Director, Administration, AKU-FAS

Chartered in 1983 by the Government of Pakistan as the country's first private international university, Aga Khan University (AKU) is committed to excellence in education, research and service. The University strives for quality, international standards and relevance in all of its programmes. It currently operates on campuses in Pakistan, East Africa and the United Kingdom, and has programmes in Syria and Afghanistan.

AKU is in the process of establishing a Faculty of Arts and Sciences (AKU-FAS) on a 1,100-acre campus on the outskirts of Karachi situated in the hub of the ‘Education City'. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences will be based on the liberal arts model, but at the same time the curriculum and the focus of its programmes will be rooted in its Pakistani, South Asian and Muslim environments. AKU-FAS will develop students' skills in critical thinking and analysis, raise their proficiency in verbal and written communication, enhance human resource development in the region, and advance understanding in academic disciplines in the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities.

Applications are invited for the position of Director, Administration, AKU-FAS.

The appointee will report to both the Project Director and the Academic Planning Head for AKU-FAS.

Responsibilities
The appointee will lead the planning of the AKU-FAS administration and will be responsible for oversight of all administrative functions of AKU-FAS, which include:

• Institutional development of systems and policies specific to AKU-FAS needs and their implementation including administrative/operational/facilities management;
• Liaise with AKU's Human Resources Division for activities related to faculty and staff recruitment, compensation, employee relations and training and development;
• Managing the implementation of academic and administrative aspects of planning and coordinating in accordance with AKU departments;
• Providing administrative support and liaising with AKU-FAS academic heads for activities related to student admissions, financial aid and student services;
• Supervising administrative support for event management for seminars, conferences, special lectures, symposiums, etc;
• Coordinating the commissioning of new facilities with the Project team in liaison with academic requirements;
• Supervising and monitoring operations of dining/cafeteria, student residences, housing and accommodation for faculty and staff;
• Designing the implementation and oversight of AKU-FAS campus services, including travel, transport and coordination of physical services;
• Establishing various administration offices that will roll out when AKU-FAS opens.

Requirements
Candidates should have:

• Master’s in Business Administration or equivalent;
• Between 10 to 15 years of experience in academic administration, preferably in a liberal arts university;
• Ability to set objectives and prioritise work flow in such a way that the overall mission and goals of AKU-FAS are met in a timely manner;
• Excellent interpersonal and verbal and written communication skills;
• Exceptional leadership qualities to motivate team spirit;
• Understanding of the issues faced in the building of a new campus;
• A positive attitude with a track record of achievements in similar projects;
• Experience in international settings.

An attractive salary and benefits package will be offered to the selected candidate, commensurate with experience and accomplishments.

To Apply
Please send your detailed CV with names and contact details of at least three referees familiar with your recent work history by October 10, 2008 to:

Director, Human Resources
Aga Khan University
P.O. Box 3500, Stadium Road
Karachi, Pakistan
Fax: +92-21 493-4294
Email: recruitment@aku.edu