Director of Student Life in Newport Beach, California at Pacifica Christian High School-Orange County

At Pacifica Christian High School, we teach our students to think and live well.

Embark on a transformative journey with Pacifica Christian High School (Pacifica), where education is about more than achievement—it’s about joyful formation: teaching students to think and live well, to the glory of God. Founded in 2015 with 48 students, Pacifica has grown into a thriving community, with close to 400 students, and a growing alumni base already numbering in the hundreds. We are a young school with uncommon momentum and a future still being built.

Student life is central to this vision. Pacifica is a campus marked by joy, energy, tradition, and belonging. Signature experiences such as All-School Retreat, dances, pep rallies, Triton Ball, Wedge Week, First Friday, Friendsgiving, Christmifica, and more are not merely events on a calendar. They are formative opportunities for students to take risks, build friendships, deepen school spirit, grow in faith, and discover the joy of life together.

The Opportunity / Job Summary

Pacifica is seeking an entrepreneurial, highly relational, and strategically minded Director of Student Life to lead and strengthen the student experience across the school. This person will oversee student life programming, major events, student traditions, service learning, student-led clubs, and the House System, ensuring that each area supports Pacifica’s mission to free a generation to think and live well.

The Director of Student Life will work closely with Academic, Athletics, Arts, and Advancement leaders to cultivate a joyful, cohesive, and mission-aligned student culture. This role requires excellent planning, communication, organization, and program development skills, as well as a leader who loves teenagers, builds trust easily, and brings energy, creativity, flexibility, and excellence to the daily life of the school. The ideal candidate will see student life not as a collection of activities, but as a vital arena of Christian formation where students grow in faith, friendship, courage, service, leadership, and joy.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Daily/weekly duties include but are not limited to:

Co-Lead/Run Associate Students (AS) meetings during the week (2x a week)Attend Executive Council Meeting every week. Oversee and attend all Major Student Life Events. (Friendsgiving, All School Retreat, Heritage Dinner, School Dances) related activities (not including athletics)Attend select home & away sporting events to help promote school spirit, good sportsmanship, fair play, and a Christ-centered environment within the student body. Attend select Art events to help promote school spirit, support and encourage student artists and ensure a Christ-centered environment within the student body.Work with City and Government Offices, Local Businesses, Venues, Non-Profit Organizations, Pacifica Christian Athletics, Arts, Academics and other relatable organizations in coordinating student life events, functions, facility usage, on and off-campus, and all student life-related activitiesHelp oversee/coordinate school clubs on campus and everything relating to clubsMaintain facilities and student life equipment/supplies to appropriate standards Potentially lead/mentor a group of students in a weekly small group throughout the course of the year Schedule meetings, when necessary, with Department Directors, Teachers, Students, Parents, and any other responsible party. Provide support services and opportunities for all students to grow and develop as people.

Administrative responsibilities:

Oversee scheduling/coordinating of AS assemblies, pep rallies, special assemblies, and all related student life school meetingsManage day-to-day expenses/finances in accordance with the Student-Life Event Budget and Director of Student Life approvalWork on the yearly Student Life Event Budget Work on All School Retreat BudgetUpdate student life Resource Boards and all communication through MyPacifica when necessary.Communicate student-life events with teachers, faculty, staff, parents, and students Communicate all student life events with parents (via MyPacifica)All Major Student Life Events must be posted on the “News - Recent Activity Page” of MyPacifca 4-5 weeks prior to the event. Events with a cost of $100 or more to the student body must be posted 6-8 weeks prior to the event All Student Life activities must be put on the School Calendar and updated accordingly with accurate informationCoordinate and communicate with Pacifica Parent Partnership (P3)The main contact for this is the Director of Advancement Oversee and Coordinate the Prefect Program Help coordinate and attend the Student Leadership Retreat in early August.Help coordinate and attend the All-School RetreatHelp develop new programs and initiatives in areas such as: Campus Life, House System, Community Mentor Programs, Service Learning, etc. Perform any administrative tasks relevant to student life events or given by the Director of Athletics and Student LifeConfirm student life events planned week to weekWork with other department directors to ensure programmatic integrationSupport other school activities through planning, participation and supervisionRepresent the school publicly and assist the admissions process as neededStudent AmbassadorsHigh School FairsOpen HousesShadow Days

Other Duties & Shared Responsibilities

Embodies and promotes Pacifica’s Core Beliefs and Approach to Teaching & Learning.Wholeheartedly enjoys working with teenagers, championing their education, and encouraging their faith and Christian commitments. Cultivates a vibrant culture of learning in and outside of the classroom and contributes to a healthy professional working community Serves as an Advisor to a cohort of students.Attends and participates in weekly Chapel and All-School Meeting as well as other school-day events/assemblies. Celebrates students’ by attending their co-curricular activities on occasion. Arrives on time, is well-prepared, acts professionally, and seeks to add value in every facet of the job while working collaboratively with colleagues and students to advance Pacifica's mission. Maintains communication with parents and responds to messages within 24 hours. Holds self directly accountable to their direct report and to the departments they serve, and ultimately the Head of School. Attends and readily participates in Pacifica’s annual overnight All-School Retreat as well as Admissions Open House(s), Back-to-School Night, and Commencement activities. Contributes to the supervision of a reasonable number of after-school activities as needed.

Requirements & Qualifications

Previous experience in youth ministries, educational leadership, school development, or a related field preferredBachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university (Masters Degree in Education , Non-Profit Leadership, Educational Leadership, or a related field preferred)Adequate knowledge and understanding of high school studentsRequires standing for long periods of timeRequires lifting and moving of items upwards of fifty poundsMust be CPR/First Aid CertifiedMust be 21 years or olderMust have a valid CA Driver’s LicenseMust be willing to take and pass a background checkWorkday starts at 9:00 am unless an event or meeting is taking place before 9:00 amFlexible and adaptable in dealing with new, different, or changing requirements/situationsEffective in handling multiple concurrent tasks

Disclaimers:

Pacifica Christian High School is an equal opportunity employer and is required by law to perform background checks on selected qualified candidates. All employees of Pacifica Christian must agree to carry out their responsibilities in a manner that is consistent with Pacifica Christians Mission Statement, Statement of Faith, and conduct themselves in a manner consistent with Biblical standards.

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor in compliance with Federal and State Laws.

Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently. Continued employment remains on an “at-will” basis.

All job requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees and students.