Volunteer Career Mentor

Volunteer Mentor - Arden Careers & Employability (ACE) Mentoring Programme

Programme: Arden Careers & Employability (ACE) Mentoring

Department: Careers, Employability, Enterprise & Alumni

Employment Type: Voluntary (non-remunerated)

Location: Remote (online)

Term: 6 Months (renewable for future cohorts)

Time Commitment: Approx. 1-2 hours a month (minimum 4 x online meetings + ad-hoc support as required)

Click here to read the full role description

About the Opportunity:

Arden University runs the 'ACE Mentoring Programme' to help close gaps in progression and improve graduate outcomes for students from priority groups. As part of our Access & Participation Plan, this initiative connects current students/recent graduates with industry professionals and/or Arden alumni for structured, online career mentoring.

As a volunteer mentor, you’ll share your industry expertise and professional insight to help students build confidence, develop employability skills, and progress into meaningful work or further study through clear, achievable career plans.

You’ll be matched with mentee(s) from priority groups, including:

• Students from ethnic minority backgrounds

• Students with disabilities (including mental health conditions)

• Students who are care experienced

Mentoring takes place online via our approved 3rd party mentoring platform, Mentorloop. You’ll receive training and support to help you get started and make the most of the experience.

Programme Timings:

The programme runs from Autumn 2026 to Spring 2027 over a period of 6 months. All mentoring conversations and meetings take place online meaning the schedule is flexible. We ask mentors to commit approximately 1–2 hours per month, including ad-hoc support between mentoring sessions. We recommend holding a meeting roughly every 4 weeks, but this may be more or less frequent, depending on your availability and how often your mentee wishes to meet.

What we are looking for:

We welcome professionals from all sectors and backgrounds who have at least 2 years professional experience in graduate or management level employment. You don’t need prior mentoring experience, just a genuine interest in supporting students and the ability to share practical career insight. Ideal mentors will be:

• Enthusiastic and committed to the idea of mentoring to support students from a wide range of backgrounds.

• Willing to help others develop and succeed by sharing real industry insights and personal experience.

• Strong communicators who can offer encouragement and constructive feedback

• Respectful, inclusive, open-minded and able to mentor without judgement, bias or discrimination.

• Relevant professional experience in any sector including self-employment, with the ability to share insights and networks.

• Able to manage mentoring around a busy schedule and communicate with mentee(s) reliably.

What's in it for you?

Mentoring is a powerful way to give back, but it’s also a rewarding experience for you as a professional. Whether you're early in your career or a seasoned leader, mentoring offers the chance to reflect, grow, and make a real difference.

• Make a meaningful impact by supporting students from diverse backgrounds to grow in confidence, skills, and career clarity.

• Develop your leadership, coaching, and communication skills - mentoring is a credible form of volunteering that enhances your CV and demonstrates your commitment to people development.

• Gain fresh perspectives through reverse mentoring and insights from the next generation of talent.

• Access bespoke mentor training and ongoing support from the programme team.

• Enjoy flexible volunteering - just a few hours a month, fully online via Mentorloop and designed to fit around your schedule.

• Raise your organisation’s profile and support CSR goals.

• Identify emerging talent and build your future pipeline by engaging with motivated students.

About Arden University:

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About Careers, Employability, Enterprise & Alumni:

Since its inception in 2021, Arden University’s Careers, Employability and Alumni Team has grown into a sector-leading unit of 30 professionals, supporting a diverse, non-traditional student population of over 40,000 and over 11,000 alumni across 8 UK campuses, online and via transnational partners. Guided by data, fuelled by innovation, and embedded within university policy and curriculum development, the team has redefined careers education at Arden, taking an inclusive and strategic approach to embedding employability into the curriculum, running subject-specific pathways, and delivering co-curricular micro-internships, and live employer projects, leading to measurable improvements in student outcomes.

Arden’s Careers, Employability & Alumni team is dynamic, supportive, and forward-thinking. We empower students and graduates with personalised guidance, curriculum embedded careers education, and strong employer and alumni networks. Recently shortlisted for national awards, we’re a growing team making a real difference to student success and graduate outcomes.

Our Values:

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date: 14th September 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups