ABOUT STiR EDUCATION

We are an international NGO that supports education systems to reignite intrinsic motivation so that every child, teacher and official is motivated to learn and improve. We believe that education systems today must prepare every child, everywhere, to thrive in an increasingly complex world. Our vision of is a world where teachers love teaching and children love learning. Since 2012, STiR Education has reached over 500,000 teachers and 12 million students across 94,000 schools across India, Uganda and Indonesia.

STiR Education is now at an important point in its journey. Having developed a new strategy, re-organised our internal structure and introduced a Co-CEO model, we are now looking for a Chair ready to take STiR forward to deliver its mission.

We are at an exciting stage in our organizational journey. We have been reflecting on STiR’s unique ‘secret sauce’ from our work over the last 12+ years to consider how we can scale and sustain impact differently. We realized that our greatest strength is in unlocking the human factors that are often overlooked in system reform – such as connection, purpose, and professional growth – to help address persistent challenges like low teacher morale, poor teaching practices, and weak student outcomes.

Our new strategy therefore focuses on amplification, where we support the impact of key education reforms to flourish at scale, with a focus on supporting them to integrate and adapt key lessons from motivation science into their work. We do this through two interconnected pathways:

Advisory: Supporting global organisations to embed motivation science into their own work – enhancing the impact of education initiatives through tailored advisory, programme design, organisational capacity building, and research.

Localisation: Increasing the autonomy and sustainability of existing STiR programmes so that motivation science becomes deeply embedded in national education systems, led and owned by government.

How will we do it?

These two pathways are driven by three core activities:

Support

We will work with global actors – such as NGOs, multilaterals, and foundations – to apply the principles of motivation science to their programmes, helping them improve outcomes at scale. Our support will be carefully tailored and may include co-designing interventions, strengthening implementation capabilities, and contributing research insights to inform strategy and delivery.

Localise

We will support STiR’s established country programmes in Uganda and Indonesia to transition into fully independent national teams. These teams will continue to work directly with governments to embed motivation science into core system functions – ensuring the work is contextually grounded, sustainable, and owned locally.

Connect

We will create a global knowledge and learning community focused on motivation science. This will involve capturing and sharing insights across contexts, brokering strategic partnerships, and advocating for motivation as a foundational driver of effective education system reform.

What is our unique value-add?

Unmatched expertise: STiR brings 12+ years of hands-on experience working with education systems to improve teacher motivation and student learning, reaching over 500,000 teachers and 12 million children.
Proven impact at scale: Our approach is cost-effective, delivering improved learning outcomes at just $0.25 per child per 0.1 standard deviation gain.
A rare dual delivery model: By localising direct system partnerships while offering global catalytic support, STiR combines deep contextual knowledge with agility and scale – uncommon in the sector.
Practitioner and thought partner: STiR’s credibility comes from doing the work, enabling us to offer grounded, insight-rich advisory support that reflects real system challenges and opportunities.

ting for motivation as a foundational driver of effective education system reform.

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

Role Overview

The Chair of the Board works closely with the Co-CEOs and fellow Trustees to guide STiR Education’s long-term vision, uphold its values, and strengthen its impact. The Chair provides strategic leadership to STiR Education’s Board of Trustees, ensuring effective governance, oversight, and support for the organization’s mission.

The key responsibilities for STiR’s new Chair are:

Governance & Leadership

Lead the Board in fulfilling its governance responsibilities.
Ensure effective Board performance, including recruitment, on boarding, and development of Trustees.
Chair Board meetings and facilitate strategic discussions and decision-making.
Support the establishment of local boards in Uganda and Indonesia and the transition of governance responsibility.

Strategic Oversight

Collaborate with the Co-CEOs and leadership team to shape and monitor strategic priorities.
Ensure alignment between STiR’s mission, values, and operational execution.
Provide high-level guidance on risk management, financial sustainability, and organizational performance.

External Engagement

Act as a key ambassador for STiR Education.
Cultivate relationships with donors, partners, and stakeholders.
Support fundraising and advocacy efforts and actively using pre-existing networks to support STiR.

CEO Support & Evaluation

Serve as a trusted advisor and sounding board to the Co-CEOs.
Lead the Co-CEOs annual performance review and succession planning.

Required qualities and experiences include:

Experience working in or with education systems, international development, or public sector reform.
Proven experience in a senior leadership or governance role, ideally as a Chair or Trustee within a non-profit or mission-driven organization.
Demonstrated commitment to STiR’s values of Openness, Humility, Purpose and Ownership.
Commitment to improving the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion of organisations
Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
Experience gained from leading transformation across strategy, organisation structure and people.
Ability to foster collaboration, challenge constructively and coach to encourage the growth of the Co-CEOs and fellow Board members
Familiarity with STiR’s operating contexts.
Experience and willingness to commit time to support STiR’s fundraising efforts
Understanding of systems change, behavioural science, or motivation theory.
Commitment to locally led development and ideally experience of localisation processes.

Time Commitment & Tenure

The term of appointment is 3 years with the possibility of renewal for a period of up to three more years. The Chair is asked to give 3 days a month to STiR Education. The Chair will establish their own preferred check-in cadence with the Co-CEOs and Trustees. These are the primary commitments, but there are of course additional meetings or ad-hoc engagements when required. The position is not remunerated (beyond expenses).

Expressions of interest

If you are interested in this position, please send your CV and cover letter to Janat Namukose at jnamukose@stireducation.org

This position was originally posted by STiR Education and has been curated by PurposePhil Career. To apply, please visit the original listing on the "apply" link on the side. We are not affiliated with the employer organization of this job ad or consultancy, and provide this curated listing as a service to our users.

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