Director of Student Services

Chinese American International School seeks a

Director of Student Services

This is an English language position; Chinese language proficiency is a plus but not required

Exempt, full-time position

WELCOME!

Join the vibrant community at the Chinese American International School as Director of Student Services, responsible for leading and coordinating the Student Services Team, which includes counselors as well as learning and language specialists in Chinese and English. This role involves planning, implementing, and supervising student services while guiding the team. The Director works closely with school leadership to develop and communicate a cohesive, schoolwide response to the needs of students ages 2-14 years old. The Director is responsible for maintaining clear and effective data-supported communication with parents regarding their children’s progress, services, and any support needed. This dual faculty/administrator role requires a candidate who will be able to skillfully work directly with a caseload of students, while also serving as the school-wide leader and representative of the Student Services Team.

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate finds resonance with CAIS’s mission to Embrace Chinese, Become Our Best Selves, and Contribute to a Better World. We look for a candidate adept at supporting a community of learners with diverse gifts, exceptionally skilled at home-school partnership and collaborating with families along various stages in their parenting journeys. This candidate can engage with clarity and compassion, always keeping students at the center of decision-making and process. Our Director of Student Services will help us realize the next chapter of our story on our unified P-8 campus, as we endeavor to offer robust student services curated to our unique bicultural, bilingual setting.

CAIS offers a dynamic dual culture setting in which faculty are immersed in a culture of language learners. We look for a candidate who will embrace CAIS’s work to create an equitable, inclusive environment where all faculty, students, and families are supported in their individual identities. We welcome all applicants who aim to actively support and participate in our diverse and inclusive community.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Position responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

● Lead and manage the Student Services Team, providing vision, oversight, and support to ensure effective P-8 student support services and collaboration

● Provide effective direct student support as a member of the Student Services team, whether as an English Learning Specialist, Chinese Language Support Teacher, or School Counselor (based on experience) as part of this role

● Oversee and manage the development and implementation of individual student learning profiles

● Serve as the lead case manager by coordinating and monitoring both in-house and external services, accommodations, and interventions

● Collaborate and communicate clearly and compassionately with teachers, support staff, administrators, and parents

● Analyze assessments to determine the best learning plan for each student

● Develop and implement streamlined systems for collecting, tracking, and monitoring data, goals, and materials for students year-after-year

● Lead the work of producing an internal and external SST Handbook

● Design an internal referral system and conditions for entry into and graduation from SST

● Serve as a collaborator and thought partner with the Education Leadership Team

● Contribute to in-house faculty professional development and Parent Education events

● Build relationships with various practitioners and organizations in the local Bay Area

● Keep an up-to-date curated list of vetted and recommended practitioners and service providers

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

● Teaching and/or Special Education experience

● Desired: relevant degree as a Learning Specialist or similar

● Ability to analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action

● Strong and compassionate written and verbal communication skills, particularly when having difficult conversations

● Proficiency with collecting, organizing, and interpreting data

● Commitment to the school’s mission, core values, vision, and annual strategic objectives

● Commitment to the school’s approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

● Excellent work ethic

● Flexibility, patience, compassion, resilience, and good humor

● Technical/computer skills as required for job

ABOUT CAIS

As the nation’s first dual language Chinese and English Preschool through 8th grade school, CAIS embodies our mission by working continuously to maintain our role as a leader in immersion education. We are known as an ambitious school, and we have made substantial progress on our multi-year vision to reimagine immersion, reimagine our culture of learning, reimagine our community connectedness, and reimagine our learning spaces. Our entire community began the school year at our newly renovated campus on 19th Avenue.

COMPENSATION

CAIS has an established salary scale that recognizes experience and other qualifications including (but not limited to) education and training, leadership, and bilinguality. The salary range for this position is: $90,400 – $128,400.

BENEFITS

Chinese American International School is dedicated to attracting, developing, rewarding and retaining world-class employees and ensuring that this is a great place to work. We put a high priority on advances in compensation, benefits, and work climate with a 2025–2026 benefits package and perks including:

Distinctively CAIS Benefits

● Commuter benefits (up to $325/month)

● Chaperone student trips to Taiwan (Taipei) and China (Guilin)

● Dynamic, dual culture setting valuing honest self assessment, thoughtful self reflection, intentional planning, and focused implementation

Financial Benefits

● CAIS contributes 5% of your earnings immediately in a 403(B) retirement plan (no contribution required on your part)

● Transparent salary benchmarked to the Bay Area’s competitive standards, including annual cost-of-living adjustments

● Consideration for relocation costs

● Approximately 90% adjustment to tuition for exempt employees

Professional Development

● Robust opportunities for conferences, workshops, and courses

● Membership in California Teacher Development Collaborative — https://catdc.org/

Health Benefits

● CAIS pays 100% of the premium for medical, dental, vision, acupuncture, chiropractic, short-term disability and long-term disability, and life insurance for you (along with competitive rates for spouse and family coverage)

● Employer-funded Health Savings Account (HSA) and Pre-tax HSA employee contribution

● Pre-tax Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for medical and dependent care

Vacation / Holiday / Paid Time Off

● Thanksgiving Break – 1 week

● Winter Break (December/January) – 2 weeks

● Spring Break (April) – 1 week

● Summer Break – month of July

● Paid school holidays according to the school calendar

● Up to 2 additional days off for religious holidays

● Accrue 11.5 days of Sick Time annually

● Accrue 3 days of Personal Time annually

Quality of Life and Appreciation

● Monthly appreciation lunches

● Twice-yearly Faculty/Staff Appreciation Events

● Annual milestones luncheon

● Free tickets to annual dinner/dance gala

● Lunar New Year luncheon

● Birthday gift card

TO APPLY

CAIS’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is central to our mission. People of color and LGBTQIA candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Email cover letter, resume, and list of references to jobs@cais.org, attention: Kimberly Kaz. In the subject line please indicate “Director of Student Services.” In your cover letter, please reference how you learned of this opening. Please no calls.