Head of Shared Research Services

Introduction:

Aga Khan University, chartered in 1983 as Pakistan's first private international university, is committed to the provision of education, research and health care of international standard relevant to Pakistan and the region. The affiliated Aga Khan University Hospital has well-equipped investigative services and provides state-of-the-art clinical facilities The Head of Shared Research Services (SRS) is a senior leadership position with institutional responsibility for providing strategic direction, leadership, and oversight of shared research administration and support services across the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). The role is responsible for enabling the effective delivery and administration of a diverse portfolio of community-based, hospital-based, and multi-centre research initiatives, while ensuring that research services are responsive, efficient, sustainable, compliant, and aligned with the University’s strategic research priorities.

The Head of SRS will lead the development and continuous enhancement of a service-oriented, high-performing research environment, working in close partnership with faculty, academic departments, research teams, the Research Office, and other institutional stakeholders. A key mandate of the role will be to identify systemic and operational barriers to research, strengthen research administration processes and infrastructure, enhance service quality and user experience, and drive solutions that enable researchers to undertake high-quality research efficiently and effectively.

The Head of SRS will report to the Dean, Medical College and Vice Provost, Research (or their designate) and will work closely with the Associate Deans for Research (Medical College and School of Nursing and Midwifery) and the Director, Research Office. The position will provide regular strategic and performance updates to senior leadership on SRS performance and service utilization, research administration effectiveness, compliance and governance, resource requirements, operational and institutional risks, emerging challenges, and strategic improvement initiatives.

As an equal opportunity employer, AKU believes in promoting a diverse and inclusive culture and is committed to adopt appropriate standards for safeguarding and promoting a respectful relationship with and between diverse workforce of its faculty, staff, trainees, volunteers, beneficiaries, wider communities, and other stakeholders with whom it works, including children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees/trainees and partners to share this commitment.

Aga Khan University invites applications for the position of Head of SRS.

Responsibilities:

You will be responsible to:

• provide overall strategic and operational leadership of Shared Research Services, with clear accountability for the quality, efficiency, timeliness, and responsiveness of services provided to researchers and research teams
• establish and monitor service standards, turnaround times, performance indicators, and mechanisms for user feedback, using these to drive continuous improvement
• demonstrate effective strategic planning of resources to manage the wide spectrum of research data of on-going research projects (and future projects); pertaining to grants administration, regulatory affairs, human resources, financial management, procurement functions, IT management, laboratory space, safety & security, field operations, and relationship building; being conducted in various areas of Pakistan
• build strategic relationship with relevant stakeholders at national and international level which includes local, federal and national government representatives; community stakeholders; international granting agencies and research administration societies
• develop and implement innovative and sustainable strategies to inculcate efficiency in existing research and grants administration capacity of the Medical College through international standards and techniques
• spearhead the optimization of available resources for a greater cost saving on the research grants of the Medical College through adaptation of modernized tools and techniques
• lead the diversified portfolio of current grants and facilitate new grants acquisition for all the departments of Medical College, correspond with the granting agencies, ensure conformity to regulatory compliance of the agencies, track and deliver narrative and financial reports and operations of research projects
• provide active support in ensuring legal formalities of granting agencies (and sub-contractors) while ensuring they are adequately met and endorsed
• facilitate researchers towards development of Research Proposals, finalizing contents and procedural formalities (non-technical) and ensuring timely submission
• oversee research administration of various extramural and intramural research grants as per the international practices and standards of granting agencies
• lead the existing research administration teams of various departments by providing feedback for the improvement of the systems and ensuring compliance of University and granting agency’s standards
• conduct monitoring visits at the field sites to ensure that project activities are in line with the agreed upon timelines with the granting agencies
• facilitate AKU internal audits and compliance reviews, ensure that recommendations are agreed and implemented
• serve as the key accountable lead to the SRS Management Oversight Committee, providing regular updates on SRS performance, service utilization, user satisfaction, operational and institutional risks, resource requirements, and strategic priorities, and seeking guidance on matters requiring institutional alignment or decision-making
• retain responsibility and delegated authority for the day-to-day operational management and effective functioning of SRS, including implementation of the Committee’s strategic guidance and recommendations, while identifying and addressing cross-institutional and process-related barriers and strengthening collaboration across the research support environment
• facilitate external and internal audits of granting agencies
• represent, advocate, and promote departmental research at relevant AKU forum
• advocate on behalf of research faculty with AKU Support Departments and Research Office when needed to solve research-related issues
• facilitate the indoctrination of senior level staff through continuous training and development to get acquainted with modern research administration techniques
• plan the long-term career development of senior staff and recommend relevant research administration focused trainings for them through in-house, national and international trainings with an aim for the enhancement of their technical capacity
• facilitate university-level start-up service and facilitation to researchers in other Departments for pre-award, contracting and post-award grants management.

Requirements:

You should have:

• a minimum of Master’s in business administration (MBA) or other relevant field. International certifications in Research Administration would be a plus. Certifications should be relevant (clinical trials, research administration, financial management, research law, leadership etc)
• international degree in the field of Research Administration or general administration is desirable
• excellent interpersonal communication and conflict resolution skills
• demonstrated ability to have implemented new systems in a large service-based industries nationally and internationally will be preferred
• a minimum of five years plus relevant experience in the field of Administration with any Healthcare Institution / Service Industry
• experience of managing extramural/intramural funded research grants and working with donor agencies would be an added advantage
• proven track record of managing a diversified team comprising of grant administrators, human resources, procurement, IT, legal, audit, compliance and clinical trials
• demonstrated leadership skills evident from team building and leading high performance teams
• knowledge of modern research administration practices focusing on grants from national and international agencies
• strong record of compliance and risk management, maintaining adherence to best practices and international standards
• proven track record of successful capacity development of senior staff with an aim to strengthen the individual capacity in line of achieving the overall development objectives of the division
• demonstrated ability to work in a professional, multi-disciplinary team as a group leader, facilitator, or participant
• commitment to AKU’s principles of IQRA (Impact, Quality, Relevance and Access)
• willingness for travelling (and deputation as well), at national and international levels.

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Primary Location

Pakistan

Organisation

Aga Khan University Pakistan

Employee Status

Regular

Job Type

Standard

Job Posting

14/09/2026, 10:32:34 AM

Closing Date

28/09/2026, 6:59:00 PM