INASP - Trustees

Trustees

December 2020

Contents Introduction

03

About INASP

03

Vision, Values & Mission

04

What we do and who we work with

05

Our History

06

Our Work

06

Role Summary

07

The Role

07

Principal Responsibilities

08

Person Specification

09

How to Apply

10

About Oxford HR

11

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Introduction

About INASP

INASP (International Network for Advancing Science and Policy) is seeking three new Trustees from the Global South to join our existing board in leading the organisation through our next exciting period of change.

INASP is a small but vibrant international development organisation based in Oxford, UK with a global network of partners in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

We are particularly interested to hear from candidates from the Global South, wherever your current location.

We are looking for experts in three specialist areas Higher Education (Research and Innovation), Digital Technology and Online Learning and Gender and Gender-Responsive Pedagogy, who can commit to an initial 3-year term, with the possibility of renewal for a second 3-year term thereafter.

With a vision of research and knowledge at the heart of development, INASP supports individuals and institutions to produce, share and use research and knowledge, which can transform lives thereby contributing to the creation of stronger and more equitable knowledge ecosystems.

INASP has nearly 30 years’ experience of supporting knowledge systems in 28 countries, working with a range of partners including universities, think tanks, ministries, parliaments, and NGOs. We support all aspects of research and knowledge systems, from transforming HEI’s curricula and teaching practices and supporting researchers to communicate their work, to helping parliamentarians and civil servants use research and evidence in policymaking.

But the world is changing rapidly, and our new 2020-2025 strategy recognises the need to radically transform the organisation over the coming 5 years if we are to remain relevant and useful.

We aspire to collaborate more with a wider coalition of like-minded organisations, especially in the Global South and we hope to increase and diversify our funding. We need to deliver more of our support online and reduce our environmental impact, and we aim to transform ourselves into a more flexible, decentralised, purposedriven and democratic organisation that works in coalition with others. But we have strong relationships with partners and funders, a strong balance sheet, and sufficient reserves to support this transition.

Visit www.inasp.info for more information.

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Vision, Values & Mission Our vision is “research and knowledge at the heart of development�.

To tackle global challenges and address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) we need to bring the latest evidence to bear on the most pressing and intractable problems. But the solutions to global challenges are greatly constrained by inequities in the knowledge ecosystem.

Important voices are currently excluded. We need to see a system in which these missing voices are heard. We call this an equitable knowledge ecosystem. In a rapidly changing and increasingly interconnected world we can achieve little working alone. A key goal of our 2020-2025 strategy is to work with others in a global coalition that will help break down barriers, support an equitable knowledge ecosystem, and unleash the talent to find solutions to global challenges.

Our values: in it together, making change last, every voice counts and doing things right reflect our commitment to equity, respecting others, acting with integrity, openness, and transparency. They provide a lens for our work, both inside and outside of the organisation.

Our mission is to support individuals and institutions to produce, share and use research and knowledge to transform lives.

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What we do and who we work with We support higher education and learning so that university graduates can produce and use evidence more effectively in their professional, civic and private roles. We support research capacity so that researchers can design, undertake, and communicate relevant and rigorous research; Southern research communities can publish their own research, and gain visibility and credibility for this work; and a more diverse group of universities and research institutions can participate, produce and publish research, and strengthen their teaching and learning.

We support the use of evidence in policy and practice so that civil servants, public officials and parliamentary staff can make better use of evidence and public agencies can identify and use a diverse range of rigorous and relevant evidence. We work to understand and support impact so that research funders and other actors understand the most effective ways of supporting Southern knowledge production and use and Northern research institutions can develop and support more equitable partnerships with Southern institutions.

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Our History We were established in 1992 by the International Council for Science (ICSU) to improve access to information and knowledge through a commitment to capacity development in emerging and developing countries. ICSU provided an umbrella legal status under its Committee for the Dissemination of Scientific Information until 2003 when INASP was registered in the United Kingdom as a company limited by guarantee. In October 2004, we were registered as a charity with an independent board of trustees.

Our Work In recent years we have worked in partnership with organisations in 13 countries in Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda), South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) and Central America (El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua). In addition, we provide support to researchers globally through our AuthorAID platform, which now has over 20,000 members worldwide, with our online courses reaching 15,000 individuals since 2015.

We have a strong reputation among funders and our partners as a specialist in designing, delivering and evaluating complex, multilayered capacity building programmes that: - Develop the capabilities of Global South and North researchers to deliver high quality research on global development challenges and work effectively with groups of people whose lives reflect these realities - Negotiate the barriers that prevent Global South researchers’ knowledge to be fully recognised and integrated into international development discourses - Create spaces for stakeholders in the Global South to establish research agendas and new, context-specific theoretical and methodological frameworks for key issues in international development.

We are specialists in assessing and employing relevant training approaches such as workshops, online trainings, delivering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and facilitating mentorship schemes.

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Role Summary

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.

Time commitment Approximately 6-9 days per annum, including three Board meetings which can be attended via video conference. Trustees are also expected to have occasional virtual meetings with the Executive Director, Senior Management Team and other staff, and also undertake representational engagements for INASP.

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 or 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.

Reporting to The Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Remuneration The role is unremunerated, but reasonable expenses to undertake the role will be covered.

Location We are particularly interested to hear from candidates from the Global South (especially Africa and Asia), wherever your current location. Board meetings can be delivered via Zoom, Skype or other platforms to accommodate our global Board.

Terms Board members will serve a three-year term to be eligible for reappointment for one additional term.

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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 Chair will be expected to perform all such additional duties as are reasonably commensurate with the role.

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Person Specification Personal Qualities - Demonstrate a 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 nonhierarchical 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: 1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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 research methodologies, gender-responsive evidence use, or gender-responsive approaches to teaching and learning.

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How to Apply All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter. Please provide a CV and cover letter in two different documents.

The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit. The document should be saved in MS Word in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last NameDocument Name- Date (mmyyyy) e.g., Malika Cook CV 122020 INASP. We strongly advise that you contact Oxford HR before applying for the role for an informal discussion about your suitability and the position.

Timeline Closing Date: First Interviews:

19th February 2021 To be confirmed

Equality statement Equality and diversity are at the core of INASP’s values. Staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.

Selection process All candidates will be notified about the status of their applications within 10 days of the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder. All correspondence should be directed to Oxford HR. Queries If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email inasp-trustees@oxfordhr.co.uk in the first instance.

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About Oxford HR Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development and charity sectors.

We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy.

Oxford HR has many years of experience in search as well as an extensive network of international development, social sector, corporate, public sector, and academic contacts from across the world. We carry out comprehensive and often international searches designed to meet the specific needs of our clients.

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OXFORD

LONDON

AMSTERDAM

NAIROBI

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1053 SZ

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Oxford

London

Amsterdam

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OX4 1JE

SE1 1NL

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

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+44 (0) 1865 403 298

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www.oxfordhr.co.uk | Company No. 6456325

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