Program Manager, Mentoring Programs

Location: Main Campus (Washington, DC)

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

American University is a student-centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly-ranked schools and colleges, internationally-renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meaningful change in the world. Learn more about American University

Employer Relations

Time Type:

Full time

Job Type:

Regular

FLSA Status:

ExemptHybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)

Summary:

The Program Manager, Mentoring Programs provides strategic leadership, program oversight, and cross-campus coordination for American University’s university-wide alumni mentoring initiative. This role leads the implementation and continuous improvement of a comprehensive mentoring ecosystem that ensures all sophomores and transfer students have the opportunity to engage meaningfully with alumni mentors and build durable professional networks.

 

The Program Manager collaborates closely with University Advancement, academic departments, student affairs units, and employer engagement teams to develop a sustainable, high-impact mentoring program that supports student success, alumni engagement, and institutional goals.

 

This role also oversees program assessment, operational strategy, and professional staff supervision.

 

Essential Functions:

1.) Program Strategy & Leadership

• Provide strategic direction and long-term planning for the alumni mentoring program.
• Design scalable mentoring models, participation structures, policies, and workflows to support universal student access.
• Develop frameworks for mentor recruitment, onboarding, engagement, training, and recognition.
• Lead continuous improvement using assessment data, participation metrics, and stakeholder feedback.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on alumni engagement and professional networking initiatives.

 

2.) Cross-Campus & Alumni Partnerships

• Build and maintain close partnerships with University Advancement and Alumni Relations to align outreach, engagement strategies, and stewardship.
• Collaborate with academic units, faculty, and student success offices to embed mentoring into curricular and co-curricular pathways.
• Partner with employer engagement and experiential learning teams to align mentoring with internships, career readiness, and professional development.
• Represent the mentoring initiative in campus-wide planning and advisory groups.

 

3.) Program Oversight & Operations Management

• Oversee mentoring program operations, including mentor recruitment, student onboarding, matching processes, engagement models, and compliance.
• Ensure inclusive and equitable access to mentoring for all student populations.
• Develop policies, training materials, toolkits, and operational procedures.
• Oversee platform utilization and CRM systems used for mentoring engagement.
• Serve as the primary liaison to the mentoring platform vendor, holding regular meetings to oversee system updates, monitor utilization, address issues, and ensure the platform supports program goals and user needs.

 

4.) Supervision & Team Leadership

• Supervise the Program Coordinator and any graduate assistants or student staff.
• Provide coaching, professional development, and performance management.
• Establish workflows, performance goals, and accountability structures.

 

5.) Assessment, Data & Reporting

• Develop program metrics and dashboards to track mentor and student participation, engagement quality, satisfaction, retention, and outcomes.
• Prepare reports and presentations for senior leadership, advancement leadership, and strategic planning processes.
• Use data to inform program improvements and demonstrate institutional impact.

 

6.) Other Duties as Assigned

Supervisory Responsibility:

• This role supervises the Program Coordinator, Mentoring Program and may supervise student assistants.

Competencies:

• Prioritizing and Organizing.
• Managing Performance.
• Evaluating and Implementing Ideas.
• Making Accurate Judgments and Decisions.
• Collaborative Leadership.
• Acquiring and Analyzing Information.
• Building and Supporting Teams.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• Full-time.
• 35 hours per week.
• Hybrid 1 work modality (3 - 4 days on campus).

Salary Range:

• $85,000.00 - $90,000.00 annually.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• 4 - 6 years of relevant experience.

 

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Master's degree or equivalent.
• 5 - 8 years of relevant experience.

 

Travel Required:

• Some local and possibly domestic travel.

 

Additional Eligibility Qualifications:

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive excellence and student success.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to analyze data and translate insights into program improvements.
• Comfort working in highly collaborative environments.

 

Other Duties:

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Benefits

AU offers a competitive benefits package. Click here to learn about American University's unique benefit options.

Other Details

• Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful completion of a background check.

• Employees in staff positions at American University must deliver their services to the university from either the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or perform work on-site at the university.

• Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• American University is an E-Verify employer.

Current American University Employees

American University current employees must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings.

Contact Us

For more information or assistance with the American University careers site, email theworkline@american.edu.

American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities.