Academic Specialist, IED

Academic Specialist, IED

Department: Institute for Educational Development

Organization: Aga Khan University

Location: Karachi, Pakistan

Position Type: Full-Time

Introduction:

Aga Khan University (AKU), chartered in 1983 as Pakistan's first private international university, is committed to the provision of education, research and health care of international standard relevant to Pakistan and the region. The affiliated Aga Khan University Hospital has well-equipped investigative services and provides state-of-the-art clinical facilities.

The Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) is seeking an experienced and dynamic individual to assist in its marketing and communications efforts. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in enhancing the visibility of a leading institution dedicated to advancing educational development in Pakistan and beyond.

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.

Responsibilities:

1. Professional Development Centre:

• Design, review, and update CPD content, including new high-demand training modules (e.g., corporate skills, financial literacy, digital competencies).
• Collaborate with schools to develop and deliver tailored teacher-education programmes.
• Monitor and evaluate CPD initiatives to measure impact and inform improvements.
• Represent and promote the PDC’s training portfolio to academic, government, NGO, and corporate stakeholders.

2. Language Enhancement and Support:

• Act as the Language Enhancement Coordinator, supporting students’ academic communication skills
  • Deliver language workshops, learning resources, and academic coaching.
  • Conduct biannual diagnostic assessments of student language proficiency.
• Partner with the Graduate Programme Office to embed language support in student-development initiatives.
• Lead the creation and maintenance of a digital repository of academic language resources.
• Oversee quality assurance of institutional documents, providing timely technical and analytical support.
• Serve as the focal point for quality assurance of documents. Provide timely technical input, documentation, or analytical support for urgent institutional requirements, ensuring high-quality and professional execution.

Ad-Hoc Assignments and Projects:

• Contribute to institution-wide or departmental ad-hoc assignments as required, including academic tasks, short-term initiatives, and special projects aligned with organisational priorities.

Requirement:

• A Master’s degree (preferably PhD) in Education, Applied Linguistics, English, Teacher Education, or a closely related field from a recognised institution.
• Minimum 5–7 years of relevant professional experience in teacher education, professional development, language support, or academic programme coordination, preferably within a higher education or development-sector context.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and delivering Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes, training modules, or workshops for educators and professionals.
• Strong expertise in academic writing, language enhancement, and communication support for graduate-level students.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of training or academic programmes, with the ability to analyse data and prepare concise reports.
• Proven ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including schools, universities, government bodies, NGOs, and corporate partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; proficiency in Urdu will be an advantage.
• Strong organisational, analytical, and project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Experience in quality assurance and document review/editing for institutional or academic publications will be preferred.
• Proficiency in MS Office and digital learning platforms; experience in developing or managing online learning resources will be an added advantage.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team in a dynamic academic environment.

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted