Coordinator, Department of Community Health Sciences

Coordinator, Department of Community Health Sciences

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 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 Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS) is the leading unit of its type in Pakistan, recognized regionally and internationally for the relevance, quality, and extent of its work in support of public health and the development of primary health care systems. It comprises of five major operational sections: Epidemiology & biostatistics, Health policy & management, Population & reproductive health, Environmental health & climate change, and Non-communicable diseases & mental health.

This is a short-term grant-funded contractual position.

Responsibilities:

You will be responsible to:

• prepare, maintain and monitor records of requests for payment and purchase requisitions, and coordinate with finance and procurement departments to ensure timely processing and payments
• coordinate procurement, inventory management and stock control of research-related supplies and assets, ensuring availability in line with project needs and maintaining updated asset and stock registers
• provide comprehensive logistical and administrative support to research teams, including coordination with internal departments (e.g. NFSD, ISD, AV, transport, PSCM, etc.) to facilitate smooth project implementation
• arrange and manage field transport and logistics, including transport contracts, in coordination with PSCM and relevant units
• maintain, organise and safeguard project documentation, records and files, ensuring confidentiality, accuracy and accessibility in accordance with university policies
• maintain and track documentation required for regulatory and ethical approvals, ensuring timely submission and compliance with institutional requirements
• assist the manager in monitoring grant budgets, tracking expenditures and analysing grant variance reports to ensure alignment with approved budgets
• monitor actual expenditures for extramural and intramural research grants against sanctioned budgets and flag variances for timely corrective action
• review research proposals and budgets to ensure compliance with university policies and funding agency guidelines prior to submission to the office of research and donors
• prepare and update grant checklists for upcoming grants and coordinate with relevant departments to obtain required approvals
• review and coordinate information related to changes in employee FTE allocations across grants on a monthly basis and share with the grants and contracts office as required
• support project and grant close-out processes in accordance with university and donor guidelines, ensuring completion of financial and administrative requirements.

Requirements:

You should have:

• a bachelor’s degree in any discipline
• at least one year of relevant experience in a recognised organisation
• knowledge of administrative procedures, preferably within a health services organisation
• strong interpersonal, communication and multitasking skills
• proficiency in MS Office, including Excel
• fluency in written and spoken English and Urdu
• ability to meet strict deadlines
• ability to prioritise tasks efficiently
• ability to handle office correspondence independently
• good understanding of administrative processes and the ability to liaise with other offices at the university.

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.