Posted: 27-Feb-26
Location: San Mateo, California
Type: Full Time
Salary: $79,200 - $145,900
Preferred Education:
Additional Information:
The Nueva School
Upper School English Teacher
Starting July 2026
The Position
The Nueva School invites applications from distinguished educators and scholars in English and literary studies who are eager to bring university-level intellectual rigor to a dynamic, forward-thinking secondary school environment.
We seek a teacher whose academic preparation and scholarly engagement reflect deep expertise in literary analysis, writing instruction, and critical theory across American, British, and world traditions. The ideal candidate views teaching as an intellectual partnership cultivating close reading, advanced research, and original argumentation in highly capable adolescents.
Nueva’s Upper School is a purposefully designed model of inquiry-based, interdisciplinary education. Our students are advanced thinkers who thrive in environments that privilege complexity, discourse, and authentic intellectual challenge. Faculty exercise curricular autonomy and collaborate closely across disciplines to shape a continually evolving academic program.
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 diverse socioeconomic, racial, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, academic, and ethnic backgrounds. Candidates are strongly encouraged to consider whether their values align with Nueva’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Nueva’s Mission, Vision, and Values.
General Responsibilities for Upper School Teachers
· Develop and teach courses expertly with high standards for each student
· Convey enthusiasm for intellectual inquiry
· Design instruction emphasizing critical thinking and real-world problem solving
· Collaborate with colleagues in curriculum development
· Create inquiry- and project-based learning experiences
· Collaborate effectively with students, parents, and administrators
· Serve as an advisor and contribute beyond the classroom
· Demonstrate commitment to equity and inclusion
· Participate in committees, trips, and school programs
· Genuine interest and excitement to work with students and a desire to support their learning, explorations, and aspirations
· 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
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree and an advanced university degree
- Minimum three years’ successful teaching experience at high school and/or university level
- Demonstrated mastery in the discipline
- Excellence in teaching writing and research
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Openness to feedback and growth
Preferred:
- Ph.D. in English, Literature, or a closely related discipline
- Department Head or academic leadership experience
- Experience teaching at a selective independent school or university
- Experience developing advanced or elective English courses
Compensation
The full-time salary range for this faculty position is $79,200-$145,900. The starting salary is based on, but not limited to, several factors, including type and years of creditable experience, education level, and expertise.
We offer a full benefits package that includes fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees, employer contributions toward dependent insurance premiums, a generous match on our 403(b) retirement plan, long-term and short-term disability insurance, a flexible spending account, and a free lunch. Eligibility rules must be met.
To Apply
Please send a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information of three references to http://nuevaschool.applytojob.com/apply. To address specific questions, please email Claire Yeo at cyeo@nuevaschool.org or 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, and serves six 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 cultivates the imagination. 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.”
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 learners 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 resilience. 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. We welcomed our inaugural ninth-grade class of seventy-seven students in 2013. This year, we have a total of 436 students comprising four full-enrolled Upper School grades. 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.
For more information about The Nueva School, please visit our website: www.nuevaschool.org
