Senior Manager, Grant Administration and Operations

Senior Manager, Research & Grant Administration

Department

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Entity
Aga Khan University

Location
Karachi, Pakistan

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
The incumbent will be responsible to:

• Oversee a multi-million-dollar portfolio of donor-funded grants at Aga Khan University, ensuring full compliance with institutional and donor regulations;
• lead budgeting, forecasting, proposal review, and financial planning in collaboration with Principal Investigators and program teams, while closely monitoring expenditures and variances;
• serve as the focal point for financial compliance and reporting to international donors, including UNICEF, World Health Organization, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
• coordinate donor and internal audits, ensure timely financial reporting, and maintain comprehensive documentation to support audit readiness and accountability;
• liaison with sub-awardees for budget finalization and contract process;
• work closely with Procurement and HR team to ensure appropriate contracting, hiring, and cost allocations against grants;
• review purchase and personal requisitions, service contracts, consultant agreements, and payroll allocations for grant allowability and accuracy;
• support field offices and offsite project locations with financial oversight, compliance monitoring, and capacity building;
• strengthen internal financial controls and risk mitigation mechanisms across projects;
• train newly inducted staff, project coordinators, and field teams on grants management, donor compliance, and financial reporting;
• contribute to institutional process improvements related to grants and research finance;
• engagement with global donors, UN agencies, foundations, and government stakeholders;
• financial and operational stewardship of collaborative grants and consortia;
• ensuring transparency, accountability, and value for money in donor-funded programs;
• strong emphasis on ethical conduct, regulatory compliance, and financial accountability;
• alignment with Aga Khan University’s policies and international best practices;
• continuous monitoring, evaluation, and learning to improve program effectiveness.

Requirements
You should have:

• Master’s degree in business/economics/administrative sciences, or related field;
• international certifications will add weight to the application;
• minimum 12–15 years of progressive experience in grants management, donor-funded research programs, or development finance, with demonstrated senior leadership responsibilities;
• strong networking, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective cross functional collaborations;
• demonstrated leadership and team management capabilities, including capacity building and staff mentoring;
• expertise in grant accounting, donor compliance, budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, audit coordination, and risk management;
• excellent organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills, with resilience to work under pressure and meet stringent deadlines;
• outstanding written and verbal communication skills;
• proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel) and other operational management tools;
• willingness and flexibility to travel frequently, including to remote rural locations.

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.