Job Description

ABOUT STiR EDUCATION

We are an international NGO that is addressing the moral and economic imperative that every child, everywhere, should have a teacher who cultivates the joy of lifelong learning. At a practical level, that means we support governments to reignite intrinsic motivation in teachers and local officials, through teacher networks. Our vision is a world where teachers love teaching and children love learning. In our sixth full year of operations, we are working with 200,000 teachers and 6 million children across 70 districts in India and Uganda.

OUR MODEL

We achieve this through a five-year learning partnership with an education system, where we align all levels of the education system (officials, teachers and children) around the goal of increasing intrinsic motivation.

Practically, this means that teachers undergo monthly network meetings with about 20 to 30 local peers. Through these meetings they\'re supported to develop their practice in areas ranging from effective questioning to creating warm but orderly classroom routines - all designed to create a more effective relationship between the teacher and child. In doing so they develop a sense of autonomy (the sense they can change things), mastery (sense of getting better as a professionals) and purpose (reconnecting emotionally with their peers and students) - the key drivers of intrinsic motivation.

District officials undergo a training and coaching programme that motivates and supports them to prioritise, run and monitor the teacher networks and a close partnership with the state or national government enables the government to align this intrinsic motivation approach within their priorities, structures and systems.

The approach is run by the government from day one and after about five years of partnering with an education system we hope to have embedded a culture of improvement at all levels for the system to continue to strengthen itself. We typically allocate one member of our own staff per district to train, energise and coach the district officials running the approach, and a small team at the national or state level.

OUR VALUES

How we approach our work is as important as what we do and our core values guide the way:

Humility - We don\'t have all the answers upfront.

Ownership - We empower each other with high expectations & support.

Openness - We will listen, learn and improve, and lead through obstacles.

Purpose - We\'re united by a shared vision we\'ll build & achieve together.

ASSOCIATE HEAD - PROGRAMME (TAMIL NADU)

THE OPPORTUNITY

STiR is seeking to select an Associate Head (AH) for the Tamil Nadu programme, based in Chennai. The Associate Head (AH) role presents an opportunity for the right candidate to create a lasting impact on education in Tamil Nadu. This role will drive the process of building a shared vision with the Government of Tamil Nadu for our programme; be responsible for expansion of the programme across state and oversee its quality implementation; lead state level policy conversations and liaison with leading non-profits and academic institutions; and ensure a collaborative culture of excellence is built within your team and across teams in the organisation.

The role is based in Chennai and will report to the Head - Programmes.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop a clear shared vision for STiR in Tamil Nadu along with the government

• Build a clear and shared vision and robust plan for STiR in the state by working closely with internal team
• Ensure buy-in from senior government leaders in the DSERT, Department of Education, SSA and other relevant departments and build demand for a sustainable approach towards programme implementation
• Drive the conversation for long-term state partnership through a robust MoU, with clear roles and responsibilities for each side, and set of SMART outcomes
• Enable contextualising of the program delivery and model as per state\'s dynamics and structures, while keeping STiR vision and mission inalienable throughout
• Strengthen government relationships at all levels by being aware of trends and challenges and being in regular contact with the key stakeholders for sharing learning and brainstorming etc.
• Create a place for STiR India in all relevant policy level education meetings/discussions and ensure organisational visibility

Act as an Ambassador for STiR in the State and with other partners

• Map the potential landscape, key players and influencers in the state, from government, non-profits, academics, CSRs, foundations etc., and develop a plan of engagement to achieve a shared vision that is aligned with STiR\'s
• Take the lead in developing the influencing and advocacy strategy, in the process Champion STiR effectively with messages curated for government functionaries
• Contribute to the state discussions around teacher professional development and system strengthening with a focus on intrinsic motivation and sustainable behaviour change after consulting with senior managers, Head - Programmes and other colleagues
• Pitch and present STiR\'s work in an impactful manner with potential funders in the state, at conferences and public events in consultation with/ guidance from Head - Programme
• Ensure the experiences of the district leads and senior managers are shared and used in representing STiR; actively provide opportunities for the team to represent the org externally

Programme Leadership

• Work closely with the Senior Managers (Programme and Design) and empower the team to make decisions and take responsibility for their areas of accountability
• Regularly visit the districts to be aware of ground realities and appropriately support the senior managers in line management, district alignment and any other support required
• Lead in building the state strategy and aligning it with the India strategy
• Ensure the team capabilities and capacities are used fully to deliver quality work and enable further development of strengths
• Role model the organisational values and ensure the team is supported in building a values aligned organisational culture
• Lead by example in both giving and receiving feedback - both positive and areas for development
• Understand the gap areas and develop robust plans working with different central functions to set the culture of high expectation
• Work with the programme and resource mobilisation teams, to lead new program/ project development, funding and partnership opportunities, incorporating innovation, use of digital/ technology and cost effectiveness

Cross Functional Collaboration

• Closely work with global Design, M&E and other functions to ensure effective delivery of programme
• Work with Donor Partnerships team to enable funder visits, planning of sessions and communication to funders, meeting potential funders specific to the state
• Work closely with the People & Culture team to ensure team engagement and development
• Contribute to the national leadership discussions through strategic inputs and suggestions and participate in national/global conversations
• Work closely with the Head, Programmes on strategy and building STiR\'s presence nationally
• Collaborating, cross learning and sharing with teams from other states

Financial Management

• Work closely with the Finance team to prepare and own the budget of the state; understand the variance and manage the budget accordingly
• Support in building robust processes and systems to ensure that any financial spending is judicious
• Strategically work towards finding solutions that support STiR to be financially sustainable in the state

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• 8-10 years of professional experience with 3 years leading government partnerships at state level
• Proven experience in setting strategic direction and leading nonprofit work in partnership with state governments
• Strong delivery focus, \'can-do\' attitude, growth mindset and ability to rapidly adapt
• Knowledge and experience of building and nurturing government relationships and collaborating with wide variety of stakeholders
• Experience of managing and developing a team and the ability to lead, motivate and
• develop others
• Strong understanding of the education system and policy framework in India
• Creative and critical thinking - from adaptive design to problem-solving
• Have a high level of energy and a commitment to excellence
• Commitment towards STiR\'s values
• Ability to work under pressure and solution oriented

Leadership

• Excellent organization, delegation, performance management, administration, and
• time management skills
• Strong project management skills
• Excellent conceptual and decision-making skills
• Have a high level of drive and energy and a commitment to excellence
• Strong sense of ownership for every deliverable along with developed sense of integrity, humility and discretion

Communication and Networking Skills

• Strong ability to communicate and develop effective working relationships with all
• stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
• Strong personal impact with highly developed communication and influencing skills; ability to build strong relationships and connections with people of all levels of seniority
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Tamil and English

REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

A consultancy fees of 141,574/- per month (16,98,883/- per annum) will be paid for your service (subject to relevant taxes at source.)

STiR Education