Director, Fellowship Recruitment and Selection

Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer

Start Date: Immediately

Location: Dhaka, with some occasional travel within the country

Employment Type: Full-time, Paid

Application Deadline: Rolling

About Teach For Bangladesh

Teach For Bangladesh (TFB) believes that every child in Bangladesh – regardless of socio economic circumstance – deserves the opportunity for an excellent education. Our mission is to launch a movement of capable, committed, and compassionate leaders who share a vision of an equitable Bangladesh and are working collectively to expand educational opportunities for all children.

Our flagship Fellowship program enlists high-potential graduates to spend two years teaching full-time in low-income schools. During that time, we train and support Fellows as they drive the academic and non-academic development of their students. The program also prepares participants to become lifelong leaders as Alumni, who will spearhead systemic change in Bangladesh, particularly in the education sector. Learn more about us at: www.teachforbangladesh.org

Teach For Bangladesh is an independent organization that is a member of the Teach For All Network. The Teach For All Network consists of 60 independent organizations (and counting) around the world who share a commitment to educational equity in their countries, and a belief in the power of collective leadership to achieve equity. Learn more about the network and the global organization by the same name at www.teachforall.org

Position Summary

Teach For Bangladesh was founded in 2012, and over the last ten years, has successfully established a leadership model where every year thousands of Bangladeshi graduates and young professionals compete for the privilege of teaching in the most underserved schools of the country – a previously unthinkable phenomenon. Since our first recruitment campaign launched in 2013, more than 11,000 Bangladeshi graduates have applied to the Teach For Bangladesh Fellowship from top universities in Bangladesh and around the world. We accept around 5% of applicants every year to our program, which works to grow participants – known as Fellows – into high-impact leaders in the field of education development. With the COVID19 pandemic, Bangladesh is facing an unprecedented disruption to our education system, and the need for innovative teachers and leaders in the sector is greater than ever before.

We are seeking a visionary and values-oriented leader to build on our foundation of past success and further strengthen our efforts to recruit the next generation of outstanding Bangladeshi leaders to our movement for educational equity. 

The leader of the Fellowship Recruitment and Selection Team will work with the CPO/CEO and Senior Leadership Team to set an ambitious vision and innovative strategy, including expansion of the Fellowship program into additional regions across Bangladesh. In 2024, s/he will manage a team of 7-10 members to bring in 4,000+ applications and recruit 100+ individuals to the 2025 Fellowship program to be placed in urban Dhaka and Chattogram, and rural Cox’s Bazar, and North Bengal. This is a unique opportunity for a strategic leader who is driven by results, enjoys coaching and building teams, and is keen to work in a fast-growing organization with a critical mission.

Key Outcomes

The key outcomes that Associate Director/Director of Fellowship Recruitment will be accountable for include (but are not limited to):

• Attracting increasing numbers of highly qualified applicants from top Bangladeshi universities, workplaces, and international universities
• Effectively enlisting applicants from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, including from minority and historically marginalized communities
•  Strengthening the brand of the TFB Fellowship such that it is considered by students, job-seekers, their parents, university faculty and staff, and other employers as one of the most preferred career options for top graduates and future leaders
• Ensuring that we are effectively and efficiently screening applications to identify and admit only the candidates who are highly qualified for the rigors of our program and are a good fit with our values and culture
• Building candidates’ understanding of, investment in, and alignment to TFB’s mission, vision, and Fellowship program throughout their application and selection process
• Cultivating thriving relationships with university faculty and administration, other employers, and other strategic partners in order to create maximum shared value in alignment with our goals
• Ideating and leading the execution of the youth engagement strategy for Teach For Bangladesh in order to create a pipeline of eligible candidates and also enhance the brand presence of the organization across the country

Core Responsibilities

In pursuit of the key outcomes, her/his core responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Collaboratively developing and executing a nuanced strategy in alignment with organizational priorities.
• Effectively collecting, analyzing, and using recruitment and selection data to inform strategic and tactical decisions.
• Managing, coaching, and developing an overall team of 7-10 team members, including 2-4 direct reports.
• Building a team culture centered on excellence, results, and TFB’s core values to ensure high levels of employee engagement, strong staff retention, and continuous professional development of team members.
• Using technology, social media, and other innovative strategies in order to maximize our outreach and efficiency.
• Oversee the design and execution of high-quality events and communications material.
• Collaborate effectively with all teams across Teach For Bangladesh to ensure alignment between teams and strong communication to collectively meet ambitious goals.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Exceptional communications and interpersonal skills, and ability to build and sustain strong relationships with a diverse pool of individuals and institutions.
• Ability to manage and coach teams to achieve ambitious results.
• Strong organization with proven time management skills, and experience in creating efficient systems to juggle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to effectively operate independently and as part of a team in an intense, fast-paced, results-oriented organization navigating uncertainties of the non-profit sector.
• High degree of self-awareness, and commitment to pursue own learning and self-transformation (including looking at one’s relationship power/privilege, and understanding and challenging one’s default ways of being) through individual work, coaching, etc.
• Track record of taking an uncommon level of personal responsibility in achieving goals.
• Creative aptitude is desirable, including familiarity with content marketing, interactive design, website, and social media management.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited local or foreign university is required. A postgraduate degree in a relevant field is preferred, but not required.
• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional work experience, including at least 3 years of team management and coaching experience.
• Exceptional communication skills in written and spoken English, and willingness to learn Bangla.
• Deep understanding of and strong alignment to TFB’s mission, vision, and core values.
• Past experience working with marginalized and underprivileged communities is desirable.
• A strong conviction that every child in Bangladesh, regardless of socioeconomic background, can learn and achieve high results.

Compensation and Benefits

While our compensation package is fair and competitive in the Bangladeshi context, we do not expect this to be your key reason for joining us. After all, we are not just offering you a job; we are looking for a like-minded leader to grow with us and help us in our mission to ensure all children in Bangladesh have access to an education that unlocks their true potential.

Benefits include 2 festival bonuses per year, medical insurance, 24 days of annual leave (accrued over a year), 8 days of sick leave, and opportunities for professional development within the organization, as well as, through the global network Teach For All.

Information for non-Bangladeshi candidates

Non-Bangladeshi individuals – particularly those with prior experience with one of the Teach For All partner organizations, either as a participant or staff member – are eligible and encouraged to apply for this role. Non-Bangladeshi hires would be eligible for one round trip air ticket from and back to their home country in each year of employment. Teach For Bangladesh will assist you in the process of procuring an appropriate visa and work permit. Please be advised that securing a visa to travel to Bangladesh can take up to a month so we encourage non-Bangladeshi candidates to apply well in advance of the deadline. 

We expect that all non-Bangladeshi candidates for this position are motivated to educate themselves about Bangladesh’s socio-political, historical, economic, and cultural contexts, and committed to working in solidarity with Bangladeshi leaders both inside and outside of TFB.

How to Apply

Please email your resume and a cover letter to careers@teachforbangladesh.org. Indicate the position “Director, Fellowship Recruitment and Selection” applied for in the subject line of your email. Your cover letter should be no longer than one page, and must answer the following questions:

• Why are you interested in Teach For Bangladesh?
• What compelled you to consider this specific position?
• What strengths/experience would you bring to this position?

Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.