Roles and Responsibilities

Mentor Responsibilities

The mentor may at times be a role model or sounding board and at other times a challenger, advisor or facilitator; their role will shift according to the needs of the particular mentee.  It is the responsibility of the mentor to:

• Maintain a constructive approach with a focus on the development of the mentee
• Seek to build mutual trust and respect
• Be accessible and available to the mentee
• Empower the mentee to take responsibility for their own learning and development
• Offer a safe environment to the mentee within which they can discuss work-related issues and explore solutions

Mentee Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the mentee to:

• Take ownership of the mentoring process and drive the mentoring agenda
• Be open and honest in discussing with their mentor what they would like to achieve from the relationship
• Seek to achieve mutual respect and trust with their mentor for the duration of the mentoring relationship
• Be willing to engage in career development opportunities

College or School Responsibilities

The College and School have a number of responsibilities to ensure the local mentoring successfully supports the career development of early career academics.  Specifically, the office of the College Dean is responsible for ensuring that mentoring support is facilitated locally, and any administrative responsibilities required at a local level are met.

The College Mentor Board is responsible for inviting and supporting suitable mentors, in consultation with Heads of School, as appropriate.

The College Dean acts as a local champion for academic mentoring.  They are also required to monitor mentoring locally to ensure its long-term success.

While it not possible for a mentee's line manager to also be their mentor, it is their responsibility to facilitate the mentoring  programme and through it, enable the development of early career colleagues.  Line managers are required to meet with mentees in advance of their participation in the mentoring programme and have a three-way meeting with the mentor and mentee at the beginning of the mentoring relationship. 

Human Resources Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of HR to coordinate the mentoring process and relevant support and training. HR will liaise with senior academic colleagues to gain local support for the mentoring programme.  They will gather feedback on the mentoring programme from participants and make modifications, as appropriate.