Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO: emailprotected.

The Director of Admissions and Financial Aid is a key member of Menlo Schools senior administrative leadership team reporting to the Head of School and leading the work of identifying enrolling and supporting a talented and motivated student body that will thrive within Menlos dynamic academic program and extensive extracurricular offerings. The Director will ensure that Menlos admissions and financial aid practices reflect the Schools mission and values advance its commitment to academic excellence belonging and socioeconomic diversity and respond thoughtfully to the changing demographics and enrollment landscape of the Bay Area.

At a school with significant demand and a transformative educational experience the Director must bring a nuanced understanding of what makes Menlo distinctive and exercise sound judgment in discerning which students and families are best aligned with its culture values and educational program. Through close collaboration with the Communications team to develop marketing strategy and authentic relational engagement with prospective families the Director will articulate what makes Menlo Menlo while continuing to broaden the Schools reach among historically underserved communities and families for whom an independent school education may not initially appear accessible.

An experienced manager and collaborative institutional leader the Director will develop and support the Admissions team while strengthening the offices relationships and credibility across the School. Highly visible and engaged in daily campus life the Director will build trust with faculty staff administrators students and families; create meaningful opportunities for community members to participate in the admissions process; and ensure that expectations and decisions are communicated with clarity context and care.

The Director will also steward Menlos substantial financial aid program in close partnership with the Chief Financial Officer. As a member of the Senior Administrative Team the Director will bring an enrollment and financial aid perspective to broader conversations about institutional strategy policy and the long-term strength of Menlo.

This is a full-time role starting in July 2027. This position may require some travel both locally and nationwide.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Admissions Enrollment and Financial Aid Leadership

• Set and lead a comprehensive admissions enrollment and financial aid strategy aligned with Menlos mission values and institutional priorities using data demographic trends and market insights to guide decisions and continually strengthen the program.

• Recruit and enroll a kind able motivated student body best suited for Menlos dynamic curriculum and extensive extracurricular programs.

• Direct and steward a generous financial aid fund in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer as appropriate honoring established financial aid policies and overseeing the disbursement of all aid funds including those for non-tuition expenses to support the schools growing commitment to socioeconomic diversity.

• Develop marketing and outreach strategies that convey Menlos distinctive educational experience and identify engage and welcome a diverse community of prospective students and families.

• Set the annual admissions calendar in concert with other school offices and local peer independent schools as needed.

• Manage the re-enrollment process for current families (including calendaring reviewing forms supervising mailings and counseling families as needed).

• Partner with colleagues across the School to create a warm personal welcome and thoughtful onboarding experience for new students and families introducing them to Menlos values culture and daily life and helping them build connections and a sense of belonging from the start.

Operations and Team Management

• Lead and manage the Admissions and Financial Aid team by growing their capacity and leadership potential and by hiring training mentoring annually evaluating and strategically structuring and staffing an effective dedicated Admissions Office.

• Direct the admissions process by identifying prospective applicants managing files and information about applicants arranging for and overseeing testing and interviewing; notifying applicants of decisions; and administering enrollment for new students.

• Chair the Middle School and Upper School Admissions Committees and the reading groups that evaluate all applicants and recommend those to whom offers of admission will be made.

• Partner closely with the Communications team to develop and implement admissions marketing and communications strategy translating Menlos distinctive educational experience into compelling stories consistent messaging and well-designed publications videos social media and web content that engage prospective families and support recruitment enrollment and reporting.

Institutional Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Represent and report on the schools admissions and financial aid efforts to all school constituencies (including the Board of Trustees faculty and staff families both current and prospective and alumni).

• Assemble monitor and analyze statistical information related to admissions and financial aid such as student testing/GPA data family income levels and the like and share the results with the senior administrative team and Board of Trustees and as appropriate the broader Menlo community.

• Participate in school governance through membership in Menlos Senior Administrative Team to ensure that the admissions and financial aid perspective is well represented in discussions about school policies budget and goals and to have a say in all major policy decisions.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Ideal Experience

• Bachelors degree required; Masters degree preferred.

