View Vacancy - Private Sector Development Advisor - Economy & Trade, Grade – G7, Islamabad

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)
Programme / Project Delivery

Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment, educational details, behavioural and technical/ professional skills questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only with all the required details and the shortlisting is not basis CV/ cover letter. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Main purpose of job:

The jobholder will lead on engagement and advice to advance the trade and investment objectives of our Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (‘REMIT’) ODA programme, and an anticipated future successor programme.

Through provision of high quality technical assistance (‘TA’), the REMIT programme supports Pakistan to implement reforms that lock in macroeconomic stability and improve conditions for high and sustained growth, mutual prosperity, job creation and poverty reduction.

TA is provided in four main components:

1) tax revenue mobilisation, help to raise Pakistan’s tax to GDP ratio;

2) address the investment environment challenges faced by local and UK businesses;

3) facilitate trade and drive competitiveness, addressing barriers to trade in order to reduce Pakistan's trade deficit;  and

 4) modernise macroeconomic policy making and implementation process. Gender and climate are cross-cutting themes.

The REMIT programme is funded by the UK, but implemented through its partners Adam Smith International, World Bank Trust Fund, UK Government Communications Services International, and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

You will be the lead technical advisor for the trade and investment components of the REMIT programme. Among other workstreams, the investment component currently includes the British High Commission’s support to help Pakistan reform its regulatory environment, implement an industrial policy, attract foreign investment through sector frameworks for the IT, agriculture and mining sectors, and implement a women’s entrepreneurship framework. The trade component includes the British High Commission’s support to help Pakistan reform the Export Development Fund and Export Facilitation Scheme, implement a new Airport Community System to facilitate trade, and analyse the opportunities for greater agri-food and manufactured goods exports to selected markets.

We reserve the right to review, revise or amend the roles and responsibilities from time to time reflecting the changing needs of business.

Roles and responsibilities that a jobholder will be expected to achieve:

As component lead for trade and investment, you will be responsible for:

  • Setting direction for the technical assistance (‘TA’) on trade and investment offered by the REMIT programme:
    • Review and assess current trends in Pakistan’s federal trade and investment policies, and work proactively with implementing partners to direct UK ODA resources towards activities with the highest likelihood of contributing towards the intended impact of the REMIT programme.
    • Review TORs for work proposed by the UK’s Implementing Partners and recommend to the REMIT programme Senior Responsible Owner whether or not they should be accepted or amended.
    • Follow the leadership of the UK Department for Business and Trade in initiating TA activities which support resolution of barriers to trade and investment which are especially important to UK and other international companies looking for partnerships which would benefit Pakistan’s economic development.
    • Follow the leadership of the FCDO Climate & Environment Group in synergising with their work on green and inclusive investment mobilisation through the the CIFPAK and JETPAK programmes.

  • Overseeing delivery of TA by the UK’s implementing partners:
    • Chair a monthly meeting with Implementing partners and review progress reports to understand progress in all activities in the workstream.
    • Flag emerging barriers to achievement of outcomes through our support to the REMIT programme Senior Responsible Owner and MSG team leader, and develop plans to resolve barriers
    • Attend engagements by implementing partners with Government of Pakistan where possible, to represent the FCDO.

  • Quality Assurance of REMIT programme TA:
    • Review outputs delivered by the Implementing Partners to provide expert quality assurance and comments on analysis and policy advice to promote achievement of the programme objectives.

  • Coordination between REMIT implementing partners and other Development Partners, as well as Government of Pakistan:
    • Use monthly meeting between implementing partners, and other forms of communication, to ensure different Implementing Partners of the REMIT programme and other Development Partners i) avoid duplication ii) resolve conflicts where different IPs have incompatible proposals, and ii) achieve synergies where possible.
    • Share information and spot opportunities for collaboration with other members of the UK network in Pakistan

  • Back-stop other responsibilities within the wider Macroeconomic Stability and Growth team. This could include, for example covering for the REMIT programme Senior Responsible Officer where necessary, leading on a cross-cutting theme such as Communications or Gender, VFM analysis to support other teams within the British High Commission, and occasional macroeconomic analysis and briefing.

To fulfil these responsibilities, you will need to:

  • Develop an excellent oversight of the key economic, political and technical barriers to increased trade and investment, including through the latest research, the UK’s global experiences, and the experiences of businesses operating in Pakistan. Work with implementing partners to help design TA activities which will resolve these barriers.
  • Work successfully with Pakistani officials and other important stakeholders to ensure that we identify and capitalise on opportunities for influence and collaboration.
  • Work closely with other teams in the high commission, especially trade, political and governance teams, to ensure effective co-ordination. In particular, it will be important to harness insights from the UK’s anticipated new programme working with the private sector directly (JETPAK) to identify the most important policy constraints to private sector exports and investment.

You will be line managed by the SRO for the REMIT programme

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

  1. No line management responsibilities presently.
  2. Portfolio responsibilities depending on applicant’s experience and BHC strategy.

Learning and development opportunities (if any)

  • Formal in-house and external training
  • Attendance at the annual FCDO Economic Cadre learning event in the UK, and other international conferences and national events.
  • Coaching, mentoring and job shadowing led by the BHC Islamabad Senior Economist
  • Structured learning on the job, including stretching objectives and work

Language requirements:

  • Language: English, Urdu
  • Level of language required: Urdu

Working patterns:
Full Time. 41 gross hours per week

Additional Information:

Technical Social development competencies:

Given the technical content of the role, the successful candidate must demonstrate technical competencies at G7 level as per as described in FCDO’s Private Sector Development Technical Competency Framework (Private Sector Development: Technical Competency Framework - GOV.UK)

This position must meet the standards for Practitioner level as stipulated in the Private Sector Development Technical Competency Framework.

