Manager, Shared Research Services

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.Shared Research Services (SRS) provides a centralized, one-window support system for researchers across the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), Pakistan. The department supports all financial and administrative aspects of grant management throughout the research lifecycle, including pre-award and post-award administration, compliance, financial planning, data management, and portfolio strategy. By delivering efficient, high-quality services, SRS enables researchers to successfully secure, manage, and close grants while ensuring compliance with institutional and sponsor requirements.AKU is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to safeguarding and aims to adopt appropriate standards for safeguarding 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.Aga Khan University invites applications for the position of Manager, Shared Research Services.Responsibilities:You will be responsible for:managing and coordinating the development, review, approval, and submission of grant proposals while ensuring compliance with institutional and sponsor requirementssupporting faculty in identifying funding opportunities and developing competitive grant applicationsoverseeing quality assurance processes and proactively managing timelines to ensure timely proposal and award submissionsoverseeing the development and review of grant budgets, ensuring alignment with sponsor guidelines and appropriate recovery of operational and capital costscoordinating with internal and external stakeholders to secure required approvals, negotiate budgetary matters, and facilitate efficient grant administrationmanaging award and contractual documentation processes and ensuring a seamless transition between grant lifecycle stagesmonitoring service delivery standards, operational performance, and process metrics to ensure efficient and high-quality support to researchers and funding agenciesleading and mentoring a team of research administration professionals through coaching, training, succession planning, and performance development initiativesdeveloping and delivering training programmes, guidance materials, and knowledge-sharing initiatives for faculty, grant administrators, and support staffidentifying operational bottlenecks and driving process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, consistency, and stakeholder experiencecollaborating with Finance, Human Resources, Compliance, Research Office, and other stakeholders to streamline processes and implement best practicesleading portfolio analysis and preparing reports, dashboards, and operational insights to support strategic planning and decision-making by senior leadershipdeputising for the Director, Shared Research Services, as required, ensuring continuity of operations and effective management of departmental activitiesfostering a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, collaboration, and service excellence across the research administration function.Requirements:You should have:a Master’s degree in Business Administration or a related discipline from a reputable national or international institution; additional professional qualifications and/or international certifications will be considered an advantage8–10 years of experience in business management, operations, research administration, grants management, or a related fieldexperience working with major funding agencies such as HEC, Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, NIH, or similar organizations will be preferreddemonstrated experience managing complex projects, teams, and stakeholder relationships in a fast-paced environmentstrong leadership and people management capabilities with a proven ability to develop and mentor teamsexcellent organizational, planning, and project management skillsstrong business acumen and financial management skillsability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results within stringent deadlinesexcellent communication, interpersonal, negotiation, and stakeholder management skillsstrong analytical, problem-solving, and report-writing abilitiesexperience in training, coaching, and capacity-building initiativeshigh level of professionalism, integrity, and discretion in handling confidential informationproficiency in Microsoft Office applications, databases, and information systemsability to work effectively under pressure while maintaining a strong customer-service orientationwillingness to travel within Pakistan, if required.Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.