Program Associate Jobs in Berea, KY (NOW HIRING)

Location : Berea
Job Type: Full-Time
Division: Labor Program
Department: Berea Corps 550
Opening Date: 08/31/2026
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Please note that references provided at the time of application for staff positions will not be contacted until the applicant has been offered the position.
Description:
This is a grant-funded, one-year position, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. Under the general direction of the Dean for the Work College Program and direct supervision of the Associate Dean, the BereaCorps Program Associate, working with the Work College Program team, assists in the operations and implementation of programs under the purview of the Work College Program, with particular focus on managing student position descriptions across campus and growing the BereaCorps Off-Campus Summer Experience Program (OCSE). The Associate works within a highly collaborative, team-based organization, providing hands-on skills, knowledge, and project management to address the training and educational needs of a multifaceted, decentralized, and diverse Work College Program, and partners closely with the Office Manager & Work College Support Coordinator on front-office operations and shared program logistics.
Your Key Responsibilities:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Regular and predictable attendance is essential. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Assist, as needed, in daily front office administration and systems in order to maintain the Work College Program Office's operation.
• Partner closely with the Office Manager & Work College Support Coordinator on shared front office responsibilities, scheduling, and program logistics.
• Manage the process for student position descriptions across campus, including the creation of new positions and facilitating updates and edits for existing positions.
• Edit and approve suggested updates to student position descriptions.
• Monitor and maintain active student position descriptions across campus and communicate and facilitate meetings with departments that are non-compliant.
• Co-Manage the Work College Program Off-Campus Summer Experience (OCSE) in collaboration with the Office Manager & Work College Support Coordinator.
• Track students and organizations interested in participating in OCSE.
• Assist potential OCSE students in researching, contacting, and interviewing with non-profit organizations and summer employers.
• Track and monitor students participating in OCSE, including ensuring they are completing the expectations established by them and their employer, such as hours, tasks, and evaluations.
• Schedule and coordinate site visits for OCSE organizations.
• Design, plan, organize, and facilitate interest sessions for students interested in participating in OCSE.
• Design, plan, organize, and facilitate orientations for both students and organizations/supervisors participating in OCSE.
• Take notes and provide support for the student and supervisor concerns meetings.
• Other roles/duties as assigned to assist the College in the attainment of the goals set forth and the enhancement of a positive, respectful learning environment for all staff, faculty, and students.
• Following long-standing tradition and practice at Berea College, this position includes responsibility for supervising, mentoring, and developing students in the College's integrated Work College Program. This supports student learning, career readiness, and the program's learning goals and outcomes. The Work College Program provides a developmental framework that guides student learning while creating a structured mentorship opportunity, with role-specific training that equips faculty and staff mentors to support student development. Faculty and staff mentors play an essential part in helping students connect their work-learning-service experiences with broader academic, professional, and personal development. For faculty, this aligns with Berea's tenure and promotion criteria.

Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist the College in the attainment of the goals set forth and the enhancement of a positive, respectful learning environment for all staff, faculty and students.
What You'll Bring:
Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Undergraduate degree from Berea College, with graduation within the past two years.

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• History of success in a higher education setting and/or working collaboratively with diverse faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and students.

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Strong understanding of and appreciation for the Berea College purpose and Great Commitments.
• Ability to work independently and recognize opportunities and create effective strategies to engage prospects with Berea College resulting in increased support.
• Excellent communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated personal traits of initiative, integrity, discretion, patience, persistence, good judgment, and a strong sense of self.
• Attention to detail, creativity, and problem-solving skills, and the ability to work independently.
• Flexibility to learn and execute varied tasks is essential.
• The capacity to integrate disparate information and to organize and prioritize complex tasks.
• Ability to work with and supervise students.
• Ability to partner effectively with the Office Manager & Work College Support Coordinator on shared front-office responsibilities.
• Availability to work weekends and evenings as necessary.
• A strong social media and/or digital media background is preferred.

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• Valid driver's license and good driving record.
• Required background check.

Physical requirements:

• Ability to climb stairs, operate office equipment, and move light office furniture and supplies.
• Ability to navigate campus and public buildings and grounds.
• Ability to travel independently by car and/or plane.
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 20 lbs.

Environmental conditions:

• Professional office environment with interruptions and noise due to frequent visitors, students, staff, and faculty.
• Occasional travel required for meetings, conferences, and OCSE site visits.
• Weekend work as necessary.

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:

• Computer literacy and strong aptitude for the following tasks: use of internet and email; navigating Argos and Banner; data entry; word processing; experience with Excel and PowerPoint.
• Standard office equipment (copier, cell phone, office phone system/voicemail, and GPS navigation system).
• Vehicle - college vans/cars.

Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 44 states and U.S. territories and more than 60 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides every enrolled student with a fully funded degree that covers 100% of tuition, housing, food, supplies, and fees without loans, for all four years. Berea's students excel in the College's supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only 10 federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus, building professional skills in a real-world learning environment. Washington Monthly ranked Berea College the #1 Best College for your Tuition and Tax Dollars, 2025. Berea also ranks #1 in educational access by The New York Times, 2023 and #1 for lowest educational debt by U.S. News and World Report, 2025 and 2026. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2026.
Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 17,000) lies 40 miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at
Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.
Our Benefits:
Berea College offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees and their families including health care, dental, vision, retirement, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability and an Employee Assistance Program. The benefit package also includes access to the for children of College Staff, ages 6 weeks to 6 years, Membership, Staff Development Funds and Tuition Reimbursement.
Eligible staff employees also receive paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.
Part-time employees who work an average of twenty-four hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro-rated basis.
To learn more details, visit our benefits page at
Our Unique Culture:
Berea College strives to be a place where people with various Christian interpretations, different religious traditions, and no religious traditions work together in support of
Over the past century, various leaders of the College have applied the College's inclusive scriptural foundation and spirit to their expanding world and welcomed those whose beliefs were consistent with the Christian gospel of impartial love. Therefore, Berea College today affirms its inclusive Christian tradition even as it respects the traditions of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus, as well as other faiths, and those holding no religious beliefs. We strive not to ignore our differences, but rather seek to understand each other honestly and respectfully, and together create a climate where anyone can openly discuss what they believe without fear of sanction. To that end, all persons who are willing to share in the spirit and the work of the Great Commitments as shaped by its preamble are welcome to study, to teach, and to work at Berea
Labor Supervision:
In support of Berea College's great commitments, staff and faculty serve as labor supervisors. Our fourth great commitment, The Dignity of Labor, promotes learning and serving in community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done. Student Labor Supervision includes scheduling, assigning, and approving student work, developing students' workplace acumen, and providing tangible work experience. To learn more about the labor program office please see the following link