Peer Mentoring Program Specialist

DepartmentC2 HUB - CE

Position Summary

The Classroom to Career Hub (C2 Hub) at MSU Denver connects students and employers, facilitating real-world learning experiences and upskilling homegrown talent for Colorado’s workforce pipeline. More than a traditional career center, the C2 Hub innovatively strengthens students’ academic and professional acumen through strategic and robust partnerships with local industries and communities to ensure an equitable and prosperous future for all Coloradans. Within the C2 Hub, the Peer Mentoring Program supports undergraduate students in two ways. The Career Peer Mentor Program connects students to career resources based on where students are in the career planning process. The First-Year Student Support Program engages new MSU Denver students and helps them navigate college. Both programs help connect students to campus resources, provide academic success strategies, and help students build community while exploring career opportunities.

The plays an important role in the development of this large-scale, comprehensive peer-mentoring program that seeks to support the development of all MSU Denver students. Under the direction of the Assistant Director of Peer Mentoring, the Specialist will provide leadership and supervision to the student peer mentors and collaborate with key stakeholders to expand the program under The Classroom to Career Hub. The Program Specialist supports the Assistant Director in serving as a liaison with academic units, academic advising, faculty, and staff to market, outreach, and develop campus partnerships who will champion the peer-mentoring program. 

The Peer Mentoring Specialist markets, recruits, trains, supervises, and evaluates student staff hired in the Peer Mentoring Program. Peer Mentoring student staff develop and maintain peer-to-peer relationships, connect students to campus resources to support academic and career success. The Career Peer Mentor position provides personalized guidance to students on their caseload through outreach support, 1:1 meetings, and connecting students to campus through the navigating of resources and events. The Specialist position will contribute to the development of a peer mentoring curriculum and practices that are focused on utilizing best practices and relevant theory for retaining students on MSU Denver’s diverse-urban commuter campus.

IND208

Duties/Responsibilities

60% - TRAINING/SUPERVISION/LEADERSHIP

• The Specialist will be responsible for the hiring and recruitment efforts to build a team of diverse peer mentors. The Specialist will supervise a team of 20 – 30 direct supervisees and be responsible for the selection, supervision, training, evaluation, and day-to-day performance management of these students. The Specialist is responsible for creating a positive and inclusive working environment, which includes equity hiring, development of competent staff, managing expectations and leading group and individual meetings with student staff, and as necessary. The Specialist identifies and creates professional and personal development opportunities for student staff designed to intentionally support career readiness for student employees. The Specialist works closely with the Assistant Director of Peer Mentoring on training and outreach curriculum and best practices for student staff. The Specialist will model good judgement, ethical behavior, professional relationships, and a positive and cooperative attitude. In collaboration with the Assistant Director of Peer Mentoring, the Specialist will create tools for assessing student staff’s impact on their target population. This position will support and participate in student success outreach activities, including campus visit program presentations, campus events, and community engagement projects.

20% – PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVENT PROGRAMMING

• In collaboration with the Assistant Director, the Specialist will play an integral role in the leadership and enhancement of a signature Career Peer Mentor Program to ensure the program meets established goals and outcomes. The Specialist will also develop partnerships and collaborate with students, faculty, staff, advisors, and others to develop a diverse platform of services that support the holistic development needs of our diverse student body, including but not limited to university-wide retention and engagement efforts. The Specialist will become knowledgeable about C2 Hub resources, services and programs and collaborate with Classroom to Career Hub professional staff on programs, projects and event coordination. Attend and participate in campus-wide programs and activities.

