Manager (Research)

Department: Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Location: Sujawal

Introduction:
The Aga Khan University is a private, international university committed to international standards of excellence in teaching, research and service. Its teaching hospital, the Aga Khan University Hospital has been accredited by the prestigious Joint Commission International for achieving the highest international healthcare standards.

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.

This a grant funded contractual position.

Responsibilities:
You will be responsible for overall coordination of the research projects which involves to prepare, update project documents, communicate with collaborators and investigators, implement research projects in field, conduct data analysis and compilation of project reports.

Specific, you will be responsible to:

• coordinate implementation of the project activities in the assigned district(s) in accordance with approved annual workplans, budgets, protocols, SOPs and implementation guidelines;
• translate project plans into practical district-level activity plans and monitor progress against agreed targets and timelines;
• oversee the planning, arrangement, participation and monitoring of community and adolescent engagement activities, including community meetings, adolescent-focused activities, outreach and other engagement events;
• coordinate with project technical teams to facilitate implementation of community, health-facility, SBCC/HCD, capacity-building and other assigned interventions;
• identify implementation bottlenecks and provide timely solutions or escalate issues requiring higher-level decisions;
• ensure effective documentation of project implementation, achievements, challenges and corrective actions;
• oversee implementation of research, baseline/endline, monitoring and evaluation activities at district level;
• ensure appropriate use of data collection tools, including CRFs and/or questionnaires where applicable, and adherence to approved protocols and SOPs;
• ensure research activities comply with applicable ethical requirements and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards, where relevant;
• supervise data collection, verification, cleaning and quality assurance processes in coordination with the data/M&E team;
• oversee and monitor hospital/mortality surveillance and disease surveillance from project and non-project health facilities, as applicable to the project;
• review monitoring and surveillance data and identify gaps, trends and areas requiring corrective action;
• support quantitative and qualitative data analysis and interpretation as required;
• contribute to development and refinement of indicators, monitoring tools and data-quality mechanisms;
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with relevant government departments, district health and population/welfare authorities, health facilities, community leaders, partners and other stakeholders;
• facilitate required approvals, notifications, coordination meetings and field access in collaboration with project leadership;
• represent AKU/Project at relevant district-level meetings and consultations;
• maintain regular communication with stakeholders regarding project progress, requirements and emerging implementation issues;
• supervise, mentor and support Research Specialists, Research Associates and other assigned project staff;
• participate in recruitment, orientation and training of project staff as required;
• conduct regular field supervision and performance review of the district team;
• promote adherence to professional standards, SOPs, ethical requirements and institutional policies;
• identify capacity gaps and organize/support appropriate coaching and training;
• lead preparation and consolidation of district-level monthly, quarterly and annual project progress reports;
• review field reports, monitoring findings, data summaries and other project documentation before submission;
• prepare presentations, briefing notes and updates for project management, donors and stakeholders as required;
• ensure systematic documentation and archiving of project records and evidence of implementation;
• contribute to development of concept notes, proposals, protocols and research plans;
• support analysis and interpretation of project findings and contribute to manuscripts, abstracts, conference presentations and technical reports;
• support dissemination of research and implementation findings to relevant stakeholders;
• prioritize and coordinate district-level activities and field resources within approved project plans;
• identify implementation, data-quality and stakeholder-related issues and determine appropriate corrective actions within delegated authority;
• recommend escalation of issues that may affect project quality, timelines, budget or achievement of results.

Requirements:
You should have:

• master's degree in Public Health, Epidemiology/Biostatistics, Health Policy and Management, Social/Medical Anthropology, Sociology, Development Studies, Nutrition, or another relevant discipline;

• preferably 5 – 7 years of relevant experience in public health research, implementation research, health systems, monitoring and evaluation, or management of community-based programmes;

• demonstrated experience in managing field teams and coordinating with government and other stakeholders;

• experience in maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, reproductive health, family planning, nutrition or related public health programmes will be an advantage;

• strong understanding of public health research, implementation research and monitoring and evaluation;

• ability to develop and implement research/M&E tools, SOPs, monitoring mechanisms and quality assurance systems;

• strong understanding of government health and population/welfare systems and stakeholder coordination;

• strong analytical, report-writing and presentation skills;

• strong communication, interpersonal, negotiation and team-management skills;

• ability to manage multiple activities and priorities independently and meet deadlines;

• roficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and relevant data management/analysis software;

• ability and willingness to travel extensively to assigned field sites.

  Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.

Primary Location

Pakistan

Organisation

Aga Khan Hospital & Medical College

Employee Status

Contractual

Job Type

Standard

Job Posting

21/09/2026, 10:00:39 AM

Closing Date

27/09/2026, 6:59:00 PM