Research Associate, Institute for Educational Development

Research Associate, Institute for Educational Development

Location: Karachi, Pakistan

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 standards relevant to Pakistan and the region. The affiliated Aga Khan University Hospital provides state-of-the-art clinical facilities and well-equipped diagnostic services. The University currently has teaching sites in Pakistan, East Africa, the United Kingdom, and Afghanistan, and is a major component of the Aga Khan Development Network.

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.

The project aims to develop a Teacher Career Pathway and Promotion Framework that provides clear, merit-based, and performance-oriented progression routes for teachers. 
The framework further works in linking teachers career progression with their classroom performance; allowing for dual pathways to excel as a teacher or leader; integrating evidence of teacher’s performance indicators; improving teachers motivation; and introducing teaching licenses. In short that aim of the framework is to establish a system of transparent, competency-based career system for the teachers of Balochistan.

This is a grant-funded contractual position.

Responsibilities

You will be responsible to:

• execute and support primary field data collection activities and pre-test research tools in designated areas
• conduct and facilitate focus group discussions with school teachers, headmasters, education managers, and other key stakeholders to identify bottlenecks in teacher promotion and performance evaluation
• lead community outreach and mobilisation activities and gather feedback from parents, local teachers, and school communities
• support the central, Karachi-based AKU-IED team in understanding the local social and educational dynamics of Balochistan
• ensure targeted representation and feedback from marginalised groups and female teachers across different districts
• document field processes, community feedback sessions, and stakeholder meetings to provide qualitative data to the core research team.

Requirements

You should have:

• a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences or Natural Sciences from a reputable national or international university
• at least two years of relevant experience in the education sector or a related field
• deep understanding of the local socio-cultural and educational context
• demonstrated ability to conduct semi-structured focus group discussions and navigate school environments
• strong interpersonal skills for community outreach and engagement with diverse school communities
• ability to communicate effectively with local education stakeholders and marginalised community members.

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.