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Posted: 02-Apr-25
Location: Menlo Park, California
Type: Full Time
Salary: 100,000 - 115,000
Categories:
Required Education:
Note: This position is for a school setting and not a software job at a tech company. Please read the entire post and follow the instructions at the bottom.
The Synapse School in Menlo Park, CA, an innovative TK-8 independent school located in the heart of Silicon Valley, dedicated to rethinking and reimagining education, seeks an Engineering and Design Specialist.
Synapse educates a community of change makers by combining social-emotional learning, leading-edge academics, and the practice of innovation. We have an unwavering belief in the capacity of children, and our teachers work alongside our students to unlock their powers of curiosity, discovery, and creativity. Synapse’s program provides a deep and unique range of integrated academic, social, and creative experiences to help children use their hearts and hands to unleash their passion for learning. Synapse draws students from around the San Francisco Bay Area.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Synapse School is seeking a full-time Engineering & Design Specialist to join our team for the 2025–26 school year. We’re looking for a creative builder, big thinker, and passionate educator—someone who thrives in dynamic environments and brings a maker mindset to everything they do.
You’ll join an experienced team in our 11,000 sq ft Engineering & Design Center, collaborating across grade levels to design and facilitate hands-on, interdisciplinary projects. No two days are the same: one week might involve helping middle schoolers construct full-scale obstacle courses to explore biomechanics and disability rights; another could mean reverse-engineering working boats with fourth graders to tie into history and physics lessons. We’ve even built seafloor models to simulate ocean dynamics in a custom wave tank. If that sounds like your kind of weird and wonderful—keep reading.
Who You Are
- Someone who loves working with kids
- A flexible thinker and creative problem solver with a wide range of technical and making skills
- Excited to work closely with teachers to translate classroom concepts into meaningful, project-based experiences
- Comfortable with ambiguity and energized by experimentation, iteration, and collaborative design — and equally capable of taking initiative, following through, and getting things done.
- Interested in asking questions like, “Whoa. That’s so cool. How do we bring that to life?” and “Yes, we should definitely make a roller coaster, but how can we make it better serve your learning objectives?”
- Someone who might not come from a traditional education background—but has something unique to bring to one and our space
- You bring many passions and perspectives. We aren't just looking for "builders”—we are seeking curiosity-driven problem solvers who can engage with everything from "how was that built?" to “what if Galileo had an iPhone?”
What We’re Looking For
This is not a role solely for experienced teachers! We’re looking for a “J of all trades” who says yes to creative ideas, loves to build and prototype, and is deeply curious about how kids learn by doing. Familiarity with tools and materials is a plus, but mindset matters most. This is not an “entry-level” role, but we will train, support, and help grow the right individual.
Whether you’re an experienced educator looking to shake things up or an industry veteran craving more purpose in your work, we want to hear from you.
Explore our website to learn more about our program—and if your brain is already buzzing with wild ideas, you might just be the unicorn we’re looking for. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have even an inkling of interest because this post and our school speak to you.
Responsibilities
- Teach and co-teach project-based, mixed-age, and mixed-ability classes across TK–8
- Collaborate with teachers, specialists, leadership, and the EDC team to enhance and evolve programs
- Integrate technology meaningfully into student learning
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with students, teachers, and families
- Model flexibility, creativity, and best practices in hands-on learning
- Lead or join parent-teacher conferences as needed
- Serve as a middle school advisor, supporting students’ personal and social-emotional growth
- Chaperone field trips, including overnight and outdoor expeditions
- Attend faculty, division, and school-wide meetings
- Help maintain and organize the Engineering & Design Center
- Prototype and pilot new tools, materials, and approaches
Ideal Candidate Attributes
- Strong communication skills—both written and verbal—with students, parents, and colleagues
- Bachelor’s degree required
- Experience designing and facilitating project-based or problem-based learning, with attention to skill development
- Flexibility, curiosity, humor, and a love of learning
- Experience in an education fabrication/shop setting
SALARY RANGE AND BENEFITS
$100,000-115,000
Synapse offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, and retirement, as well as additional lifestyle perks.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants should email a cover letter of interest, three names of references with contact information and a résumé to Brian Bicknell, Director of Engineering and Design, brian@synapseschool.org. Hitting the generic “apply now” on various platforms is not sufficient and those inquiries will be ignored. This position is open until filled.
Synapse School does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability and familial affiliation or any other characteristic protected by law. All applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States.