• Minimum of five years of successful leadership experience in Admissions and Financial Aid at an independent school with demonstrated success developing and leading mission-aligned strategy using data demographic trends and market insights to establish priorities and guide decisions.

• A strong understanding of child and adolescent development in the context of educational settings.

• Exceptional people management and development skills with demonstrated ability to build trust and collaborate effectively across teams departments and the broader institution.

• Evidence of participation in regional/national admissions/financial aid advocacy groups.

• Exceptional written and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to listen thoughtfully convey Menlos distinctive educational experience with warmth and clarity engaging all audiencesfrom individual conversations to online webinars to large public presentations.

• Demonstrated ability to analyze admissions enrollment and financial aid data interpret demographic and market trends and translate findings into actionable recommendations that strengthen outreach inform enrollment planning and advance access.

• Strong organizational skills ranging from project management to follow-through on details.

• Technical fluency in a Mac environment and experience with admissions CRM platforms such as Ravenna financial aid software such as Clarity and collaborative tools such as Google Workspace; experience with comparable systems is welcome.

• Curiosity and sound judgment in evaluating new technologies and rethinking workflows to improve efficiency and the family experience with a commitment to ethical use protection of sensitive information and keeping human judgment creativity and connection at the center of the work.

Other Personal Characteristics

• Deep commitment to missiondriven education and to the work of admissions and financial aid in an independent school setting where commitment to joy engagement and challenge are paramount.

• The ability to inspire and motivate others through energy enthusiasm and intelligence.

• The capacity for effective reasoning impeccable judgment and the ability to engage in bigpicture thinking while managing multiple tasks and details.

• Proven ability to work sensitively and effectively with students and families from diverse backgrounds.

• The ability to maintain the highest levels of confidentiality.

• Creativity and confidence in leading within a complex organization.

• Demonstrated ability to communicate sensitive decisions with compassion empathy and tact.

• Emotional maturity and self-awareness selfassurance tact and persistence in working harmoniously with colleagues students and families in a high-visibility environment.

• Unwavering integrity and honesty with the wisdom and courage to make difficult decisions grounded in the Schools values.

• Warmth empathy and authentic curiosity about others with a natural ability to build relationships and help students and families feel known welcomed and included.

COMPENSATION

The expected base salary range for this role is $175000 $220000. Final placement within the range is determined by several factors including skills experience education job level internal equity full-time or part-time status and scheduled working months leaving room for salary growth.

APPLICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS

Menlo School is assisted in this process by Spencer Stuart and it welcomes comments nominations or expressions of interest. To express interest or nominate a potential candidate for the position please email: emailprotected.

PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO: emailprotected.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Menlo School is an independent coeducational college-preparatory school for students in grades six through twelve. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley and founded 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 joyful transformative education that empowers students to explore broadly think critically act responsibly and navigate the complexities of an evolving world. Our relevant and engaging academic programcomplemented by outstanding arts and athleticssparks wonder fosters a love of learning and inspires students to reach their full potential as they grow in competence confidence and curiosity. Student care and the supportive relationships students build with teachers coaches and peers are at the heart of all we do as we uphold the highest ethical standards develop character and pursue a shared commitment to purposes larger than ourselves.

At Menlo belonging is essential to who we are as a school. We embrace the growth and well-being of every member of our community by cultivating a culture rooted in kindness trust and belongingone where everyone feels welcomed included and valued and where our diverse backgrounds identities and ideas are honored with curiosity care and compassion.

Menlo School At A Glance

• 845 total students 619 Upper School Students and 226 Middle School Students

• 8:1 Student-Teacher Ratio

• $8.6 million Financial Aid budget for 2026-2027

• 23% of Students receive Financial Aid

• Meets 100% of Demonstrated Need

• 60% of Students Self-identify as Students of Color

• 50 Different Zip Codes from around the Bay Area Represented

Learn more about the Menlo School here.

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.

PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO: emailprotected.