10% – ADMINISTRATIVE AND ASSESSMENT

• The Specialist will support the Assistant Director of Peer Mentoring in the administration of a campus-wide peer-mentoring program, including its Career Peer Mentor Program and First-Year Student focus. Under the direction of the Assistant Director of Peer Mentoring, the Specialist will oversee a budget for student staff salaries (tracking work-study & hourly spending) as well as peer-mentor training and programming activities. The Specialist will oversee the development and maintenance of student staff scheduling. The Specialist will contribute to the collection of and provide necessary documentation and data to the Assistant Director of Peer Mentoring, as it pertains to assessing the success of the program and making data-driven decisions to scale the peer-mentoring program to ensure its meeting the institutional goals of student retention and completion. The Specialist will participate in weekly professional team meetings and one-on-one meetings with the Assistant Director of Peer Mentoring.

10% - PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• The Specialist will remain current regarding trends and developments in higher education, high-impact practices related to transition and retention, equity and inclusion and peer mentoring programs. The Specialist will remain competent and current through self-directed professional reading, the development of professional contacts with colleagues, attendance at professional development courses/ conferences, and trainings as directed by the Supervisor. Represent the interests of Classroom to Career Hub and Peer Mentoring for campus wide committees and events.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Experience creating programs that build community and foster student leadership development.
• Must have strong written and oral communication and listening skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment. 
• Experience using effective communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills in a complex and culturally diverse work setting.
• Ability to work some evenings/weekends.

​​Important Note: Successful applicants will ensure their resumes clearly demonstrate that their work experience describes how they meet ALL required qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in higher education, counseling, or related field.
• Knowledge of national, regional, state, and local higher education organizations, and participation in relevant local, state, and national organizations, assuming leadership roles as appropriate.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Experience working with diverse, urban populations in an educational environment. 
• Knowledge of student development theory and practice.
• Knowledge of student information systems, such as Workday, Banner, Navigate, etc.
• One year of previous experience in supervising, training and evaluating 10 or more student staff. 
• Demonstrated experience with programs aimed at the retention and graduation of underrepresented students, including students of color. 

Work Hours

• Full-time, 40 hours per week, Exempt
• Monday through Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm. Some evenings and weekends will be required.
• This is a primarily in-person role with limited opportunity for remote work.
• Travel: Rarely

Salary for Announcement

The minimum of the pay range for this position is $41,200. We anticipate the qualified candidate to be placed between $47,300 - $61,800. The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training. Additionally, Student Affairs has committed to tying our salaries to an understanding of a living wage. To that end, we will not pay less than $47,300.

The above salary range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Full Consideration Date​

Complete applications received by September 25, 2024 at 11:59 PM MST will receive full consideration, however applications will be accepted after this date until the position is filled.

Instructions to Apply

For full consideration, please submit the following documents:

• Resume
• Cover letter describing relevant job experiences as they relate to listed job qualifications and interest in the position

Official transcripts will be required of the candidate selected for hire. 

If you are an Internal applicant, please apply via the Career tab within the WorkDay Menu

​​Important Note: Successful applicants will ensure their resumes clearly demonstrate that their work experience describes how they meet ALL required qualifications.

Closing Date

Open Until Filled

Posting RepresentativeCarlos Alcala

Posting Representative Email[email protected]Benefits

The University’s benefits package is comprehensive and offers medical, vision and dental, free RTD pass, tuition reimbursement, as well as a life and supplemental insurance plans, retirement plans and other programs, such as access to a long-term disability (LTD) plan. Visit MSU Denver’s benefits website to learn more.

For a brief overview, please see: https://www.msudenver.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/MSU-Benefit-Summary.pdf. 

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at [email protected].

Diversity Statement

Metropolitan State University of Denver is a unique, access-oriented campus community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms. Our student population consists of nearly 58% first generation students and over 50% students of color. We are a designated Hispanic Serving Institution located in downtown Denver.

We create an equitable learning and working environment in concert with individuals who consistently demonstrate commitment to equity and inclusion. We greatly value the diverse identities and perspectives of our students, faculty, and staff and recognize that in order to achieve a just and equitable society, diversity must go beyond simple representation. It requires critical inquiry and dialogue and a commitment to action. We strive to provide a culture of belonging for all community members to achieve personal and professional success.