (e.g., asking questions, providing answers, sharing documents) versus just consuming it.

Target · Increase active contributor rate by 10% year-on-year.

Our flagship 'Product Builders' community saw its active contributor rate rise from 15% to 18% this quarter, largely due to the new MVP programme.

Strategic Influence & Buy-in

The extent to which you and your team are seen as trusted advisors for knowledge sharing, influencing key decisions and securing cross-functional buy-in for KM initiatives.

You're regularly invited to leadership planning meetings. Department heads proactively approach you for advice on knowledge problems. Your budget proposals are approved with minimal pushback because the value is clear. Your team's initiatives are championed by senior leaders, not just tolerated.

Team Development & Retention

How effectively you're building, mentoring, and retaining a high-performing team of knowledge and community professionals.

Your direct reports consistently meet or exceed their performance goals. You have a clear succession plan for key roles. Team members report high job satisfaction and opportunities for growth. You're able to attract top talent to your team, and they stick around.

Quality of Knowledge Ecosystem

The overall health, findability, and trustworthiness of our knowledge bases and community platforms.

User feedback surveys consistently show high satisfaction with content quality and search results. Audit reports show low rates of 'knowledge rot' (outdated content). Key knowledge assets are easily findable and widely referenced across the organisation. The information architecture makes sense to users, not just to the KM team.

Innovation & Best Practice Adoption

How well your team is identifying, piloting, and embedding new knowledge sharing tools, methodologies, and best practices within the organisation.

You're bringing new ideas to the table that genuinely improve how we work. Successful pilots of new tools or approaches lead to broader adoption. Your team is seen as a source of innovation in collaboration and learning, not just maintenance.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy

Building & Empowering Teams

You'll spend a good chunk of your week coaching your direct reports, helping them unstick problems, and planning their career development. You'll get a real buzz from seeing them grow and take on more responsibility, knowing you've helped shape their journey.

Mentoring a Senior Strategist to successfully launch a new community of practice, then advocating for their promotion. You'll feel proud of their achievement, knowing you played a part.

Driving Organisational Change & Impact

You'll be constantly looking for ways to make the business run better through better knowledge. This means designing new programmes, challenging old ways of working, and seeing your efforts genuinely improve how thousands of colleagues get their jobs done. It's about making a tangible difference.

Successfully rolling out a new KCS programme that cuts customer support resolution times by 15%, directly impacting customer satisfaction and operational costs.

Strategic Problem Solving (Big Picture)

You'll be tackling complex, multi-faceted problems like 'how do we stop losing critical project knowledge?' or 'how do we get our global teams to collaborate effectively?' This isn't about quick fixes; it's about designing sustainable, long-term solutions that involve people, process, and technology. You'll love connecting the dots.

Architecting a new enterprise-wide taxonomy that unifies content across five different platforms, making information truly findable for the first time.

What frustrates people

The constant 'ROI Battle': Having to justify the intangible value of knowledge sharing with hard numbers, especially when much of the benefit is cultural or long-term.
SME Wrangling, at scale: Chasing down busy senior experts for their time and knowledge, often feeling like you're begging for a favour they don't have time to give.
The Politics of Ownership: Navigating turf wars between departments who both claim to be the 'single source of truth' for a piece of knowledge, or who resist sharing 'their' information.
Budget Constraints: Having big ideas but limited funds, forcing tough prioritisation decisions and creative solutions.
Legacy Systems & Technical Debt: Inheriting a fragmented, outdated tech stack that makes integration and innovation a nightmare, despite your best efforts.
Team Management Challenges: Dealing with performance issues, interpersonal conflicts, or burnout within your own team, which takes time away from strategic work.

What this role does not give you

A quiet, predictable 9-to-5: Expect urgent requests, shifting priorities, and the need to be responsive to community needs, even outside typical hours sometimes.
A purely individual contributor path: While you'll still be hands-on, a significant part of your role is about leading, coaching, and enabling others.
Instant gratification: Building a knowledge-sharing culture and thriving communities is a long game. You won't see massive shifts overnight.
Absolute authority: You'll have budget and team authority, but influencing peers and senior leaders across the business will be a constant, crucial part of your job.

8Who you work with

This role directly shapes how our entire organisation learns, collaborates, and retains its collective intelligence. You'll be responsible for building a robust knowledge culture that reduces redundant work, speeds up onboarding, and ensures critical information isn't lost when people leave. Your team's success means better decision-making, faster problem-solving, and ultimately, a more agile and competitive business. It's about turning individual expertise into organisational capability.

