Mentorship Engagement Manager Jobs

The Organization
At Thrive Scholars, our goal is to see talented BIPOC students from economically disadvantaged communities develop economic mobility and financial security, and become the diverse corporate, civic, and academic leaders our country so desperately needs. Our comprehensive, data-driven, high-touch program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college, and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in careers that equip Scholars for economic mobility. Mentors play a crucial role within our program, and in our Scholars’ success.
Our program employs evidence-based best practices to support individualized, student-centered mentoring experiences that promote economic mobility through its year-long mentorship program and one-time networking engagements such as coffee chats, mock interviews, and resume reviews. Thrive Scholars works to match students in college with volunteers, sourced from the broad professional community and our corporate partners, who serve as role models, advocates, and early champions to help grow Scholars’ professional network. The Manager will work closely with other members of the program and development teams and will report to the Director of Mentorship.
The Position
Thrive Scholars is seeking a Mentorship Engagement Manager to serve as the central point of communication between Thrive Scholars and our high-impact volunteer network. This is an externally facing role that will foster and manage relationships with volunteers across the country, facilitating long-term mentoring relationships and one-time networking engagements that provide our Scholars with a diverse range of opportunities and connections to drive access to high trajectory careers and opportunities that promote economic mobility.
As the Mentorship Engagement Manager, you will focus on equipping and supporting volunteers to fulfill their roles as mentors. Your experience working with corporate partners and volunteer management will play a critical role in maintaining strong relationships, navigating challenges, and fostering a supportive and harmonious environment for all stakeholders. Successful candidates will possess expertise in strategically stewarding volunteers with multiple impact-points within the organization, including corporate partner employees, board members, donors, and alumni.
Volunteer Management and Stewardship (35%)
Goal: Create a supportive and engaging environment for volunteers, fostering their commitment and enriching their impact to the organization.

• Provide ongoing professional development and coaching to equip volunteers with the necessary skills to guide Scholars effectively towards meaningful college experiences and career outcomes.
• Ensure timely and regular communication to stakeholders through email, phone, text, virtual meetings, and the distribution of a monthly newsletter to ensure both active, and inactive volunteers stay engaged.
• Implement strategies to retain and re-engage volunteers, offering new roles or challenges to active volunteers, and reaching out to less active ones to understand their needs and rekindle their interest.
• Ensure a seamless and engaging experience for all stakeholders by actively managing the volunteer waitlist, proactively marketing upcoming volunteer engagements, and exploring alternative ways to involve waitlisted volunteers in Thrive Scholars' programs and initiatives.
• Regularly provide training and distribute resources to ensure all volunteers understand their role, the organization's mission, and how their contributions support the Scholar’s, and the organization’s goals.

Community Engagement & Match Support (35%)
GOAL: Foster and maintain relationships with a diverse network of volunteer mentors across Thrive’s regional supporters, Alumni, and Corporate Partners who will equip Scholars with a broad range of opportunities and industry skill sets.

• Coordinate essential program events such as mentorship kick-off events, regional networking mixers, and support on-site volunteer management for day on the job experiences, externships, and capstone projects.
• Manage the process of mentorship continuation, rematching, or closure based on the interests of the mentors and Scholars after the initial one-year, or one-time commitment.
• Identify best-fit matches for one-time engagements and year-long mentorships that are informed by the Scholar’s unique career goals to ensure meaningful connections with industry professionals.
• Conduct strategic outreach and provide individualized match support for mentorships while maintaining accurate documentation of the relationship in Salesforce.
• Utilize effective coaching techniques to address conflicts promptly and constructively, minimizing the risk of disengagement or withdrawal of support from volunteers, alumni, corporate partners, and Scholars.

Caseload Administration & Data Management (15%)
GOAL: Ensure a high-quality, consistent, and reliable experience for all stakeholders.

• Drive the completion rates for individual program evaluations for the assigned caseload to ensure accurate program outcomes and reporting.
• Maintain and manage data using Salesforce, ensuring all information is up-to-date and accurate for effective relationship management.
• Track program assessments and volunteer retention, ensuring meaningful volunteer contributions to the mentoring relationship. Identify potential areas for enhancement that promote positive Scholar outcomes.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration (15%)
GOAL: Ensure cross-departmental communication and efficiency by collaborating with staff across the organization.

