Research Specialist, Institute for Educational Development

aku; Pakistan; On-site; PKR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Aga Khan University invites applications for a Research Specialist in Educational Development, based in Quetta & Karachi. The role supports the GRADES-B Parental Engagement Project, coordinating with AKU-IED and PMU Balochistan to design and test resources for early learning and school readiness.

The position involves developing methodologies, conducting fieldwork, training Master Trainers, and ensuring inclusive, low-literacy materials. Travel within Balochistan and to Karachi is expected.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Social or Natural Sciences from a reputable national or international university.
• At least five years of relevant professional experience in research, monitoring and evaluation, preferably within education, ECE/ECD, primary education, or related programs.
• Experience in developing, reviewing, field-testing, or evaluating parent/caregiver learning resources or training materials.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
• Excellent English and Urdu communication skills.
• Proficiency in local languages spoken in Balochistan for the Quetta-based position.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills; excellent report writing.
• Proficiency in MS Office and SPSS.

Responsibilities

• act as a liaison between PMU Balochistan and AKU-IED to coordinate project-related activities, specifically for the Research Specialist – Balochistan
• develop research methodologies, sampling approaches, ethical review processes, consultation protocols, and qualitative and quantitative data collection tools
• conduct and support focus group discussions, interviews, field consultations, data collection and analysis, and preparation of research findings and reports
• plan and support field pre-testing of parent/caregiver learning resources to assess clarity, usability, cultural relevance, feasibility, inclusion, gender responsiveness, and suitability for low-literate and non-literate audiences
• conduct and support training of Master Trainers on the parental engagement curriculum, parent resource packs, facilitation approaches, inclusion, and effective delivery of parent sessions
• coordinate with parents/caregivers, teachers, head teachers, facilitators, and relevant government stakeholders during research, field-testing, monitoring, and evaluation activities
• support monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities of the GRADES-B Parental Engagement Project across selected districts of Balochistan
• travel within Balochistan and to Karachi, as required, for research, training, monitoring, and project-related activities.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Written & verbal communication

MS Office

SPSS

Excel

Data collection

Qualitative analysis

Quantitative analysis

English Urdu proficiency

Education

Master’s degree in Social or Natural Sciences

Tools

SPSS

Excel

MS Office

Job description

Research Specialist, Institute for Educational Development

Location: Quetta & Karachi

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 the 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 assignment aims to develop a structured, inclusive, and low-literacy-friendly parental engagement curriculum and supplementary learning materials that enable parents and caregivers to meaningfully support children’s early learning, school readiness, and holistic development in ECE and Grades 1–2.

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

Responsibilities

You will be responsible to:

• act as a liaison between PMU Balochistan and AKU-IED to coordinate project-related activities, specifically for the Research Specialist – Balochistan
• develop research methodologies, sampling approaches, ethical review processes, consultation protocols, and qualitative and quantitative data collection tools
• conduct and support focus group discussions, interviews, field consultations, data collection and analysis, and preparation of research findings and reports
• plan and support field pre-testing of parent/caregiver learning resources to assess clarity, usability, cultural relevance, feasibility, inclusion, gender responsiveness, and suitability for low-literate and non-literate audiences
• conduct and support training of Master Trainers on the parental engagement curriculum, parent resource packs, facilitation approaches, inclusion, and effective delivery of parent sessions
• coordinate with parents/caregivers, teachers, head teachers, facilitators, and relevant government stakeholders during research, field-testing, monitoring, and evaluation activities
• support monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities of the GRADES-B Parental Engagement Project across selected districts of Balochistan
• travel within Balochistan and to Karachi, as required, for research, training, monitoring, and project-related activities.

Requirements

You should have:

• a Master’s degree in Social or Natural Sciences from a reputable national or international university
• at least five years of relevant professional experience in research, monitoring and evaluation, preferably within education, ECE/ECD, primary education, community-based programmes, or other education and social development projects/programmes
• demonstrated experience in developing, reviewing, field-testing, or evaluating parent/caregiver learning resources, parental engagement materials, training resources, or similar educational materials
• experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis
• excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills in English and Urdu
• proficiency in local language(s) spoken in Balochistan for the Quetta-based position
• good analytical and organisational skills
• excellent report-writing skills
• proficiency in MS Office, SPSS, Excel, and related software.

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.