Mentor In Residence (Part Time)

Are you passionate about mentoring and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs? Join us as a Mentor in Residence and make a lasting impact through the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship.

The Mentor in Residence plays a key role in enhancing student learning and venture success across McGuire Center entrepreneurship programs, including the New Venture Development (NVD) Program and ENTR 485. This role emphasizes experiential learning and contributes to student success by equipping students with both pedagogical and practical tools and frameworks needed to apply entrepreneurial principles in various real-world environments. This goal utilizes experiential entrepreneurship education through a new venture concept and business plan as the vehicle for learning. This position will help specific teams , but they will also be available for all teams, and provide a broader mentoring perspective, across all McGuire programs. The successful candidate will be a link between the Faculty Leads of the various programs under McGuire center and the Executive Director.

At the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship, our strategic vision is to be a catalyst for sustainable value creation. We seek to empower individuals, teams, and organizations globally, fostering innovations that yield enduring economic and social benefits. Our approach integrates perspectives from diverse stakeholders - including local communities, industry leaders, governmental bodies, and society at large - to foster an ecosystem of entrepreneurial success. We strive to cultivate an environment where innovation thrives, responsible leadership flourishes, and entrepreneurship becomes a powerful force for positive change across society-at-large.

The Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona is a leading business school in the United States. The Eller College of Management is highly ranked among undergraduate business programs by the U.S. News & World Report, and are known for our specialties in management information systems, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. The Eller College of Management supports more than 9,000 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students on the University of Arizona's 393-acre campus in Tucson, a satellite campus in downtown Phoenix, global micro campuses, and through Arizona Online.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; state and optional retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

Team Mentorship:

• Serve as a mentor to student venture teams, holding weekly group meetings to provide feedback on assignments, business plans, financial models, and presentations.
• Guide teams by applying core business development principles, including but not limited to ideation, customer discovery, competitive positioning, growth management, financial modeling, resource allocation and management, and acquisition and exit strategies to support the growth and success of their ventures.

Class Preparation and Instructional Support:

• Preparing students for classes, attending the biweekly lecture alongside students and leading a lab session on the prior lecture and assigned readings to guide students through the practical application of business development concepts and models.

Review & Feedback:

• Reviewing venture-specific, student-written material as part of the process of developing the elements of a business plan and pitch decks and providing ad-hoc guidance as necessary.

Cross-Team Support:

• Occasionally meeting with teams assigned to venture advisors across McGuire Center Programs to help students gain multiple perspectives.

Alumni Advisor Coordination:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for alumni advisors-primarily Eller and McGuire Center Alumni-by initiating engagement and overseeing their advisory relationship with student teams.

Program Collaboration:

• Participate in meeting with faculty, contributing to discussions on venture development, curriculum direction, and program activities.

Curriculum Planning & AI Integration:

• Collaborate with the Executive Director of McGuire Center on curriculum planning, including recommendations for integrating AI into entrepreneurship education and pedagogy.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Expertise in business development from ideation to successful business exit including scaling, growth management, and acquisition or exit planning.
• Deep knowledge of venture creation, fundraising, and financial modeling.
• Strong understanding of strategic planning and team development, including leadership, motivation, and retention.
• Proven ability to guide ideation, identify scalable opportunities, and translate vision into actionable strategies.
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership and coaching skills, with a collaborative and student-centered mindset.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Demonstrated experience mentoring or coaching students or early-stage startups.
• Experience juggling multiple ventures or responsibilities simultaneously.
• Familiarity with entrepreneurship pedagogy and experiential education models.