The Nueva School

Upper School Physics Teacher

Starting August 2025

The Position

We seek a dynamic individual to join our team of physics teachers. They should share our passion for the beauty and mystery of physics, and enjoy working with gifted students. The ideal candidate will have experience teaching at the high school level, and will have interest and experience in a variety of modes of teaching and be skilled at differentiated instruction. Some indication of the role of a physics teacher at Nueva is conveyed by the breadth of courses that we offer: year-long courses in Introductory Physics, Modern Physics, Advanced Mechanics, Optics & Astrophysics; Semiconductor Manufacturing (one semester) and Physics Research (one semester aimed at the USA Young Physicists Tournament). Candidates should have the expertise and desire to teach courses such as these, and potentially develop additional courses based on their own interests and experience.

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 the diverse socioeconomic, racial, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, academic, and ethnic backgrounds present in our community. In joining our team at Nueva, you will become a part of an inclusive, iterative and equity-minded community that recognizes that equity and social justice is a lens with which we examine all aspects of our school community in order to ensure an educational experience where all students and colleagues can thrive.

In deciding whether to apply for a position at Nueva, you are encouraged to consider whether your values align with Nueva’s Mission, Vision, and Values.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and teach your courses expertly with the highest standards for each student
• Convey enthusiasm for intellectual inquiry and model lifelong learning
• Design instruction that emphasizes critical thinking and real-world problem-solving
• Collaborate with colleagues in the development and execution of curriculum
• Create hands-on, inquiry, problem- and project-based learning experiences
• Collaborate effectively with students, parents, teachers and administrators
• Model flexibility in implementing best learning practices
• Support the well-being of all students
• Demonstrate interest and ability to serve as an advisor to students, lead student activities, serve as a club advisor, and contribute beyond the classroom to support school programs and activities
• Actively participate in other aspects of the student experience and school functioning: chaperoning trips and events, serving on committees, and developing new programs at the school
• 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.”

Qualifications

• Demonstrated mastery in area of study and ability to teach within and across academic disciplines
• Bachelor's and advanced university degree
• Successful teaching experience in secondary school and/or university
• Minimum of three years’ teaching experience desired
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• A desire to integrate curriculum with other subjects and to teach collaboratively
• Flexibility and creativity in working in a dynamic environment where new ideas, mistakes, and iteration are embraced. 
• A profound openness to feedback and improvement, modeling lifelong learning of practice as well as subject area.

Compensation and Benefits

The full-time salary range for this faculty position is from $77,000 - $141,800. The starting salary is based upon, but not limited to, several factors that include type and years of creditable experience, education level, and expertise.

We offer a compensation and benefits package that includes fully paid medical, dental, vision, life insurance for employees, employer contribution toward dependent insurance premium, a generous match on our 403(b) retirement plan, long-term disability insurance, flexible spending account, and free lunch. Eligibility rules must be met.

To Apply

Please submit your application information - cover letter describing your interest and preparedness for the position, a resume documenting your relevant experience and expertise, and contact information for three professional references including an explanation of your relationship - to the Nueva Employment Website.  To address specific questions, please email Claire Yeo at cyeo@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 learners since 1967. Today, Nueva serves nearly 1000 students in grades PreK–12. Nueva is located on two campuses in the neighboring towns of Hillsborough and San Mateo, equidistant between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, serving six counties throughout the Bay Area of Northern California. The Upper School campus is adjacent to the Hillsdale Caltrain station, facilitating access from San Francisco and much of the peninsula.

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 develops the imaginative mind. 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 and talented students 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 resiliency. 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. 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, visit our website: www.nuevaschool.org