Superintendent/President

University of California; San Marcos (CA); On-site; USD 325,000 - 360,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Insurance fully paid for employees and

dependents (medical, dental, vision)

Vacation, sick leave and holidays

Life/accident insurance

Employee Assistance Plan

Job summary

Palomar College is seeking an experienced Superintendent/President to serve as a visible, responsive leader mindful of the college’s history and culture while guiding it through key opportunities and challenges. The role requires a Doctorate or equivalent and extensive senior leadership in higher education, with a strong commitment to equity, governance, and fiscal stewardship.

The next president will manage strategic enrollment, program expansion in trades and healthcare, and community

Qualifications

• Progressive leadership experience with five or more years of senior-level experience.
• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Coursework/degrees from accredited institutions recognized by US agencies required.

Responsibilities

• Lead Palomar College as Superintendent/ President with strategic vision and community engagement.
• Address opportunities and challenges across enrollment, program expansion, and campus development.
• Oversee sound operational, fiscal management and long‑term stability.
• Foster equity, inclusion, and shared governance across constituencies.
• Ensure timely pre-employment and compliance requirements are met.

Education

Master’s degree

Doctorate degree

Job description

Department Superintendent/President's Office (Dept)

Primary Location

• Palomar has multiple campus locations (San Marcos, Escondido, Rancho Bernardo and Fallbrook); the work location is subject to change.
• Requires travel to other District locations.

Full or Part Time

Full or Part Time Full-Time

Category

Category Administrative

Hours per week Exempt Position

Number of Months

Number of Months 12 month

Work Schedule

Exempt Position

Grade

Grade N/A

• Starting salary range: $325,000 – $360,000 annually
• Salary is negotiable dependent upon education and experience within posted salary range.
• Length of contract and other terms of employment are competitive and negotiable dependent upon education and experience.
• In addition, administrators who possess earned doctorates from accredited institutions are awarded an annual stipend of $1,862.53.
• Other fringe benefits can be negotiated with the Governing Board upon offer of hire. Currently the District also provides this position with a $100 monthly cell phone stipend and a $500 monthly transportation allowance, for a gross amount of $600 per month. These stipends are not considered creditable compensation under CalPERS or CalSTRS.

Salary/Wage Frequency Monthly

In addition to a competitive compensation structure, Palomar College also offers an extremely generous benefits package.

• Insurance fully paid for employees and their eligible dependents: four medical plans, dental HMO , and the vision plan (additional plans are available that require employee buy up/monthly contribution)
• Vacation, sick leave and 25 paid holidays
• $80,000 employee term life/accident insurance policy (additional buy up options available)
• Employee long-term care insurance
• Employee Assistance Plan ( EAP ) – Confidential free counseling, financial, legal, personal and professional development resources for all members of your household
• Additional buy up options available for other voluntary insurance benefits

The estimated maximum value of this employer-paid benefits package is approximately $31,245.84 annually.

Primary Function

The next Superintendent/President of Palomar College will be an experienced, visible, responsive leader who seeks to understand and respect the history and culture of Palomar College, while building trust and leading the College in addressing the Opportunities and Challenges listed below.

Minimum Qualifications

To be eligible for this position, you must meet and provide evidence of the following minimum qualifications:

• Experience: Progressive leadership experience with five or more years of senior-level experience.
• Note: For work experience, a “year” is defined as equivalent to 40 hours per week for 12 months. For supervisory experience, the experience must be at a professional level (i.e. evaluation and/or discipline of staff).

AND

• Education: Master’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Only coursework completed at, and degrees awarded by, accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education will be considered as satisfying the minimum qualifications. Coursework and degrees that are completed outside of the United States are required to have transcripts evaluated (evaluation to U.S. equivalency and a course by course analysis) by an appropriate U.S. credentials evaluation service. For a list of credentials evaluation agencies accepted by Palomar College, visit the National Association of Credentials Evaluation Services ( NACES ) website at http://www.naces.org , or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. ( AICE ) website at http://aice-eval.org/.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Antiracism (DEIAA) Statement

All positions require cultural competency which includes the sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, faculty, and staff.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate degree from an accredited college or university
• Community college leadership experience in teaching, instructional services, student services, finance and administrative services, and/or human resource services.

Licenses and/or Certificates

Possession of a valid California Driver’s License by time of appointment.