  • This role is based in Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • BHC Islamabad would like to fill this role as soon as possible.
  • The assessment for this role shall be based on the paper sift of your application, expression of interest and CV.
  • Candidates may also be asked to complete a Written Exercise, and/or make a short Presentation.
  • Late applications will not be accepted.
  • For applicants already working for the British High Commission, you must have your line manager’s support before applying. Teams will not be provided with additional resource to cover any gap arising following this move.

Essential on arrival:

We are looking for someone with:

  • Expert understanding of how businesses in Pakistan operate, and the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for reform of Pakistan’s business environment as relating to trade and investment.
  • Ability to use this expert understanding to provide reliable quality assurance of the TA provided to the Government of Pakistan on trade and investment reforms.
  • Ability to work across multiple partners in a complex and fast-moving environment and set strategic direction flexibly to achieve impact through for our technical assistance offer.
  • Ability to deliver at significant pace, balancing responding to tight deadlines while allowing time for forward-looking analytical work.
  • Confidence and creativity to build and maintain a network of internal and external stakeholders and represent the FCDO.
  • Understanding of the process of policy-making and administration in Pakistan, including barriers to reform.
  • Ideally, experience delivering through programmes funded by development partners such as the UK or others.

Selection process

To identify the right candidate meeting these requirements, we will assess Experience & qualifications, Behaviours, and technical skills.

Experience & Qualifications

  • A strong undergraduate degree in Business, Economics, International Development or related field.
  • A postgraduate degree in Business, Economics, Finance, International Development or a related field, OR equivalent professional experience;
  • At least 5 years’ experience working on private sector development in Pakistan or other relevant contexts. Experience may for example include private sector entities, international development institutions, or government agencies.

    Desirables:

    • Proven ability to engage effectively, at a senior level, with a range of host country Government Officials, civil society as well as bilateral and multilateral partners
    • Experience of leading or working on programmes funded by Official Development Assistance
    Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
    19 October 2025
    Grade 7 (G7)
    Full-time, Permanent
    41
    South Asia & Afghanistan
    Pakistan
    Islamabad
    British High Commission
    1
    PKR
    PKR 710,361 per month
    monthly
    1 December 2025

    For BHC candidates, the Country Based Staff BHC Terms & Conditions will apply.

    For other than BHC candidates the basic salary will be PKR 710,361 per month. This salary is non-negotiable.

    Please note that the current salaries are being dollarized and processed in USD (using a fixed corporate exchange rate from November 2022) to provide cushion against the current external market conditions. This is a temporary measure and is subject to review at regular intervals. The payroll will revert to local currency processing once the external market conditions are normalised.

    BHC offers a great benefits package that comprises of Annual Domiciliary cover and Medical Insurance Scheme which includes PKR 1,500,000 floater coverage per family for self, one spouse/long term partner and children under the age of 19 or under 23, if in full-time education and not gainfully employed. The Annual Domiciliary cover for day-to-day medical payments is upto PKR 200,000 per family (basis actual bills submission).

     Additionally, The British High Commission contributes to a retirement provision in the form of a mandatory provident fund. 

    FCDO operates an agile workforce. To facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require. The BHC is recognised as a good employer, with a robust, fair and transparent performance management & appraisal system linked to increments and staff bonuses. We have a 5-day working week, plus annual leave, public holidays, maternity leave provision, special leave, paid sick leave provision; ample development opportunities, travel opportunities, a good organisational culture, and excellent work/life balance.

    No relocation or any other related costs or assistance will be provided. FCDO does not pay for any travelling, accommodation & relocation expenses incurred and/or accept any financial risk, including cancellation or reschedule costs.

    Around half of our work forces are women. We treat people with respect and equality and have a policy of zero tolerance for any form of discrimination, bullying, or harassment. We welcome all applications irrespective of age, race, colour, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, caste, or creed. We are also open to applications from people who want to work flexibly.

    This is a good opportunity to be part of a strong, diverse team, working in the biggest network that FCDO has anywhere across the globe. We are aiming to make it the best.

    Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment and educational details, motivational segment and the behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only for all the required details. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

    To Apply:
    Please note applications without (a) and (b) will not be considered.

    a) Complete the Online Application Form
    b) Complete the Experience, Professional Skills and Behaviour based Segments in the Online Application Form

    Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification

    To ensure a successful application it is important that you explain how you demonstrate behaviours and technical / professional skills, basis your experience. You are strongly advised to read the Success Profiles - Civil Service Frameworks, which provides a detailed guidance on how these behaviours are defined for each position. 

    Applicants are encouraged to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique to prepare specific examples of when and how you have demonstrated these behaviours in your application, by evidencing a structured response, including your skills and experiences. You briefly describe the situation in which you demonstrated the behaviour, and then explain your task in addressing the situation, what action you took and the result of this.

    Internal candidates applying for this position must have completed their probation and have prior approval from their line manager, else the application will not be considered.

    We will accept only online applications by 19th October 2025 (latest by 23:55 hours PST).

    Please note that all the applicants will be required to strictly adhere to the security guidelines for British High Commission

    Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount. 

    Applicants who do not have the required qualification & experience should kindly abstain from applying, as their applications will not be considered.

    Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and no telephone enquires will be dealt with. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’.  If during the reserve period of 12 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.

    " The start date mentioned in the job advert is tentative and the appointment will be subject to successful clearances including police verification, references, medical, educational, and professional checks. "

    We welcome all applications irrespective of age, race, colour, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief or creed. We are also open to applications from people who want to work flexibly.

    Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

    This opportunity is closed to applications.