Associate Registrar - Admissions

Associate Registrar - Admissions (Manager Level)

Entity: The Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Department: Office of the Registrar

Reports To: University Registrar

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 based on 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.

Aga Khan University’s Office of the Registrar in Pakistan is responsible for the student journey from recruitment, outreach and admissions, to organization of convocation ceremonies, ensuring compliance with academic quality assurance policies and procedures.

AKU is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to safeguarding and aims to adopt appropriate standards for ensuring and promoting a respectful relationship with and between all 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.

Position overall objective:

To lead and manage the end-to-end admissions function, ensuring efficient, transparent, and student-centered processes from student recruitment through matriculation for all programmes for the University in Pakistan. The role ensures alignment with institutional goals, compliance with policies, tracking budgets, and optimization of systems and workflows.

Key Responsibilities:

• Admissions Strategy & Planning
  • Develop and implement admissions strategies aligned with enrollment targets
  • Monitor application trends, conversion rates, and intake quality
  • Collaborate with stakeholders and develop recruitment campaigns
  • Collaborate with internal offices and external vendors including Accuplacer, UCAT to ensure timely delivery of testing material and purchase of test units.
  • Support counterparts within AKU campuses, sharing resources to effectively complete their admission processes.
• Admissions Operations Management
  • Oversee the full admissions cycle: recruitment, application, assessment, review and administration of tools for selection, review, decision, and offer issuance. Focus on enrollment planning, market segmentation, and growth.
  • Ensure timely processing of applications and communication with applicants
  • Manage admission calendars, deadlines, intake cycles and the Day One for programmes as required.
  • Supervise admission office staff and daily operations.
• Policy Implementation & Compliance
  • Ensure admissions decisions align with academic policies and eligibility criteria
  • Maintain transparency, fairness, and consistency in decision-making
  • Ensure compliance with Institutional, regulatory and accreditation requirements
  • Review and update admissions policies and SOPs.
• Systems & Technology Management
  • Oversee application portals, document management, and automation workflows
  • Coordinate with IT on system enhancements, testing, and issue resolution
  • Drive digitization and process efficiency initiatives
• Applicant Experience & Communication
  • Ensure a seamless and responsive applicant journey
  • Oversee communication strategies (offers, rejections, conditional admissions)
  • Manage escalations, appeals, and special cases
  • Maintain high service standards across all applicant touch points.
  • Ensure applicant satisfaction and communication effectiveness
• Data, Reporting & Analytics
  • Track and analyze key admissions metrics (applications, offers, yield, conversion rates)
  • Prepare reports for senior leadership on admissions performance
  • Use data insights to refine admissions strategies and improve outcomes
• Stakeholder Collaboration
  • Work closely with academic departments on selection criteria and decisions
  • Coordinate with finance (fee payments), records office and student services
  • Support audits, accreditation reviews, and external reporting.
• Manage student scholarships
  • Upon admission and completion of financial assistance cycle, manage scholarships for freshers in Pakistan in coordination with student finance and University Advancement.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum Master’s degree in Management, Business, engineering, computer science, Higher Education or relevant field
• 8–10 years of experience in academic administration, admissions, or registrarial functions at a leadership level.

Preference:

• Experience in multi-campus or international admissions
• Familiarity with digital admissions platforms and automation tools
• Understanding of local and international qualification frameworks

Skills and Competencies:

• Strong understanding of admissions processes and higher education systems
• Leadership and team management skills
• Data-driven decision-making and analytical ability
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (with excellent writing skills) to liaise with technical teams and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Skills:

• Knowledge of project management tools and techniques.
• Process improvement and problem-solving mindset.
• At least basic data analysis- excel, dashboards, reporting tools.
• High attention to detail and organizational skills

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.