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Location

Palo Alto, CA | United States

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Job description

Founded in 1907 and now serving 424 students in grade 6-12, Castilleja School has long been respected as one of the nation’s premiere girls’ schools. Inspired by its history, and more Women Learning, Women Leading , Castilleja challenges and prepares young women to live lives of purpose and impact. The School now seeks a new Head of Upper School for July 2024 who can balance inspiration, challenge, and support for students, faculty, and families and can build on the myriad opportunities that exist for students to excel.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

The successful candidate for the Head of Upper School at Castilleja has the opportunity to shape and lead the education of girls and young women in a nationally recognized school and will embody and demonstrate the following skills, qualities, and leadership capabilities:

• A community builder who engenders trust and confidence in all constituencies—students, faculty and staff, fellow administrators, and parents—and bolsters the spirit of joy and connection among all
• An experienced and intellectually curious leader who can build consensus and lead collaborative implementation of effective curricular development; impactful assessment strategies; and innovative, research-based pedagogies and projects
• An inspiring communicator who can capture and characterize the excitement and responsibility of shepherding the Castilleja program–in print and in person–and articulate the school’s goals and aspirations effectively, generating good will in conversations across differences
• A leader committed to supporting a diverse student body, working toward equity, and ensuring that every student feels a sense of belonging and agency and can thrive in a program characterized by rigor and depth
• A commitment to the totality of developing the well-being of the “whole” student: intellectual, social-emotional health, physical and athletic development, artistic and creative growth through thoughtful programming
• A skilled recruiter of talented faculty and staff, committed to thorough onboarding, ongoing support and professional feedback, and salient and motivating professional development
• A strategic thinker who can manage and prioritize competing initiatives and can implement the pace of change with intentionality, acumen, and care
• A systems thinker who clarifes and communicates roles and responsibilities and decision-making authority for an experienced, capable high school faculty
• An Upper School leader who works equally well with Middle School leaders and colleagues and contributes significantly to the rebuilding of the overall administrative structures at the school
• An advocate for the school-home partnership and the ability to build positive, generative relationships with parents and guardians of Castilleja students
• A knowledgeable and articulate leader who can support students to and new and exciting pathways to develop their leadership capacity, the heart of the Castilleja mission
• A leader who leads with integrity, deep intellect, kindness, enthusiasm, generosity, warmth, humility, and a commitment to listening and learning from the entire community

TO APPLY

Becoming Castilleja’s next Head of Upper School is an extraordinary opportunity for an accomplished educator who is interested in leading a high-performing upper school for girls and young women. Everything is in place: a vibrant mission and clear core competencies, talented and creative students, capable and dedicated faculty, administrative support and the resources needed to further the work of the school.

IT IS TIME TO CONSIDER CASTILLEJA! Apply by March 1, 2024

Salary and beneits for the position are competitive in the San Francisco Bay Area with a salary range of $175,000 to $210,000.

Applications for this opportunity must be submitted to the RG175 portal before    March 1, 2024, for consideration.

Apply here:

Your application will require a:

• Cover letter
• Current resume
• A writing sample (or two)
• Five references

Please direct any questions or communication to the consultants for this search.

Tony Featherston [email protected]

Coreen Hester [email protected]

About Castilleja

Castilleja School is a non-sectarian independent college preparatory school for young women located in the San Francisco Bay Area near Stanford University and in the heart of Silicon Valley. Founded in 1907 by Stanford University graduate Mary Ishbel Lockey, the school has an enrollment of girls in grades six through twelve, and has a long-standing reputation for the excellence of its academic program. Castilleja educates young women by fostering their intellectual, physical, creative, and emotional growth through an exemplary college preparatory experience within a diverse and supportive community.

Connections working at Castilleja

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