Research Associate, Institute for Educational Development (Chitral)

Research Associate, Institute for Educational Development (Chitral)

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 Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) was established in July 1993 with the overall objective of becoming a leader in educational reform and improvement, especially in developing countries. The aim of AKU-IED is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of schools and other educational institutions in the country through innovation, policy development, practice, training and research.

This is a grant-funded contractual position.

Responsibilities:
You will be responsible to:

• conduct follow-up visits to project schools in Chitral to observe ECED intervention outcomes and collect qualitative and quantitative data
• support monitoring and evaluation activities, including surveys, interviews, child assessments, and classroom observations
• maintain accurate field notes, reports, and documentation for internal and external use
• assist in preparing, editing, and digitising ECED-related and project materials
• design visually appealing content in Urdu and English, including educational posters, learning materials for early years, reports, manuals, training resources, presentations, and promotional content
• use tools such as Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, or equivalent platforms to design and layout materials
• collaborate with content and ECED specialists to ensure accuracy and alignment with project goals
• update and maintain the project website with relevant ECED and project content
• create and schedule engaging social media posts across platforms such as Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn
• write compelling digital content that communicates ECED work, project milestones, school interventions, and impact stories
• monitor analytics to enhance website and social media engagement
• assist in organising ECED workshops, teacher trainings, and project meetings
• manage digital archives, documentation systems, and project files
• support coordination between R&D teams, field teams, partner schools, and project leadership.

Requirements:
You should have:

• bachelor’s degree in education, social sciences, early childhood education, communication, design, or a related field (master’s degree preferred)
• experience or academic background in early childhood education and development
• experience in field research or working with schools/communities
• strong proficiency in Canva and at least one additional design tool (e.g., Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, CorelDRAW)
• excellent written and verbal communication skills in Urdu and English
• ability to manage websites (WordPress or similar CMS)
• experience in social media content writing and digital communication strategies
• strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently and collaboratively
• willingness to travel regularly to project schools
• understanding of ECED pedagogies and classroom practices
• photography/videography and basic editing skills
• familiarity with analytics tools for web and social media insights.

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.