Research Specialist, Department of Community Health Sciences

Location
Sujawal and Malir

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 grant funded contractual position.

Responsibilities:

You will be responsible to:

• plan, supervise, and coordinate the daily field activities of field staff across the district
• manage staff workload, field schedules, and geographic coverage
• provide on-site support, troubleshooting, and performance oversight of the field team
• ensure accurate household identification, screening, enrollment, and navigation in line with SOPs and recommend changes and adjustments as per local contexts
• monitor data quality at source and maintain field records and visit logs
• regularly monitor, document and prepare updates, stories and write-ups on new sector developments and/or the Government of Sindh initiatives, health and social development programmes
• write and share insights on community perceptions, health and social protection seeking behaviors and existing and emerging barriers to access the services
• contribute to the development, testing, and implementation of contextual behavior change approaches and model
• document and share insights on eligibility requirements for families to access services
• foster a strong working relationship with the range of social protection services providers in the respective districts
• maintain working relationships with the Government of Sindh, Health department, partner organizations, and field staff in the project districts.
• track field progress against targets and compile regular field reports
• track intervention tasks load of the designated cadre of the existing Government of Sindh programs and departments
• monitor and promptly escalate risks, operational bottlenecks, and safeguarding concerns that may affect project implementation
• coordinate field logistics, transport, and the safety of field staff
• ensure compliance with ethical standards and organizational protocols related to informed consent, data protection, and safeguarding

Requirements:

You should have:

• Master’s in public health, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field
• at least five years' experience in field coordination or supervision of health or social programmes, preferably in Sindh
• demonstrated experience managing field teams and community-based data collection
• familiarity with immunization/Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and social protection systems is an advantage
• fluency in Sindhi and Urdu is essential, with strong knowledge of the local district context

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.