Program Manager, Mentoring Programs

American University•Washington, DC

14h•$85,000 - $90,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Manager, Mentoring Programs provides strategic leadership, program oversight, and cross-campus coordination for American University’s university-wide alumni mentoring initiative. The role leads implementation and continuous improvement of a comprehensive mentoring ecosystem intended to give all sophomores and transfer students opportunities to engage with alumni mentors and build professional networks. The Program Manager works with University Advancement, academic departments, student affairs, and employer engagement teams to develop a sustainable program supporting student success, alumni engagement, and institutional goals. The position also oversees program assessment, operational strategy, and professional staff supervision. The role develops program strategy and scalable mentoring models, establishes participation structures and workflows, and creates approaches for mentor recruitment, onboarding, engagement, training, and recognition. It collaborates with campus partners and alumni organizations, oversees program operations and the mentoring platform, supervises staff, and uses participation and outcome data to guide improvements and report institutional impact. This is a full-time, regular, exempt position requiring 35 hours per week. The work modality is hybrid, with 3–4 days per week on campus. Some local and possibly domestic travel is required. The annual salary range is $85,000–$90,000.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
4–6 years of relevant experience.
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.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or equivalent.
5–8 years of relevant experience.

Responsibilities

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.
Advise senior leadership on alumni engagement and professional networking initiatives.
Partner with University Advancement and Alumni Relations to align outreach, engagement, and stewardship.
Collaborate with academic units, faculty, and student success offices to integrate mentoring into curricular and co-curricular pathways.
Partner with employer engagement and experiential learning teams to connect mentoring with internships, career readiness, and professional development.
Represent the initiative in campus-wide planning and advisory groups.
Oversee program operations, including mentor recruitment, student onboarding, matching, engagement models, and compliance.
Ensure inclusive and equitable access to mentoring for all student populations.
Develop policies, training materials, toolkits, and operational procedures.
Oversee mentoring platform utilization and CRM systems.
Serve as the primary liaison to the mentoring platform vendor, coordinating system updates, monitoring utilization, addressing issues, and ensuring the platform meets program and user needs.
Supervise the Program Coordinator and any graduate assistants or student staff; the role may also supervise student assistants.
Provide coaching, professional development, and performance management.
Establish workflows, performance goals, and accountability structures.
Develop metrics and dashboards to track 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.
Perform other duties as assigned.