About Girls Education Collaborative
Millions of girls around the world are out of school, simply because they are girls. Girls Education Collaborative (GEC) works to support local change makers in those locales, using the power of girls’ education to drive social change.
Since its founding in 2012, GEC has been an ally to change agents in Tanzania whose vision is to lift women out of poverty and away from destructive gender-based cultural traditions, through the power of girls education. GEC has been a funder, advisor, co-developer, project manager, and friend in helping local leaders achieve their vision - what we call allyship.
The Kitenga Girls Secondary School in Northern Tanzania stands as the cornerstone of GEC’s commitment to affecting change through allyship. Over the last 12 years, GEC has played a vital role co-designing programs and infrastructure developments with The Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa (IHSA,) supporting their vision in building the Kitenga Girls Secondary School (KGSS) and transforming the lives of girls.
By providing partnership, technical assistance, and securing over $2 million in financial support, GEC supports the IHSA vision to create a safe and high-quality educational environment for girls in an underserved region and ensure girls receive the education they deserve. Now in its eighth year, KGSS offers residential education to 230 students, with plans for enrollment to reach 320 as the school continues to expand. Our longstanding relationship and success of the school is proof that the model works.
GEC helps girls transform their own lives through education and believes in the values of:
- Integrity
- Honesty
- Curiosity
- Collaboration
- Agility
- Cultural sensitivity
GEC’s approach contrasts with traditional philanthropic models that often rely on short-term funding cycles and external control which can lack the long-term impact that community-driven solutions provide. By fostering this sense of shared responsibility and collective ownership, GEC supports and partners on community-owned girl-centered initiatives so that they have the tools and resources needed to address their challenges and realize their vision.
Based on the success of the GEC partnership model with the IHSA, GEC scaled in 2021 to create the Ally Funder Alliance. The Ally Funder Alliance is a philanthropic model to accelerate the pace and volume of philanthropic funding and allyship directed towards authentic community-born development. Created and managed by GEC, the Ally Funder Alliance (AFA) brings together a deliberately small group of like-minded funders to provide unrestricted funding and other assistance to early-stage, promising, and locally driven girl-centered organizations. Read more about the Ally Funder Alliance here.
Learn more about GEC at https://gec.ngo/.
The Opportunity
To plan for the transition of a highly successful, long-time leader, GEC is seeking an Executive Director (ED), who will serve as a visionary leader and strategist, champion, fundraiser, and community ambassador. This is a critical inflection point for GEC, and presents an opportunity for the new ED to build on an outstanding track record of success while exploring opportunities for even greater impact. As the leader of GEC, the ED will advocate successfully and passionately for Kitenga and a growing portfolio of Tanzanian organizations.
The ED will lead and inspire a growing team, working closely with an active and dedicated Board of Directors and Circle of Advisors and a deeply engaged donor base to drive GEC’s mission and vision forward. As the primary ambassador for GEC, the ED will be the key relationship builder with partners in Tanzania.
Additionally, the ED will be responsible for nurturing existing donor relationships while actively pursuing new opportunities with individual donors, major gifts, family foundations, private foundations, and mission-aligned organizations. The ED will be a proactive and dynamic advocate, ensuring GEC’s impact and reach continues to expand to support this critical mission.
This is an exciting opportunity for a visionary leader to shape the future of GEC, support local changemakers in Tanzania, and contribute to lasting change in the lives of girls.
Candidate Profile
Strong candidates will offer the following:
We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set
candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional skills, experience, and characteristics:
- Extraordinary relationship-building skills with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
- Proven experience in strategy development within the nonprofit sector.
- Capable of identifying opportunities and challenges, and proactively addressing them to move GEC’s goals forward.
- Demonstrates a high level of self-awareness and empathy.
- Experience working in east Africa or similar contexts and comfortable traveling and working in rural and remote conditions.
- Ability to travel to Tanzania at least once a year for relationship development and program implementation, with additional domestic and international travel as needed for learning, networking and fundraising.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Social Sciences, International Development, Nonprofit Management) preferred.
- Minimum of 15 years of progressive work experience.
Connection to Mission and Cultural Competency
- Deeply aligned with and reflective of GEC’s core values of empowerment and believes in power of girls’ education to drive social change
- Acts as an ally and advocate for change agents in Tanzania.
- Demonstrates cultural sensitivity and a nuanced understanding of the unique challenges faced by girls in Tanzania, with an appreciation for the complexity of local contexts.
- Exhibits strong emotional intelligence, with the ability to seamlessly shift between high-level strategic decision-making and meaningful, personal interactions with diverse audiences.
- Able to build genuine relationships, including with community leaders, beneficiaries, donors, and international partners, while maintaining a deep respect for cultural differences and local customs.
Strategic Fundraising and Partnership Orientation
- Serve as chief fundraiser for the organization, including the identification of new giving opportunities (major gifts, individual donors, philanthropic grants, etc.), as well as maintain and build current individual donors.
- Bring demonstrated experience in creating and executing on a fundraising strategy and development plan to diversify revenue streams and steward and grow upon GEC’s successful individual giving strategy.
- Develop authentic, trusting and mutually beneficial relationships with staff, Board members, donors, foundations, and other potential partners, with an emphasis on nurturing and stewarding individual donors.
- Serve as a thought leader and spokesperson and is able to make the compelling case of why GEC’s mission matters.
- Will bring an entrepreneurial approach to revenue generation and an understanding of nonprofit finance, grantmaking, and various revenue streams.
Strategic Vision and Execution Expertise
- Oversee and expand the Ally Funder Alliance to strengthen partnerships and support program objectives.
- Lead efforts to grow GEC’s endowment, ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the organization and its transformative work in Kitenga.
- Consistently seek out innovative solutions and opportunities for growth, ensuring that challenges are met with a forward-thinking, action-oriented approach.
- Explore opportunities aligned with GEC’s core values, showcasing the organization’s innovative approach to supporting Kitenga.
Organizational Operations
- Bring strong experience with strategic financial oversight and a comprehensive record of overseeing various functions of an organization.
- Steward and engage with the Board around the work of the organization and identify opportunities for Board growth.
- Oversee financial, operational, and administrative functions.
- Be a builder with the ability to set priorities decisively, delegate responsibilities, assure accountability and allocate resources to ensure results.
- Manage and inspire an expanding team.
Compensation
The salary range for this position is $100,000 to $120,000. GEC offers a health insurance co-payment, PTO, and a flexible schedule.
Contact
Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Alicia Salerno and Amanda Lauder. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries are strictly confidential.
Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
GEC is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.
About Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group
Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.
Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group via the firm's website.