Brightworks Employment

 
 

Brightworks has been at the cutting edge of learner-driven education since its founding in 2011 and we continue to push the envelope of what is possible in education. We are a school that says “Yes.” You want to send a GoPro to the stratosphere in a weather balloon? Let’s do it! You want to build a sail car and go on a journey down an abandoned railway? Sure thing! You want to investigate how we can help the homeless? Alright, let’s figure it out together!

We trust that children are instinctual learners, and we value partnering with them on their educational path. That is why we call our teachers “Collaborators”.

To be here is to work side by side lovingly and in full support of the children who populate this place with their dreams, attempts and ideas. We ask Collaborators to think big, improvise, and learn alongside students. By taking the best practices from early childhood education and emergent, project-based experiential learning, we strive to meet students' needs in a flexible, mixed-age environment that breaks the traditional walls between school and the community outside the classroom.


 

12:1

Student to Collaborator ratio

 

88

K-12 students

 
 


Brightworks is seeking experienced candidates for the teaching position for the 2024/2025 school year.  Collaborators are responsible for co-creating project-based curriculum with their 10-14 students with the support of their teaching team.  Collaborators also create accountability structures for their students' independent projects and studies.  Collaborators regularly document their group’s explorations, send weekly communications to parents, and help students compile portfolios for their student-led assessment as well as writing their own assessments of the students.  Collaborators should have a commitment to professional growth and a strong spirit of mutual aid and support.  Collaborators engage in deep power and privilege work and have a commitment to creating a learning environment that is anti-racist, gender inclusive, and overwhelmingly welcoming and accessible to students of all backgrounds and orientations. 

Summer Camp Program Manager for Tinkering School (PT)

Brightworks is currently seeking an experienced Summer Camp Program Manager for Tinkering School for Summer 2025.

Expected Work Schedule: The Tinkering School Program Manager is part-time during the school year, while summer programming is out of session, and becomes full-time during summer programming (June - August). 

Compensation and Benefits: The salary is $42,000 - $50,000.00, depending on experience. Benefits include sick time accrual. 

Additional compensation opportunities may be available depending on the skills of the candidate and the needs of the school.

More details about the position and how to apply can be found here.


Open Collaborator Position

Substitute Collaborator

Brightworks is currently seeking experienced candidates for a Substitute Collaborator for the current school year.

Compensation and Benefits

Placement on our hourly scale will be based on qualifications and experience. Our scale ranges from $22-$35/hr.

 

Collaborator Candidate Requirements - General (FYI)

  • You have experience working with elementary-age students. You have a deep understanding of progressive, inquiry-based education.  You have the experience of or a desire to teach in a setting that honors the competence and independence of children.

  • You are a creative curriculum designer.  You leverage student interests, real-world problems, and professional tools/experts to design engaging interdisciplinary projects that drive student learning. 

  • You are committed to social justice and equity.  You see opportunities all around you to leverage conversations about identity and actively seek to create equitable learning spaces.

  • You are an excellent communicator. You communicate effectively with students, parents, and coworkers. You actively listen and ask probing questions. You can communicate clearly through writing the story of your student’s learning journey. You know how to be candid and kind at the same time. You can hold accountable and be supportive at the same time.

  • You have a strong sense of empathy. You put yourself in the shoes of students, and parents and communicate in a way that values their lived experience.

  • You are a project manager. You have a strong work ethic and are able to help students pace out projects and create accountability structures that help them reach their goals.

  • You are comfortable with ambiguity. You are intellectually curious and have a strong sense of agency. You are comfortable not always having or knowing the answers. 

  • You are a great collaborator with both students and adults. You enlist your problem-solving and communication skills, sprinkling in your high EQ and fun personality, to build strong relationships. You know the importance of leveraging divergent viewpoints for the improvement of our collective work. You hold your colleagues and students accountable, and you are receptive and humble when they hold you accountable.

  • You are a lifelong learner. You have a growth mindset and you pick up new ideas quickly and think critically. You are intellectually curious and deeply committed to learning and growing.

 
 

Application Procedure

 

To apply for open positions, we ask applicants to send the following PDF documents to hiring@sfbrightworks.org

  1. Cover Letter, how did you learn about the position? Who are you? What is your journey? Why are you excited to work with us? What’s the last project that excited you? 

  2. Resume of relevant work and educational experiences to support your candidacy

  3. We are currently reviewing applications


Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time


Brightworks is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions based on merit. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, pregnancy, and breastfeeding), sexual orientation (including heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality), national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, age, medical condition, genetic characteristics or information, military and veteran status, and physical or mental disability, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.