Inside the business

SVP of Operations
Executive peers across Product, Sales, and HR
IT Leadership for platform integration and support
Departmental Heads who own specific knowledge domains
Legal and Compliance teams for governance and data retention

Outside the business

Community platform vendors (e.g., Higher Logic, Khoros)
Knowledge Management industry bodies and thought leaders
Consultants advising on KM best practices
Peer organisations for benchmarking and learning

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

Proven track record (at least 5 years) of leading significant knowledge management or community programmes, ideally as a Senior Strategist or Lead Architect.
Demonstrable experience managing and developing a team of at least 5 individuals, including performance management and career coaching.
Experience owning and managing a budget (even if smaller than this role's) and demonstrating financial accountability.
A deep understanding of information architecture, taxonomy design, and content lifecycle management principles.
Strong experience with at least one major community platform (e.g., Higher Logic, Khoros) and one enterprise knowledge base (e.g., Confluence, SharePoint Online).
A clear ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive change in a complex organisational environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a portfolio of strategic documents or presentations.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Data Governance & Quality for AI

As AI relies heavily on the quality of our underlying data and knowledge assets, your role in ensuring robust data governance, data quality, and metadata standards will become even more critical. 'Garbage in, garbage out' applies more than ever.

Metadata Management for LLMs · Data Lineage & Provenance · Data Security & Access Control

This quarter: Review and update your team's metadata standards, ensuring they're comprehensive and consistently applied.
Next 6 months: Collaborate with our Data Governance team to align KM data quality initiatives with broader enterprise standards.
Next year: Implement automated data quality checks for key knowledge assets within your platforms.
Ongoing: Take a course on data governance best practices or attend relevant workshops.

Quick win: Identify one critical knowledge base or community where data quality is currently poor. Develop a quick plan with your team to improve its metadata and content accuracy, using it as a pilot for broader initiatives.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up

Regularly attending industry conferences (e.g., KMWorld, CMX Summit) to stay abreast of trends and network with peers.
Participating in online communities of practice for KM or community professionals to share insights and learn from others.
Undertaking continuous learning through online courses or workshops on topics like AI in KM, advanced analytics, or change management.
Subscribing to leading KM publications and research journals to keep your knowledge current and informed.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Driven Knowledge Orchestration

AI is rapidly changing how we find, create, and connect knowledge. As a Manager, you'll need to move beyond simple AI tools to strategically orchestrate how various AI components (LLMs, vector databases, RAG systems) work together to create a more intelligent and responsive knowledge ecosystem. Competitors will be doing this, and you'll need to lead the charge.

Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
Knowledge Graph Integration
AI-Powered Content Personalisation
Ethical AI & Bias Detection in KM

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

Community Management Models (CMX, SPACE)
Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) Methodology
Taxonomy & Ontology Design and Governance
Gamification & Engagement Strategy
Content Curation & Lifecycle Management
After-Action Reviews (AARs) & Retrospective Facilitation

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

1
From Senior Community & Knowledge Strategist (L3)
3-5 years as an L3
Skills to master
- Moving from leading individual programmes to overseeing multiple workstreams, developing a stronger strategic perspective, and beginning to mentor junior team members. You'd also need to start taking on more budget responsibility and influencing cross-functional leaders.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully launched and scaled multiple community programmes with measurable impact.
- Consistently mentored junior colleagues who have shown significant growth.
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders outside your direct reporting line.
- Proactively identified and solved complex, multi-departmental knowledge problems.
2
From Lead Knowledge & Collaboration Architect (L4)
2-4 years as an L4
Skills to master
- Transitioning from designing the technical and governance framework to leading the team that implements and manages it. This means developing stronger people management skills, budget ownership, and broader strategic accountability for the function's performance, not just the architecture.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully designed and implemented enterprise-level information architecture or governance frameworks.
- Proven ability to lead complex technical projects involving multiple stakeholders.
- Demonstrated leadership in defining and influencing the KM tech stack roadmap.
- Strong communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
3
From Knowledge Manager (in a smaller organisation)
Varies, but typically 3-5 years in a similar role
Skills to master
- Scaling your experience to a larger, more complex organisation. This means managing a bigger team, a larger budget, and navigating more intricate internal politics and stakeholder landscapes. You'd need to demonstrate the ability to operate at a more strategic, enterprise-wide level.
You're ready to move on when
- Managed the full KM function in a previous role, albeit at a smaller scale.
- Successfully built and led a team, demonstrating strong people management skills.
- Proven ability to drive business impact through KM initiatives.
- Ready to tackle the challenges of a larger, more matrixed organisation.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead to work in organisational learning and development, or into wider digital transformation roles focused on knowledge and collaboration.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities is actually changing.

