Upper School - Associate Art Teacher/Studio Manager and Digital Photography/Video Art Teacher

Description

Upper School - Associate Art Teacher/Studio Manager (78%) and Digital Photography/Video Art Teacher (22%)

We seek an arts graduate who would like to gain experience teaching high school art at Nueva by joining our Associate Teacher program. The ideal candidate will have significant interest and experience in the field of arts education and be excited to work with upper school (ninth- to twelfth-grade) students. Experience working with youth is preferred. Position begins in August 2025 and runs through the end of the following 2026-2027 school year. This is a full-time position with a competitive salary and full benefits.

A full-time role in the Upper school is the equivalent to four courses plus advisory. This teacher is responsible for designing and teaching one year-long Digital Photography and Video course. As an associate, they serve as an apprentice teacher for two year-long courses in other media (painting, sculpture, etc). Finally, they manage the studio for the equivalent of one course. 

Lead Digital/Video teacher 

We seek an individual trained in the methods of digital photography and video, who can develop and be responsible for teaching one year-long course in these media. 

Art studio manager

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing and curating student art displays and features throughout the Bay Meadows campus, and in managing and supervising the campus art studios.

Associate teacher

The person we seek is trained in Art and Design in drawing, painting, and mixed media, in addition to digital photography and video. Associate Teachers work closely with mentor teachers through an apprenticeship model. They spend each day in the classroom, working with students, collaborating with teachers, building curriculum, teaching lessons, and reflecting upon their practice. In addition, Associate Teachers participate in the Innovative Teacher Program (ITP), a two-year program designed to provide classroom teaching experience, mentorship, and professional development opportunities for new and developing teachers.

Associate Teachers are members of the Nueva community of educators, one defined by collaboration, inquiry, reflection and lifelong learning. They participate in all aspects of school life, including serving as co-advisors, preparing parent-teacher conferences, chaperoning school trips, and attending faculty meetings and school events. During their second year, Associate Teachers develop a teaching portfolio, and receive support in applying for positions and/or graduate school, building a résumé, and preparing for interviews.

We are seeking applicants who represent the full diversity of our community in the Bay Area. Our ideal candidate will possess a deep appreciation for the diverse socioeconomic, racial, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, academic, and ethnic backgrounds present in our community. In joining our team at Nueva, you will become a part of an inclusive, iterative and equity-minded community that recognizes that equity and social justice is a lens with which we examine all aspects of our school community in order to ensure an educational experience where all students and colleagues can thrive. 

In deciding whether to apply for a position at Nueva, you are strongly encouraged to consider whether your values align with Nueva’s Mission, Vision, and Values.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and teach your courses expertly with the highest standards for each student
• Convey enthusiasm for intellectual and artistic inquiry and model lifelong learning
• Design instruction that emphasizes critical thinking and real-world problem-solving
• Collaborate with colleagues in the development and execution of curriculum
• Create hands-on, inquiry- and project-based learning experiences
• Collaborate effectively with students, parents, teachers, and administrators
• Model flexibility in implementing best learning practices
• Support the well-being of all students
• Demonstrate interest and ability to serve as an advisor to students, lead student activities, serve as a club advisor, and contribute beyond the classroom to support school programs and activities
• Participate actively in other aspects of the student experience and school functioning: chaperoning trips and events, serving on committees, and developing new programs at the school
• Lead by example in your commitment to Nueva’s mission: “Our school community inspires passion for lifelong learning, fosters social and emotional acuity, and develops the student’s imaginative mind.”

Position Qualifications

• Demonstrated mastery in an area of study, with an art practice preferred, and ability to teach within and across academic disciplines
• Experience in working with high school students
• Bachelor's degree, with advanced university degree (MA or MFA) preferred
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• A desire to integrate curriculum with other subjects and to teach collaboratively
• Flexibility and creativity in working in a dynamic environment where new ideas, mistakes, and iteration are embraced
• A profound openness to feedback and improvement, modeling lifelong learning of practice as well as subject area

Compensation and Benefits

The full-time equivalent salary range for this position is $62,900 - $80,000. The starting salary is based upon, but not limited to, several factors that include type and years of experience, education level, and expertise.

