Employment - Cate School

Join a professional community that is celebrated for its transformational pedagogy and that fosters curiosity. Here, our faculty thrives within a dynamic culture driven by an unwavering dedication to the greatest growth possible, a spirit of innovation and progress, and a core of care and support for each member of this community.

For over a century, Cate School has been blending together the tradition of the East Coast with the innovation of the West Coast in the service of a dynamic, diverse, and close-knit community. A four-year college preparatory school with a low student-to-faculty ratio, small class sizes, and inviting residential spaces, Cate’s inquiry-based program is designed to challenge, inspire, and support boarding and day students whose interests, abilities, characters, and aspirations make them individually and collectively exceptional.

Perched on a hill overlooking the Southern California coast, Cate School’s setting is one of unparalleled beauty and natural inspiration. “The Mesa,” as we call it – with its juxtaposition of close spaces and vast vistas, its blending of human architecture and natural splendor, history, and potential – is itself a critical touchstone for this community.

When employment opportunities arise, we post them here:

Position: Climbing Coach
Department: Athletics
Reports to: Wade Ransom, Director of Athletics
Position Type: Stipend / additional hours for hourly employee
Schedule: Monday-Weds and Fridays 3:15-5:30, Thursdays 3:10-7:00pm
Stipend Range: $3,000-$3,500 stipend or hourly rate of $25-$30 depending on type of hire
Contact: wade_ransom@cate.org and hiring@cate.org

Cate School
For more than 100 years, Cate has combined the best of East Coast tradition and West Coast energy and innovation in the service of highly motivated, independent-minded students. As a boarding school, Cate is structured to develop young people through an inquiry-driven curriculum designed to elicit the greatest possible growth in every student, all students
participate in an extracurricular program that includes athletics, arts, community service and an extensive outdoor program, and the residential life program is structured to develop well-being and leadership through the practice of self-discipline and service.

Position Overview:
Cate’s Climbing Program is looking for a coach for the Winter Season:

Winter: Monday, November 2 – Friday, February 5 (excluding School Breaks) This is an opportunity to work closely with Cate students in a program that combines climbing instruction, fitness, outdoor education, teamwork, and individual growth. The Climbing Coach will work alongside the program’s lead coach to provide safe, challenging, and developmentally appropriate experiences both on Cate’s climbing tower and during off-campus climbing days (typically each Thursday).

Primary responsibilities include:

● Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during on-campus training days (mix of climbing on climbing-gym style terrain, including roped tower and bouldering cave):

- Supervise students during climbing activities and support safe climbing and belaying practices
- Teach and reinforce climbing movement, safety procedures, and climbing skills appropriate to the coach’s level of training and experience
- Lead or support fitness workouts that challenge students across a range of abilities and fitness levels
- Help students develop individual athletic goals and reflect on their growth over the course of the season
- Support teamwork, group reflection, and a positive team culture
- Help students develop judgment and confidence around challenge, fear, risk assessment, decision-making, and healthy group dynamics
- Support students in progressively taking greater responsibility for climbing and outdoor skills

● Thursdays during “Long Days”:

- Provide transportation for students in a Cate vehicle to outdoor climbing locations in the Santa Barbara / Ojai / Santa Monica Region (driving permission must be obtained from the business office if not already registered to drive a Cate SUV)
- Teach and reinforce general outdoor skills, including Leave No Trace practices, packing for a day outdoors, navigation, and basic camping skills
- Supervise safe outdoor climbing activities (pending training) help with rigging top-rope belays, setting up crash pads for
  bouldering, and organizing equipment

Required Qualifications
Candidates must:
● Be able and approved to drive a Cate vehicle
● Be comfortable supervising and engaging students in an active outdoor environment
● Be able to support student safety, including learning and consistently executing the climbing safety checks required by the program
● Be willing to complete any necessary training before the beginning of the season

Preferred Qualifications and Experience
We are especially interested in candidates who bring experience in one or more of the following areas:
● Outdoor rock climbing, including experience with climbing systems, ropes, and rigging
● AMGA Single Pitch Instructor certification or comparable training
● Teaching climbing movement and technique
● Teaching climbing safety and technical skills
● Coaching general fitness, particularly with athletes of varied fitness levels and experience
● Helping young people develop confidence, persistence, and a willingness to engage
productively with challenge
● Outdoor education, including Leave No Trace, navigation, camping skills, risk assessment, and group management

Candidates do not need to bring expertise in every area above. A coach with less technical climbing experience should bring strong complementary skills in areas such as fitness instruction, student supervision, team development, and coaching young people. Additional climbing-specific training can be provided before the season, with the expectation that the coach will be prepared to independently support student safety and meaningful aspects of the program once the season begins.

The daily time commitment is from 3:15-5:30 pm, with weekly longer outdoor climbing days during the season, typically Thursdays run from 3:10-7:00 pm. Some pre-season training may also be required, depending on the coach’s prior climbing experience.

Who is eligible?
All members of the Cate community and qualified external candidates are encouraged to apply if they can take this on without conflicting with other responsibilities.

A Cate education uniquely leverages strong academic and residential curricula to transform students’ lives by preparing them as independent thinkers, informing their societal roles as global citizens of influence, and encouraging them to build authentic and meaningful relationships. Cate students engage enthusiastically in myriad non-academic pursuits and traditions which, complemented by academic rigor, constitute the foundation of a truly whole education.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Cate School is committed to a policy of Equal Opportunity Employment and nondiscrimination in the treatment of employees or applicants for employment without consideration of race, color, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, gender or gender identity.

Cate School offers competitive compensation. In setting compensation ranges, Cate School reviews numerous factors including industry data from NAIS, CAIS, NBOA, and other market data. Final Salary is based on experience relevant to the role and internal equity.