Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Graduate Writing Coach

Job Posting Location:

Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title:

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Graduate Writing Coach

Job Description:

ABOUT POMONA COLLEGE: Located near Los Angeles, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona College is known for small classes, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, and a range of student research and leadership opportunities. Pomona is a member of The Claremont Colleges.

JOB PURPOSE: The MMUF Graduate Writing Coach will have program organization and mentoring responsibilities and serve as a key member of the MMUF program team. This multifaceted role encompasses both administrative coordination and direct student support across several key areas. As a key member of the program team, this position will contribute to strategic planning discussions and help foster a supportive intellectual community among fellows through peer review sessions, collaborative learning, and mentorship opportunities.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Reporting directly to the Associate Dean, Student Academic Success, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF) Graduate Writing Coach works independently and collaboratively to perform the following essential duties and responsibilities: 

Mentorship:

• Provide individualized and small-group mentorship to undergraduate students and recent graduates pursuing doctoral pathways in the humanities and related disciplines, with specialized focus on cultivating academic writing skills and developing their unique scholarly voice through face-to-face and virtual engagement.
• Establish and maintain comprehensive tracking systems to document fellow progress, ensuring consistent communication and coordination with faculty mentors, program staff, and relevant stakeholders.
• Support fellows in navigating challenges and developing problem-solving strategies to resolve issues while discerning topics that should be brought to the attention of program leadership.
• Utilize best practices for equity-minded, student-centered approaches to student mentorship with an aim of supporting student self-efficacy and guiding personal and professional development of emerging scholars.

Writing Support:

• Collaborate in the design and delivery of a comprehensive, multi-year writing curriculum for MMUF fellows that spans critical program milestones, including New Fellow Orientation, junior and senior year programming, and summer intensive experiences.
• Review and provide constructive, developmental feedback on fellows' written work, including research proposals, scholarship applications, conference abstracts, and thesis chapters.
• Deliver targeted coaching on academic writing skills and scholarly practices, addressing areas such as argument development, source integration, revision strategies, and discipline-specific conventions.
• Organize and lead MMUF Fellow Writing Days that provide structured time, peer support, and accountability for sustained writing progress.
• Design and implement assessment mechanisms to evaluate writing curriculum effectiveness and inform ongoing programmatic refinement and enhancement.

Grant Management:

• Support for preparation and submission of MMUF reports and renewal materials. 
• Maintain all Fellow, MMUF graduate, and faculty mentor information; maintain all documentation of student activities for annual reports. 

Additional Duties:

• Summer Orientation and Programming: Support with coordinating and executing summer orientation for the new cohort, including logistics (rooms, catering, programming, guest arrangements, etc.). Assist with communicating details and reminders to fellows.
• Seminar Logistics: Support for weekly MMUF seminar during academic year, update and maintain online program sites, and development of mentee training for fellows.
• Program Administration: Support with processing new Program applications, support for written materials of program: website, outreach materials, email correspondence, alumni newsletter, etc.
• Other responsibilities as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; candidate must be currently enrolled in a graduate program. Experience in or significant knowledge of doctoral programs in the humanities and related disciplines is required. Experience with equity/pipeline programs, liberal arts residential colleges, and/or Claremont Colleges is preferred. 
• Experience: The candidate must possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the essential functions of the job or must be able to demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed (with or without reasonable accommodation) using other knowledge, skills, and abilities not listed below. 

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND CRITICAL SKILLS:This position must possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be able to successfully perform the essential functions of the job or must be able to demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed (with or without reasonable accommodation) using other knowledge, skills, and abilities not listed below.

• Deploy professional skills in administrative support and customer service, in collaboration with colleagues to best promote the College’s strategic interests.

• Demonstrate effective, accurate, and clear communication with excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, reading, and analytical skills.

• Operate computers with basic Microsoft Office software (such as Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, and PowerPoint).Experience with Qualtrics, project management software, and Workday preferred.

• Handle all activities and highly confidential information with professionalism, patience, discretion, good judgment, courtesy, and tact while working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. 

• Prioritize and perform multiple projects/tasks, meet deadlines/timelines, respond to others in a timely manner, and work both independently and as a collaborative member of the College with a high standard of integrity and ethics, in support of the College’s strategic vision and the division’s/department’s annual goals. 

• Demonstrated ability to work independently, within a team, and as a collaborative facilitator.

REQUIRED HOURS: This is a temporary, part-time, non-benefits-eligible position (5-15 hours/week) with hours between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, to be arranged in consultation with the candidate. There is some flexibility. Weekend and evening work hours may be required periodically. Regular hours may vary based on the needs of the College or division.

HOURLY RATE: The hourly rate for this role is between $25.90 and $28.00 per hour. The specific factors that the College will consider when offering a salary to an individual will include, but not be limited to: education, training, relevant prior experience, and performance in prior roles. All staff positions are ineligible for visa or permanent resident card sponsorship. As a California employer, Pomona College requires all employees to be residents of California.

ADA/OSHA: This job description defines the essential job duties of this position.  The College expects that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of this job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others.  It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

DISCLAIMER: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position.  When duties and responsibilities change and develop, the College will review this job description and make changes of business necessity.