Director of Student Belonging

Reporting to the Chief of Institutional Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB), the Director of Student Belonging serves as an important leader in elevating and executing the School’s ongoing work in EDIB.

The Director serves on the School’s EDIB Strategic Plan Leadership Team and is a highly visible presence within the school community, specifically addressing and meeting the needs of our diverse student body. The Director will be primarily focused on building and strengthening the School’s student-facing initiatives, analyzing relevant data, developing and implementing cutting-edge 6-12 programs, while simultaneously collaborating with cross-divisional Directors to ensure that strategic initiatives are unifying, intellectually stimulating, monitored, and there are systems of accountability established to determine fidelity and impact on an annual basis.

A model of enduring commitment to EDIB, exhibiting grace and trust while leading with personal and professional integrity, warmth, humility, and humor, the Director will be a person of impeccable ethics and an unwavering commitment to confidentiality and discretion, specifically when working with students.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Create a cohesive 6-12 program that builds upon the School’s institutional north star of belonging.
Develop relevant strategic priorities for student-facing programs, based on observations, interviews, and data.
Develop and deliver a new curriculum for the Identity and Meritocracy course that is part of the Freshman Rotation.
Oversee the growth and implementation of summer and auxiliary programs, including but not limited to onboarding programs and after school programs.
Upon request, serve as a member of the Upper School’s Student Support Team.
Lead and administer the School’s internal climate, culture, and belonging surveys, based on a timeline determined by the Chief of EDIB and other strategic priorities.
Develop and implement various aspects of Restorative Justice programming for students.
Design, develop and co-implement competency-based training for faculty and staff as it relates to  pedagogy, curriculum, and child and adolescent development.
Collaborate with the EDIB Leadership Team, which consists of the Chief of EDIB, Director of Family Support, Menlo School Parent Association Vice President of EDIB, Board of Trustees EDIB Committee, Student Council leaders, and students at large.
Organize and select Upper School students that will be eligible to attend the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC).
Apply various leadership approaches, incisive persuasion and negotiation skills to build community using accessible language to explain information, strategy, and processes to individuals with differing levels of familiarity, specifically at the student level.
Develop credibility to build deep and abiding trust with a number of constituencies and be able to influence and bring them together around shared goals.
Communicate effectively and speak persuasively to the importance of EDIB throughout Menlo’s classrooms and beyond with fluency and clarity.
Serve as a natural bridge-builder internally and externally. This leader will be an engaged and active listener, skilled collaborator, and will endeavor to connect and sustain excellent relationships across the school.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree, preferably in social work, human services, or a related field.
A minimum of 5 years of related work experience.
Strong knowledge of leading cutting-edge research on issues concerning EDIB trends in secondary schools.
Demonstrated effective communication skills, both verbally and in writing, required to articulate complex issues with purpose to a variety of audiences.
Substantial experience in successfully organizing, developing, and implementing student-centered programs, with a strong EDIB orientation.
In-depth experience with developing meaningful partnerships that offer opportunities for innovative and experiential collaboration leadership and learning for students.
Demonstrated track record of inspiring and facilitating open, productive, and challenging programming centered on EDIB and will have exemplary skills in internal/external constituent relations and public speaking.
Highly organized and a strong planner.
Experience in student information systems is desirable.
We offer:

An exceptional work environment and caring community
Highly competitive salary
A comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees and their families, including generous contributions to a retirement plan. Learn more by going to https://www.menloschool.org/employment-benefits.php.

To be considered for this opportunity: please submit your resume and cover letter.

We look forward to hearing from you!

About us:

Menlo School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for students in grades six through twelve. Located in Atherton, California, and established in 1915, the School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of the National and California Associations of Independent Schools.

Menlo is dedicated to providing a challenging academic curriculum complemented by outstanding creative arts and athletic programs. The School helps students develop positive values and nurtures character development in a supportive environment that upholds the highest moral and ethical standards. Our program encourages students to reach their fullest potential and to develop the skills necessary to respond intelligently and humanely to the complexities of a diverse and increasingly interconnected world.

At Menlo School, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging are at the core of our organizational identity. Through our daily efforts, the School demonstrates a shared commitment to the development of all stakeholders by supporting a campus ethos where equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging reflect the major cornerstones of our community.

Our equal opportunity employment policy:

Menlo School is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants. We administer all personnel practices without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or domestic partnership status, disability, protected veteran status or military status, genetic information, or any other category protected under applicable law.

Pay range:

In the spirit of pay transparency we share the base salary range for this position: $105,000 – $135,000. Base salary is exclusive of fringe benefits, retirement plan employer contributions or potential stipends (for eligible employees). Pay ranges at Menlo are reasonable estimates of what the School anticipates paying for a role but are not guaranteed. If hired at Menlo School, your final base salary will be determined by factors such as skills, education, experience, job level, part-time status and number of months of work per academic year. In addition to those factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity with our current employees as a part of any final offer. Please keep in mind that the generous range mentioned above is the full base salary range for the role. Hiring at the maximum of the range is not typical for Menlo School in order to allow for future and continued salary growth.