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Manage knowledge in an organisation, worked against Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities.

Manage knowledge in an organisation Level 5

Applied to your work in Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities

This unit aims to provide learners with an understanding of knowledge management principles, strategies, and the role of technology within organisations. Upon completion, learners will be able to identify, assess, and effectively manage knowledge assets to support organisational objectives.

How the thinking builds

1 Remember
2 Understand
3 Apply
4 Analyse
5 Evaluate
6 Create

An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

Start my plan, free

See Your Progress Grow Illustration

Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities

Community Management Models (CMX, SPACE)
Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) Methodology
Taxonomy & Ontology Design and Governance
Gamification & Engagement Strategy
Content Curation & Lifecycle Management
After-Action Reviews (AARs) & Retrospective Facilitation

This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

Director, Knowledge & Collaboration Strategy (Level 006)
3-5 years in this Manager role

This is a significant step up, moving from managing a department to shaping the strategy for an entire business unit or a critical cross-functional domain. You'll be operating at a much higher strategic level.
- Enterprise Architecture (KM Focus) Defining the overarching architectural vision for how all knowledge systems integrate and function across the enterprise.
- M&A Integration (Knowledge Aspect) Leading the integration of knowledge assets and cultures during mergers and acquisitions.
- Industry Thought Leadership Representing the organisation externally as a leader in Knowledge Management and collaboration.
- Advanced Governance & Compliance Establishing and enforcing enterprise-wide policies that meet complex regulatory requirements.

Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, as a Manager, you're juggling a lot: strategy, team development, stakeholder management, and still trying to keep an eye on the details. What if you could free up significant time for yourself and your team, not by working harder, but by working smarter with AI?

Our Knowledge_Management department is leaning into AI to automate the tedious, repetitive tasks that eat into valuable strategic time. We're building an internal AI Productivity Hub, and for the Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities, this means empowering your team to get more done, faster, and giving you better insights to make strategic decisions. It's about augmenting human intelligence, not replacing it.

Automated Content Triage & Tagging

Imagine new community posts or knowledge articles automatically getting the right tags and being routed to the correct SME group. AI can handle this, meaning your team spends less time on manual categorisation and more time on high-value engagement. This frees up your specialists to focus on nurturing relationships, not just filing.

Advanced Community Sentiment & Trend Analysis

Instead of manually sifting through thousands of posts, AI can give you a dashboard showing trending topics, identifying rising frustrations, or even spotting emerging product ideas within your communities. This means you get faster, deeper insights into community health and can make proactive strategic adjustments, rather than reacting to problems after they've escalated.

AI-Powered 'Knowledge Harvester' Assistant

Your team can use AI to summarise long, complex discussion threads, pinpoint the accepted answer, and even draft 'Key Takeaways' for formal knowledge assets. This drastically speeds up the process of converting tacit knowledge (what people know) into explicit knowledge (what's documented), making sure valuable insights aren't lost and your knowledge base stays fresh. It's about making knowledge capture efficient, not a chore.

First-Draft Content Generation & Refinement

Need a new knowledge base article, an FAQ, or a community announcement? Your team can feed AI a few bullet points or a transcript, and it'll generate a well-structured first draft. This overcomes the 'blank page' syndrome, handles basic formatting, and lets your specialists focus on refining the message and ensuring accuracy, rather than starting from scratch. It means more high-quality content, faster.

Common questions

How do you become a Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities?

Common routes in include From Senior Community & Knowledge Strategist (3-5 years as an L3), From Lead Knowledge & Collaboration Architect (2-4 years as an L4) and From Knowledge Manager (in a smaller organisation) (Varies, but typically 3-5 years in a similar role). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities progress to?

This role can lead on to Director, Knowledge & Collaboration Strategy (3-5 years in this Manager role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities?

Increasingly, AI-Driven Knowledge Orchestration. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.

Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities

Where should we send it?

Two short quizzes about you

Will AI change your work as a Manager, Knowledge Sharing & Communities?

What's rising in its place

AI-Driven Knowledge Orchestration

Skills this role draws on

Technical

How you actually get there, here

From Senior Community & Knowledge Strategist (L3)

From Lead Knowledge & Collaboration Architect (L4)

From Knowledge Manager (in a smaller organisation)

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

Roles this leads to

One to one, on the work you already do

Everything else the record holds

The career path, and where it branches

Director, Knowledge & Collaboration Strategy (Level 006)

Where AI is starting to help

Automated Content Triage & Tagging

Advanced Community Sentiment & Trend Analysis

AI-Powered 'Knowledge Harvester' Assistant

First-Draft Content Generation & Refinement

Common questions

Want a read on where you stand?