Supervision Received and Exercised

Supervision Given: Executive, administrative, supervisory, classified, hourly, and volunteer employees

Duties and Responsibilities

Opportunities and Challenges:

The next Superintendent/President of Palomar College will be an experienced, visible, responsive leader who seeks to understand and respect the history and culture of Palomar College, while building trust and leading the College in addressing the following Opportunities and Challenges:

Increasing student enrollment, persistence, and completion through:

• Navigating enrollment and demographic shifts
• Effectively using the college centers, expanding their programs and services
• Expanding programs that meet area needs for workers in skilled trades, healthcare, public safety, logistics, and green energy
• Creating a seamless registration experience and resolving technical issues affecting student enrollment (passwords, IDs, email)
• Developing and implementing a plan to grow the in-person campus environment
• Addressing classified vacancies, workload expansion and minimal hiring that impact student access, retention and completion
• Focus on innovative program development, partnerships, community outreach, and campus and centers utilization

Recognizing the value of effective decision-making and fully engaging in shared governance while unifying the college across all constituents through:

• Building trust and cohesion across employee groups, students, and the governing board
• Addressing leadership transitions and supporting the professional development of new executive leadership
• Enhancing shared governance and leadership efforts to unify the college across all constituents
• Supporting and assisting the governing board focus on student needs and success and making policy decisions that align with the System mission and vision
• Ensuring an inclusive environment where the needs of all employees are acknowledged and supported

Ensuring sound operational and fiscal management, planning, and long-term fiscal stability through:

• Aligning resource allocation, workforce stability and student success initiatives
• Engaging in strategic discipline with fewer initiatives but done well instead of constant new projects without staffing or resources
• Modernizing, simplifying, and building confidence in systems college-wide
• Building community support for a new bond for facilities to advance completion of facilities and infrastructure improvements
• Planning for facilities evolving technologies and infrastructure demands
• Developing an organizational structure and size that reflects the changing enrollment and fiscal realities of the district

Advancing efforts to ensure the success of all students through:

• Recognizing that equity and inclusion are central to the college’s mission and a defining lens for institutional decision-making
• Assisting students in receiving adequate basic needs support for food, shelter, technology and transportation

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

Personal and Professional Qualities and Skills:

The next Superintendent/President of Palomar College will exhibit the following qualities and skills necessary to lead the college in addressing the identified Opportunities and Challenges:

Experience

• Knowledgeable and experienced in higher education
• Demonstrated leadership experience with deep understanding of California community colleges
• Strong and positive labor relations and collective bargaining experience

Leadership

• Ethical, honest, trustworthy, and transparent
• Strategic and visionary thinker
• Straight forward communicator, who does not prioritize optics over reality
• Visible, approachable, welcoming and accessible across the district and community
• Ability to unify diverse perspectives and build consensus and trust within a complex political and organizational environment
• Decisive and courageous leader who can guide the college through change with clarity and purpose
• Highly connected to students, visible at college events, and actively advocating for students
• Holds self, and others, accountable, admits mistakes and learns from them

Decision-making

• Courageous, student-centered, innovative, data-informed, and solution-oriented in addressing what is best for the District legally and ethically and not just popularly
• Capability to set a clear and compelling direction for the college, and the ability to know when to pivot when change is needed for the success of the District
• Follows shared governance processes and engages groups early in decision-making

Relations

• Relationship builder skilled at developing and sustaining relationships/partnerships with the governing board, students, constituent groups, and community leaders and organizations
• Exceptional communicator and collaborator who is a skilled listener, maintains open dialogue, fosters shared governance, builds consensus, and communicates proactively and transparently
• Visible, accessible, and present on campus and in the community
• Ability to support, guide and unify a board of trustees with diverse policy goals

Budget and Finance

• Fiscally responsible and able to manage resources effectively
• Workforce centered budgeting that recognizes staffing drives enrollment, service quality and institutional stability

Fair treatment and full participation and support for all students and employees

• Aware of own cultural background and how it influences perceptions, values, and practices and effects and shapes relationships with students, faculty, staff and community
• Fosters a strongly inclusive environment where differences are valued, respected, and encouraged

Working Conditions

Environmental Conditions: Office environment; exposure to computer screens, noise and electrical energy; extensive contact with faculty, staff, students and community members.

Physical Conditions: Essential functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for walking, standing and sitting for extended periods of time. Must be able to travel to District and other locations.

Terms of Employment

• This is a full-time, 12 months per year educational administrator position.
• Salary is negotiable dependent upon education and experience within posted salary range.
• Length of contract and other terms of employment are competitive and negotiable dependent upon education and experience.
• The person selected for hire will be required to complete the following pre-employment requirements: live scan/fingerprinting, official transcript(s), and TB risk assessment. Other pre-employment requirements may be required depending on the position (i.e. certifications or licenses; see applicable job posting section for details). Successful completion of all pre-employment requirements is mandatory to be eligible for employment. These requirements are in accordance with the following Administrative Procedures and Board Policies:AP 7125 , AP 7126 , AP 7127 , AP 7330 , BP 7330 , AP 7336 , AP 7337 , and BP 7335 .
• The anticipated start date is January 2027 pending Governing Board approval.

Open Date

Open Date 07/20/2026

Close Date

Close Date 09/08/2026

Open Until Filled No

Posting Number

Posting Number P1063P