• Collaborate with the Corporate Partnerships and Career Pathways teams for all mentorship and networking-related events that support Thrive's Corporate Sponsorship Program and Career Programming.
• Work in conjunction with the Data & Evaluation team to initiate regular email campaigns, aiming to boost the completion rates of program evaluations and ensure high-quality data management and reporting.
• Facilitate the development of cross-departmental volunteer processes and collaborate with Relationship Managers to identify volunteer needs, areas for program refinement, and drive their implementation.

Travel Expectations:
This role will include some national travel throughout the year (about 4-6 trips annually, primarily across Thrive’s regions), along with up to two weeks in July on-site at Summer Academy, typically hosted at the University of Chicago and Amherst College.
Qualifications and Experience:
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. The qualifications and experiences listed below are intended as a guide; we do not expect candidates to check every box. If you believe you can meet the expectations and responsibilities of this position, we want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work.

• Minimum 5 years professional experience, including 3 years in volunteer management, workforce development, or managing programs that involve external stakeholders.
• Highly organized, with a proactive approach to taking initiative and prioritizing short-term and long-term needs in a fast-paced environment with multiple projects and diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to facilitate discussions on sensitive topics such as identity development, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, cultural humility, and promoting inclusivity.
• In-depth understanding of volunteer program management functions and dynamics in order to enhance processes within the program.
• Highly effective relationship builder with demonstrated experience engaging corporate partners and corporate volunteers.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to create varied messaging that effectively, motivates and directs students, non-profit professionals, and corporate audiences.
• Strong coaching skills to manage conflicts during mentorship engagements or networking events, while minimizing the risk of disengagement or withdrawal of support from stakeholders.
• Interest in contributing to a rapidly growing national organization, demonstrating flexibility, initiative, and a proactive mindset to build processes and systems from scratch while maintaining commitment to impactful results.
• Deep understanding of the systemic barriers underrepresented students encounter in the pursuit of higher education and career advancement.
• Proficiency in utilizing Salesforce or a similar CRM/database for relationship management and experience with virtual platforms to deliver remote training sessions or events is required.

COMPETENCIES
Along with the specific qualifications and experiences noted above, viable candidates will be expected demonstrate the following competencies:

• Learning Agility: Effectively adapts own approach in response to new information and/or situational changes.
• Fostering Community: Contributes to a work environment that embraces organizational values and works effectively across identities.
• Project Management: Effectively and consistently manages tasks and processes to on-time completion of clear and predetermined outcomes.
• Problem Solving: Able to analyze situations and apply critical thinking in order to identify issues and solutions.
• Influence: Communicates persuasively across the organization to build stakeholder and team alignment and support.
• Strategic Collaboration: Understands how and when to work with others to drive strong results. Able to balance attention to both results and relationships.
• Commitment to Results: Takes action to produce high-quality work with measurable results in service of Thrive’s mission and Scholars.

Compensation & Benefits
Thrive Scholars offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including high-quality health and dental insurance, three weeks of paid vacation, generous professional development funding, and access to an employer-matched retirement plan. This is a full-time, non-exempt position.
Starting salary range: $63,100 - $70,200
COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement
Thrive has a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees, including remote staff. Individuals selected for job opportunities must be fully vaccinated and up to date, per CDC guidelines, and will be required to provide proof of vaccination status in advance of your hire date.
If you are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons or sincerely-held religious beliefs, Thrive will consider requests for reasonable accommodations consistent with our policy. Accommodation requests cannot be guaranteed, Thrive will consider requests where we are able to provide such accommodations without undue hardship to the organization 
pursuant to applicable law.  Any such accommodation must be approved in advance of signing an offer letter.
Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status.
Knowing its importance to the success of our work, Thrive Scholars is committed to diversity and inclusion, and we aspire to build a diverse staff team and community. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. We appreciate your time and will review and respond to all applications received.
For more information, please visit thrivescholars.org