We offer a compensation and benefits package that includes fully paid medical, dental, vision, life insurance for employees, employer contribution toward dependent insurance premium, a generous match on our retirement plan, long-term disability insurance, flexible spending account, and free lunch. Eligibility rules must be met.

To Apply

Please submit your application information - cover letter describing your interest and preparedness for the position, a resume documenting your relevant experience and expertise, and contact information for three professional references including an explanation of your relationship - to the Nueva Employment Website.  To address specific questions, please email Liza Raynal, at lraynal@nuevaschool.org

The Nueva School is an Equal Opportunity Employer – we do not discriminate against any employee or job applicant on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability or sex. We welcome applications from people of color and those with experience outside the education field. 

About The Nueva School

The Nueva School, an internationally-recognized, nonprofit, independent day school, has served gifted and talented students since 1967. Today, Nueva serves nearly 1000 students PK-12. Nueva is located in the neighboring towns of Hillsborough and San Mateo, equidistant between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, serving six different counties throughout the Bay Area of Northern California.

A constructivist school, Nueva is known for its distinctive inquiry-based interdisciplinary studies, project-based learning, and pioneering work in social-emotional learning and design thinking. The Nueva community instills a passion for lifelong learning, fosters social and emotional acuity, and develops the imaginative mind. Our school has received the US Department of Education National Blue Ribbon Award, the US Department of Education National Green Ribbon Award, and the American Institute of Architects Award for School Design and Sustainability; has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished Program and appointed an Ashoka Changemaker School; co-founded the Common Ground Speaker Series; hosts the biennial Innovative Learning Conference, and was highlighted by the Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times best-selling author Thomas Friedman in his book That Used to Be Us in the chapter “Average Is Over.”

For more information about The Nueva School, visit our website: www.nuevaschool.org

Nueva’s Upper School

True to Nueva’s founding principles, our Upper School offers opportunities for deep, rigorous learning that includes inquiry-based, interdisciplinary studies as well as mastery of traditional disciplines.  We offer accelerated and extended experiences where gifted and talented students design, discover, reflect, and apply their ideas in practical and real-world contexts. The physical proximity and institutional connections to world-renowned universities, cultural organizations, high-tech companies, healthcare institutions, and the can-do spirit of Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area offer a dynamic entrepreneurial community for collaborative partnerships.

We prepare our graduates to be leaders in their chosen fields, certain of what drives them, and ready to pioneer new paths to success. We have designed a high school that responds to the pressing social, emotional, and learning needs of today’s teens, preparing them to direct their college educations and to live well as responsible human beings and global citizens. Nueva students learn to address difficult challenges with optimism and resiliency. Our community is a personal and curricular partnership, where students encourage each other as they, alongside their teachers, continually think, construct, create, and re-think the best ideas and opportunities to explore their own passions and connect deeply with themselves and others.

Nueva’s Upper School opened in August 2013 after many years of discussion and comprehensive study, demographic analysis, feedback from alumni, consultation with educational and industry thought-leaders, and visits to more than 50 model high schools across the country and around the world. A seminal point of validation came from Nueva's 2011 Presidents' Roundtable, during which university presidents and college deans from some of the country's most respected institutions convened at our Hillsborough campus to discuss the future of education and affirmed the need for a new high school model like ours to better prepare students for this new century. The opportunity of a lifetime, to reimagine high school, is now a reality. Our extraordinary faculty models a spirit of deep inquiry and inspires students to be active and passionate learners. Teachers serve as mentors, guides and partners in the learning process, crafting and facilitating experiences through which students deepen their understanding and build transferable skills.

Salary : $62,900 - $80,000