Research Specialist, Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Research Specialist, Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Entity: Aga Khan University

Location: Karachi

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 to supervise project activities related to field and data management to ensure quality control, while maintaining good working relationship with staff, community and various stakeholders involved. Specific responsibilities include to: 

• Supervision and monitoring of all projects related to field activities;
• develop high quality research proposals for funding agencies and conduct research and contribute in publications;
• preparation and compilation of a daily study progress report;
• working closely with administrative staff to ensure discipline, sufficient supplies, and optimal staff at the field sites on a daily basis;
• observing, troubleshooting, and reporting to the PI with solutions for identified problems for efficient performance at field site;
• coordinate and collaborate with study teams, and key stakeholders to ensure project alignment;
• lead and motivate project teams, ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities;
• conduct regular project status meetings and provide updates to the PI;
• maintain thorough project documentation, including status reports, risk logs, and lessons learned;
• identify and implement process improvements to enhance project execution and overall efficiency;
• ensure compliance with AKU policies, standard protocols, and regulatory requirements;
• provide training to project staff on data collection procedures and project implementation;
• analyze qualitative data and prepare project reports.

Requirements

You should have: 

• Master's degree in Nutrition/ Public Health/ Epidemiology/ Health Policy & Management/ Environmental Studies;
• expertise with WHO guidelines on child and maternal nutrition;
• at least 2-3 years of experience in designing and implementing public health research studies;
• experience in proposal writing and development of data collection tools;
• experience in qualitative data analysis and report writing;
• experience in training teams in evaluation and interventions;
• willingness for frequent  travel to remote locations for overseeing quality assurance of departmental research projects and training of local staff;
• an understanding of local food practices and cultural preferences in Pakistan;
• ability to work with the study team and meet tight deadlines;
• strong communication and interpersonal skills;
• capability to manage field teams, work independently, and take initiative;
• computer skills: MS Word, Excel Spreadsheets, PowerPoint;
• strong organizational skills with the ability to work with minimal supervision;
• ability to independently prioritize work, think critically, and solve problems;

• ability to maintain confidentiality.

   

   

  Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.