INDEX:

• Half-time Manager & Half-Time Mentor Program Coordinator
• Mentor Program Coordinator Job Description

Half-time Manager & Half-Time Mentor Program Coordinator

This author was the Coordinator of the Mentor and Guide* Programs in a west suburban Chicago area organization. During those years he worked in the morning in his regular job and in the afternoons as the program coordinator.

This dual role had its positive side in that he was challenged to implement in his own practice each day the effective practices he advocated for others during each after noon. Also, he was able to immediately implement in his work the day-to-day professional growth and insights he experienced each afternoon working with mentors and proteges. The half-time roles also allowed him to try out the role of a staff developer without completely leaving his management assignment. He eventually did become a full-time staff developer in 1992.

On the negative side, the two half-time jobs often expanded into two full-time responsibilities. Also, he had no secretarial assistance and often felt he aggrevated the department secretary who had to take mentor program messages for him, etc. because he was not near a phone. He ended up getting permission to clean out half of a storage room to make an office. However, people never knew where to find him or how to communicate with him. However, keep in mind the general lack of availablity of technology in 1987-92. What's available now days is quite a bit more, and brother, e-mail access would have helped a lot then too.

JOB DESCRIPTION - MENTOR PROGRAM COORDINATOR

THE MENTOR COORDINATOR / LEAD MENTOR WILL:

• 1. COORDINATE THE WORK OF THE MENTORS WITH THEIR PROTEGES BY...
  • INTERVIEWING NEW EMPLOYEES TO DISCUSS THE MENTOR PROGRAM AND TO COLLECT INFORMATION TO FACILITATE SELECTION & MATCHING WITH A MENTOR

  • PLANNING, PUBLICISING AND CONDUCTING THE "INTRODUCTION TO MENTORING" MEETING FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT THE WORK OF THE MENTORS.

  • PLANNING, CONDUCTING AND EVALUATING THE MENTOR TRAINING SESSIONS
    
    
  • MEETING INDIVIDUALLY WITH MENTORS TO MENTOR THEM, GIVING THEM ON-GOING SUPPORT AND TRAINING AS NEEDED

  • MEETING INDIVIDUALLY WITH PROTEGE SUPPORT GROUPS TO MONITOR THE PROGRAM, DETERMINE ANY UNMET NEEDS, AND MODIFY THE PROGRAM TO BETTER SUPPORT PROTEGES.
    
    
• 2. COORDINATE THE WORK OF THE MENTOR COMMITTEE BY...
  • CHAIRING & FACILITATING THE MENTOR COMMITTEE
    
    
  • FACILITATING & COORDINATING THE MENTOR PROGRAM EVALUATION PROCESS
    
    
  • INFORMING MENTOR CANDIDATES OF THE RESULTS OF THE SELECTION PROCESS AND DISCUSSING RESULTS WITH THOSE WHO WERE NOT SELECTED AS MENTORS

• 3. WORK AND COMMUNICATE WITH MANAGEMENT BY...
  • MEETING WITH MANAGERS TO FACILITATE MENTOR MATCHING WITH PROTEGES. CONFER WITH THE DIRECTOR OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT ON THE MATCHING PROCESS & RESULTS.

  • COMMUNICATING WITH AND BUILDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR MENTORING WITH STAFF, DEPARTMENTAL, SITE, AND CORPORATE MANAGERS, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

  • REGULARLY CONSULTING WITH THE DIRECTOR OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT TO REPORT ON THE PROGRESS OF THE MENTOR PROGRAM. REPORT ANNUALLY IN WRITING ABOUT THE PROGRAM.

• 
  4. COORDINATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MENTOR PROGRAM BY..
  
  
  • PREPARING AND DISTRIBUTING PUBLICITY MATERIALS DESCRIBING THE PROGRAM
    
    
  • PREPARING & DISTRIBUTING MATERIALS FOR USE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENENCE OF THE MENTOR PROGRAM

  • MAINTAINING RECORDS ON THE MENTOR PROGRAM AND ITS PARTICIPANTS
    
    
  • CONTINUALLY EVALUATING THE MENTOR PROGRAM, SEEKING SUGGESTIONS FROM STAFF AND SUPERVISORS AND PREPARING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS

  • CARRYING OUT THE POLICIES ESTABLISHED BY THE MENTOR COMMITTEE, MANAGEMENT, AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SO AS TO ENSURE THE PROGRAM FUNCTIONS ACCORDING TO THE BEST PRACTICES OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

* NOTES

DEFINITIONS:

GUIDE: Orients and supports people in transition to a new assignment or site which is similar to what they have already experienced, such as, an experienced lab technician in a new department, an experienced manager in a new facility, or a new hire but experienced trainer in HR.

MENTOR: Orients, supports, guides, and develops people that are in transition to an assignment with which they have no prior experience, or who are preparing themselves for increased responsibility and achievement, such as, new hires with a year or less experience in their career, a worker who wants to become a supervisor, a manager who wants to become an executive, or a struggling student who wants to go to college.

PROTEGE: The person who works with and learns from a Guide or Mentor.

Email Barry at: barrys@BusinessMentorCenter.com

© 2003 by the International Mentoring Association

All materials on this web site are copyright protected and all rights are reserved to the IMA.

http://www.mentoring-association.org

However, if you do so for free, you may duplicate and distribute this information or link to it, as long as the full page and all attributions and contact information are preserved as they appear on this page. You may not sell this information in any form.