Program Associate, Higher Education

Active Minds is hiring a Program Associate, Higher Education to support the Youth Leadership Team’s college student programs, with a primary focus on the Mental Health Advocacy Institute. The role coordinates program delivery, coaches and facilitates student participants, develops resources, manages logistics and data, and collaborates with campus partners and internal teams.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate day-to-day implementation of the Mental Health Advocacy Institute, including program calendars, participant onboarding, learning management system support, session preparation, and milestone tracking
• Support MHAI recruitment and applications, including outreach to colleges, universities, higher education associations, and campus networks, with a focus on reaching BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students and students at varied institution types, including community colleges and HBCUs
• Coordinate MHAI alumni engagement, including student panels, project spotlights, and connections to additional Active Minds leadership opportunities (e.g. Chapters, the Youth Mental Health Innovation Fund, policy advocacy)
• Connect MHAI participants and collegiate advocates to the Youth Mental Health Innovation Fund through outreach, informational sessions, and application support, in coordination with the Senior Manager, Youth Grants and Educator Engagement
• Support the delivery of higher education resources, webinars, training, and campus partnership initiatives as assigned
• Make routine logistical and participant-support decisions within established program guidelines, referring complex participation concerns, policy decisions, and strategic questions to the Senior Manager
• Serve as a primary contact for routine participant questions about program requirements, deadlines, materials, and support
• Monitor participant progress and follow-up promptly when students miss sessions or milestones
• Coach college students and give timely feedback on their milestones, using established program criteria and guidance from the Senior Manager, as they develop campus mental health advocacy action plans, identify administrative allies, and implement campus and systemic changes
• Facilitate and co-facilitate virtual sessions, office hours, make-up sessions, and small groups across assigned Youth Leadership programs, using interactive activities, discussions, and reflections that strengthen students’ leadership and advocacy skills
• Carry out assigned projects from planning through completion, maintaining timelines, coordinating deliverables, and keeping the Senior Manager informed of progress, barriers, and support needs
• Use ClickUp and Google Workspace to track project milestones, tasks, session communications, and facilitator and speaker logistics
• Maintain the MHAI's online learning platform, including posting materials and assignments, organizing resources, and supporting participant access
• Coordinate logistics for MHAI facilitators, guest speakers, and virtual sessions, including scheduling, onboarding materials, attendance, breakout rooms, interactive tools, and participant access needs
• Handle administrative tasks across assigned Youth Leadership programs, including mass communications, participant records , required forms, and submitted work
• Under the Senior Manager's guidance, process participant stipends, speaker honoraria, facilitator payments, including collecting forms and receipts, submitting payment requests, tracking payment status, and flagging discrepancies
• Create and update supplemental materials for higher education and other Youth Leadership programs, including videos, worksheets, interactive activities, reflection prompts, action plan templates, and facilitator guides, using established templates and in collaboration with the Senior Manager and relevant colleagues
• Prepare facilitator training materials, communications, and implementation guidance
• Collaborate across the Youth Leadership Team and other departments to coordinate programming, share resources, and connect participants with additional engagement opportunities
• Assist with training and technical assistance for campus partners to support student leadership and mental health advocacy
• When assigned an intern, establish expectations, provide guidance and feedback, and monitor progress toward deliverables
• With the Senior Manager and Measurement Team, collect and maintain standardized MHAI data on participation, completion, participant experience (including Net Promoter Score), and intended leadership outcomes
• Maintain accurate records of recruitment, participant engagement, campus stakeholder communications, and student project implementation
• Gather participant feedback, especially from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students. Share themes with the Senior Manager, suggest improvements, and help carry out approved changes
• Support preparation of program summaries, presentations, and reports for internal teams and funders, as assigned
• Apply an equity-centered, community- and strengths-based approach to student programming and engagement
• Contribute to team and organizational strategic goals by completing assigned deliverables on time
• Represent Active Minds at conferences, meetings, trainings, and other events as assigned
• Share student engagement learnings, resources, and practices with colleagues
• Participate in organization-wide initiatives and other responsibilities as needed

Requirements:

• At least one year of relevant experience supporting higher education programs, student leadership, mental health promotion, advocacy, student affairs or related nonprofit initiatives. Relevant experience may include employment, internships, graduate assistantships, service roles, or substantial student leadership responsibilities
• Experience engaging college students and collaborating with campus staff, faculty, or community partners
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience facilitating presentations, trainings, or student-facing programming
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, knowing when to check in with a supervisor for guidance
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and consistent follow-through, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
• Experience creating documents, presentations, or educational materials
• Experience entering, organizing, and maintaining data accurately (e.g., spreadsheets, forms, surveys)
• Ability to provide supportive, constructive guidance while maintaining clear program expectations and exercising sound judgment
• Proficiency with Google products and project management platforms (e.g., ClickUp)
• Commitment to equity and inclusion and applying an equity-centered lens to student programming and engagement
• Belief in college students' ability to lead meaningful change in mental health and their campus communities
• Willingness and ability to travel within the United States to conferences, on-site Active Minds events, and staff gatherings, and support evening programming during the academic year
• Experience using Google Classroom or another learning management system
• Experience with Salesforce or another customer relationship management system
• Familiarity with campus mental health advocacy, peer education, student leadership development, or collaborative campus change efforts
• Experience engaging students across varied institution types, including community colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, and other institutions serving historically underserved students