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Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Full-time, Remote

Applications for this position are now closed.

Mission of the role

The Global School Leaders CEO will lead an exciting and dynamic organization focused on school leadership in the Global South into its second major phase. In its first 8 years, GSL has grown to a network of organizations in nine countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America, bringing resources and attention to strengthening school leadership. The next CEO will expand on this vision, charting out the next 5-10 years of GSL’s journey, and will be responsible for harnessing the resources and excitement necessary to achieve this vision. The CEO will be a visionary executive with the experience to lead systems change work, attract the financial and human resources to enable the work, and support a strong team that works remotely.  The CEO will be excited to dig into the work, get to know our diverse and talented team, and support them in executing complex projects.

We seek an experienced global education leader to join our team as the next Chief Executive Officer. 

We are looking for someone who: 

  • Is passionate about the role of school leadership in improving the educational outcomes of children in the global south.

  • Can grow an organization, charting a vision for its growth, attracting resources and talent, and maintaining excellence while growing the organization from a $3 million to a $5 million organization. 

  • Builds relationships with donors and partners that inspire them to partner with Global School Leaders in its vision.

  • Brings creative ideas about new revenue streams, ways that technology can enhance the work, or new ways to influence the ecosystem around school leadership.

  • Leads a remote team with humility and kindness, providing direction, fostering a culture of learning, and developing individuals to lead their own work.

  • Is excited about the opportunity to chart out and lead the future of GSL.

  • Brings equity into decision-making, with interest in and the ability to lead conversations about sensitive equity topics with the team, partners, and stakeholders.

As the CEO, you will:​

Be the Executive Leader​

  • Provide thoughtful and hands-on executive leadership to the team that supports the organization’s mission and goals as defined by the Board of Trustees

  • Engage in and lead the strategic planning process for the next phase of GSL’s growth

  • Organize, motivate, and mentor team leaders to strategically grow the organization’s impact, programs, and fundraising

  • Foster a culture that encourages collaboration, growth, learning, and efficiency in an all-remote global team

  • Oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization

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Develop the Resources Needed

  • Be responsible for harnessing existing and building new donor relationships to resource the organizational budget, maintain healthy cash flow, and build reserves

  • Develop new funding mechanisms and sources that allow for more diverse funding sources to enhance long-term organizational stability, potentially including resources that leverage interesting uses of technology for revenue generation

  • Monitor the budget and financial operations to ensure maximum utilization of resources and optimum financial positioning for the organization

  • Assume responsibility for the fiscal integrity of the organization

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Serve as the External Voice for the Organization

  • Represent the organization and serve as chief spokesperson 

  • Pay careful attention to the global education landscape and build relationships across countries and partners

  • Ensure high visibility to the public and build interest in the role of school leadership as a lever for school improvement in the global south

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Build a Strong Board

  • Build strong relationships with current and potential board members to find ways to help them support the organization

  • Ensure that Board policies and procedures are properly followed

  • Manage the board to build consensus, maintain regular communication, and provide leadership to GSL

Candidate Qualifications
Required Qualifications 

(we will use these in our screening process)
 

  • Management experience leading an organization, ideally a non-profit organization

  • Experience living and working in the Global South

  • Experience in advocating for or leading programs that support education

  • Strong writing and public speaking skills

  • Undergraduate degree

  • 15+ years of experience working in education or global development

  • Experience building relationships across lines of difference

  • Significant experience fundraising and building meaningful relationships with donors

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Preferred Qualifications 

(these will not be used for screening purposes; if you feel you have some but not all of these, you are still encouraged to apply)
 

  • Experience in the global education sector, working across countries

  • Demonstrated experience in building successful relationships with partners or clients

  • Experience working with and coaching others across cultures and contexts

Life as the CEO:

  • 50% - Fundraising and external relationship building (potential partners, donors, network building)

  • 30% - Internal team management and coordination

  • 20% - Strategic planning and vision-setting for the organization

 

Please also note:

  • You’ll travel internationally for conferences, donor meetings, partner meetings, and team meetings. (Travel will vary, but please expect about 25-35% of your time to be traveling). 

  • Teamwide meetings generally occur between 11 am UTC and 2 pm UTC, with individual or small group meetings occurring before or after, depending on time zones.

  • Apart from meetings, you can work whenever is best for you (early morning, late evening, weekends).

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What is rewarding about the role?

  • You will inherit a strong, stable team that is passionate about their work and is deeply skilled.

  • The current organization's finances are strong and lean.

  • You will be coming into a well-respected organization, and your job will be to enhance its voice and strength.

