Creative Arts Director

Menlo School is on an exciting journey to redefine artistic excellence and innovation. We are seeking an extraordinary visionary to lead our Arts Program into a new era of creative exploration, education, and community impact. If you are a forward-thinking leader with a passion for nurturing talent, shaping culture, and driving meaningful change, we invite you to explore this transformative opportunity.  The Arts are a central component of developing well-rounded citizens who have the skills and orientation to make a positive impact on the world.  Together with Academics and Athletics, the Arts aid students in finding and developing their unique voice, learn to express themselves creatively, discover resilience in the face of setbacks and even failure, and thrive in an ensemble.

Reporting to the Head of School and serving on the Senior Administrative Team, the Creative Arts Director will be dedicated full-time to creating the most successful Arts Program Menlo School is capable of providing.  Leading a 6-12 department of 14 talented Arts faculty and staff, the Creative Arts Director is responsible for creating the vision of the program, developing the strategies to best execute on that vision and overseeing the tactics required to bring the vision to fruition all while coordinating closely with Academic, Athletic and other leaders on campus.

Responsibilities:

Envision long and identify mid and short-term goals for a relevant and dynamic Creative Arts program. Develop and implement programs and initiatives to achieve these goals while focusing on their relevance in our ever-changing environment.
Oversee the scope and sequence of Arts curriculum grades 6-12
Manage team members through direct supervision and in some cases through “dotted-line” responsibility, sharing managerial responsibilities with other department leaders. Provide day-to-day direction, coach and develop, evaluate and manage performances
Work closely with the Division Directors to hire new members of the Arts team when appropriate.
Determine, in consultation with department members, course content and offerings
Oversee scheduling of a full academic year of performances, shows, and recitals
Run and facilitate regular department meetings in both Upper and Middle School divisions, attend other meetings as appropriate (such as department chairs, curriculum committee, academic advisory committee, and student concerns meetings)
Participate in the life of the School and represent the leadership of the Creative Arts program by regularly attending arts performances, showcases, assemblies, and presentations
Represent the Arts in the Admissions process, including serving on the Admissions committee for both Upper and Middle School divisions
Keep abreast of arts trends in education, and recent educational research by attending conferences, workshops, reading relevant literature
In coordination with the Communications Director, serve as principal marketing and communications officer for the Arts
In coordination with College Counseling, build and implement a robust college application assistance program – including staying abreast of latest Arts admissions trends, meeting regularly with applying Arts students, assist with preparations for Arts portfolios
Manage and supervise a robust Arts budget
Foster on-going relationship with Music@Menlo. In coordination with the Executive Director, identify synergies between the School and the music festival, and capitalize on opportunities
Other duties as assigned

The successful candidate will possess many if not all of the following skills, characteristics and background:

Skills:

Excellent written and verbal communication
Superior manager, coach, mentor and talent evaluation
Superb project management capabilities
Strategic thinking and planning
Creative marketing and promotion
Judicious budget management and financial planning prowess
Outstanding creative expertise

Characteristics:

A love of kids and schools
A passion for arts and creativity
A deep sense of calm
A sense of humor and appreciation for irony
A well-honed emotional intelligence and sense of empathy
A deep listener with strong verbal skills
An ability to build trust and engender respect

Background:

An intimate knowledge of great teaching in both middle and high school
Demonstrated leadership, preferably in the arts
Experience with both performing and visual arts
A capacity for storytelling in the service or promoting the Arts at Menlo
Demonstrated experience as a member of a successfully collaborative team

To be considered for this position please submit your resume and cover letter through our portal. 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 for the 2025-2026 academic year. The full pay range, which encompasses all experience levels is $150,000 to $175,000. Within this broad range, we pay in accordance with what could be reasonably expected based on an individual’s experience level. 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.