Trustees (3)

The Role

We are seeking three Trustees, from the Global South. INASP’s Trustees are collectively responsible for ensuring that the charity is carrying out the purposes for which it is set up, complying with the governing document and the law, utilising its resources responsibly, and meeting statutory accounting and reporting requirements. In addition, Trustees are invited to bring their own skills and experience to advise, collaborate and if necessary, to challenge, the Board, the Executive Director and the Senior Management Team to achieve shared objectives. Trustees will also act as an ambassador and a public face of the charity in partnership with the Executive Director.

We are seeking Trustees with:

• Strong personal networks within the knowledge sector in their home country and region, an understanding of sectoral perspectives and opportunities where INASP can contribute.
• Substantial expertise and practical experience of one of three aspects of the knowledge sector:
  • • Higher Education and Learning (Research and Innovation)
  • Digital Technology and Online Learning
  • Gender and Gender Responsive Pedagogy.
• Deep understanding of the changing development funding and operational landscape and skill to identify nascent opportunities for INASP to progress its strategy.

Person Specification

Personal Qualities

• • • Demonstrate strong and visible passion and commitment to INASP, its strategic objectives and cause.
  • Deep knowledge, practical experience and personal contacts in the technical area and country/region.
  • Strong inter-personal and relationship building abilities and comfort in an ambassadorial role.
  • Tact and diplomacy, with the ability to listen and engage effectively.
  • Strong networking capabilities that can be utilised for the benefit of the charity.
  • Ability to commit time to conduct the role well, including travel and attending events out of office hours.
  • A commitment to INASP’s values, especially a decentralised and non- hierarchical approach to knowledge generation and dissemination.

Experience

• • • Experience of operating at a senior level within a relevant sector and organisation, such as university, government organisation, international development organisation or NGO.
  • Practical experience of operational and policy work in the technical area and how it is changing.
  • Successful track record of achievement throughout your career to date.
  • Experience of governance and working with, or as part of, a Board would be desirable.
  • Some experience of external representation, delivering presentations and managing stakeholders is desirable.

Knowledge and skills

• Deep understanding of the changing development funding and operational landscape at national and regional level, and skill to identify nascent opportunities for INASP to progress its strategy.
• Specialist knowledge and understanding of ‘knowledge for development’ in one of the following three areas:
  • • Higher education (Research and Innovation): experience working in and with a university teaching and research environment in the Global South; understanding of the connections between
      student learning, research and innovation; experience of developing successful collaborative initiatives between universities and stakeholders in practice, policy or business environments.
  • Digital Technology and Online Learning: the development of digital tools and platforms to support students, researchers or policy actors to study, learn or create new knowledge through transdisciplinary collaborations with their peers; particular experience of developing digital tools which are accessible to users in the Global South, and of the use of mobile applications and of AI and machine learning technologies.
  • Gender and Gender-Responsive Pedagogy: the design and leadership of initiatives to embed gender-responsive practices in the teaching, research or management systems of universities, government agencies or other knowledge-sector organisations. A deep understanding of gender-responsive evidence ender-responsive approaches to teaching and learning.

Principal Responsibilities

A. Governance and Strategic leadership

• • Contribute to effective Board, and other meetings to ensure efficient and inclusive governance.
  • Contribute expertise and knowledge to ensure INASPs strategies, plans, systems and processes are appropriate to deliver INASPs vision and mission.
  • Ensure that decisions taken at meetings are implemented.
  • Work within any agreed policies adopted by the charity.

B. External Relations

• • Act as an ambassador for INASP.
  • Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in collaboration with the Executive Director, Staff Advisers, Associates, and the Chair of the Board.
  • Act as a spokesperson when appropriate, including representing INASP at external functions, meetings and events.

C. Expert advice

• • Learn about INASP’s technical strategies and programmes and look for opportunities where the charity could contribute more effectively, and/or could be adapted to be more useful in national and regional contexts.
  • Establish and build a strong, effective, and constructive working relationship with relevant staff, advisers and associates to ensure long-term strategies and ongoing technical work is up to date, well informed, and regularly reviewed.
  • Provide advice to INASP teams about opportunities for practical and policy engagement and fundraising, at national, regional and international.

This list is indicative and not exhaustive. The Trustees will be expected to perform all such additional duties as are reasonably commensurate with the role.