  • You will have lots of flexibility in how, when, and where you work.

 

What is challenging about the role?

  • This is not a 9–5 job. You will have either early morning (as early as 5 am for those in the western hemisphere) or late evening (as late as 11 pm for those in the eastern hemisphere) calls.

  • You will be working in ambiguity and managing multiple competing priorities.

  • The work is fast-paced and requires juggling many projects at the same time.

Work Location and Remuneration

The candidate must have significant experience living in the global south. The candidate must have work authorization in their residence, as GSL cannot sponsor employment visas. The candidate must be able to travel internationally and within their country. 

Salary and title are commensurate with experience and competitive with the non-profit education sector in the country where candidates are based. The salary for this position will be benchmarked after the second round of interviews based on the cost of living of the candidate's home country and their experience level. As a point of reference, the annual salary range in the United States is $125,000 USD-$155,000 USD.

Commitment to Diversity

GSL is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all employees — across nationalities, races, ethnicities, religions, economic backgrounds, sexual orientations, disabilities, languages, ages, genders, and prior experiences. In our hiring, we seek those with an inclusive mindset and who notice and correct inequities when they arise.

Child Safeguarding

GSL is committed to safeguarding children. Background checks may be conducted as part of the hiring process. All team members are asked to agree to a safeguarding policy.

Application Process

Our application process is designed to give time for qualified candidates to apply, to include voices from across our organizations, and to respect your time. 

  • Applications will be accepted from March 5-April 5.

  • You will be asked to submit your resume, an interest statement, and answer several questions. 

  • First round interviews will take place from April 10-May 3. These interviews will be with our CEO Hiring Consultant, Sreeja Nedungadi.

  • Second round of interviews will take place in May with members of the GSL Board Search Committee.

  • In early June, finalists will interview with and share a presentation with a mix of the GSL team and Board members. Details about these interviews and the presentation will be shared with all finalists.

  • We are hoping the new CEO can start during quarter 3 of 2024, but we will be flexible based on individual needs.

Applications for this position are now closed.

What we look for

Passion

You believe passionately that students can achieve at high levels, that education systems can be designed to ensure that achievement, and that developing school leaders is a key element in doing so.

Learning

You love to learn - from others, from research, from your work - and you are open to saying that you do not know the answer to a question, but that you will go and find the answers. You are also willing to help others on the team learn and are generous with your knowledge.

Leadership

You welcome opportunities to lead. Because we are a small team, everyone has a voice and has opportunities to lead meetings and projects. 

Relationships

You set a high bar for yourself and for others both in the work you produce and in the way you form relationships. You demonstrate care for others, and you think about the impact you have on those around you. You seek out, listen to and value the voices of those closest to children - students, teachers, school leaders, and our partners.

Self-Starter

You are a self-starter and great at managing your time. Because of our remote work, you will have a very flexible schedule but high expectations for what you accomplish during your work time. (Please note, though, that due to our team being spread across the globe, meetings may need to be scheduled at very early morning hours (5 or 6am) or very late evening/night hours (10 or 11pm).

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About GSL

School leaders have the potential to make incredible changes in the lives of students by building a strong school culture and helping teachers provide great instruction. Yet, school leadership has not been prioritized in low and middle-income countries. GSL works to change that through the following workstreams:
 

  1. We catalyze and support local partner organizations to deliver and scale high-quality training to school leaders. 
     

  2. We generate insights from our partners and the broader research community to inform education policymakers, researchers, and practitioners on the best ways to support and develop strong school leadership. 
     

  3. We connect our partner organizations with each other for deep learning between themselves and amongst the broader school leadership community - governments, funders, and policymakers.

We are a small but mighty remote team spread across the globe. We care about each other, and we care about the work.

In five years, we have: 
 

  • Partnered with organizations in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, and Brazil that work with over 3,500 school leaders, impacting approximately 920,000 students.
     

  • Published an evidence review on what is known about school leadership globally, as well as two surveys that help the policy community hear from teacher and school leader voices.
     

  • Become one of the leading voices in conversations about school leadership in the global south, being asked to speak at conferences and webinars throughout the world, and being recognized for our work. In 2021, HundrED, in partnership with the World Bank, recognized GSL as one of the top ten impactful and scalable solutions that support teachers’ professional development. 
     

  • Established the School Leadership Network with the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 hosted by UNESCO and the Varkey Foundation to convene online meetings with 100+ experts and 400+ school leaders from 50+ countries to foster peer learning, share innovative practices, and strengthen school leaders’ voice in policy circles.
     

  • Expanded our work to support needs during COVID in the Philippines, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, and Peru.

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