JOB DESCRIPTION

View Vacancy – Deputy Programme Manager – Evidence for Health Programme, Grade-HEO, 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.

Job Category

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)

Job Subcategory

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

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 work of the British High Commission (BHC) in Pakistan is focused on six main workstreams – Regional Stability, Threats, Health Education and Demography, Climate, Resilience and Humanitarian, Open Societies and Economy and Trade.

BHC Islamabad is looking to recruit a suitably qualified and experienced Deputy Programme Manager who can start as soon as possible. This position is open to external and internal candidates who have demonstrated the required competencies and experience and also to externals.

This HEO deputy programme manager role sits within the Health and Education Group (HEG) in BHC Islamabad (BHCI), also known as CG3. It is a high performing unit, that offers an attractive and rewarding work environment, and which delivers programme results and provides policy and technical input across the UK mission in Pakistan and to a wide range of external stakeholders. CG3 strives to work together in a positive team environment, making development and career progression a priority and providing flexibility to deliver results at pace on high-profile priorities while maintaining work-life balance.

In terms of programming, the Health Team in CG3 has two large programmes with a total value of £155m. Programming work focuses on family planning, demography, sexual and reproductive health rights, ending preventable deaths, strengthening health systems at both national and sub-national levels, including health security and climate resilient systems.

UK supports a more effective, inclusive and resilient health system that provides quality services for all, including women and girls, which results in a healthier population and enables a step change in Pakistan’s human capital.

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:

The purpose of the role is to provide expert technical leadership, policy influencing support and programme management capacity in the Health Team and to CG3 more broadly.

Effective programme management and policy influencing for Evidence for Health (E4H) Programme while managing the programme cycle.

Evidence for Health (E4H-2022-2028) is an FCDO funded (£35m) health system strengthening technical assistance support programme. It builds on earlier UK investments in Pakistan to improve accessibility, coverage, and quality of maternal, child health services. It is providing support to strengthen health system to respond to future pandemics and health threats, support evidence-based decision making and improved Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The successful candidate will:

• Support the SRO and PRO in the delivery of E4H by providing programme leadership through all stages of the programme cycle.
• Support implementation of the E4H programme and influencing from a perspective on health systems strengthening including strengthening global health security including identifying key stakeholders, preparing briefs for senior management, coordinating with other development partners, and attending coordination meetings. ead in keeping a database of results achieved through the programme with a focus on gender and inclusion.
• Lead implementing the communication strategy of the programme
• Support the implementation of the E4H programme through a complex mix of modalities (contracts and other modalities) with limited supervision and guidance.
• Establish and maintain a programme delivery plan to inform planning and task execution.
• Manage and deliver CG3 (specifically health team’s) annual/programme completion review cycle, ensuring that all reviews are planned, adequately resourced and delivered within deadlines.
• Ensure appropriate monitoring and evaluation practices are in place that will deliver programme data requirements to understand delivery and impact.
• Support the team in policy work under Country Business Plan priority areas (Primary Health Care, Universal Health Coverage, Demography and Global Health Security). This will include mapping key stakeholders, working with other CGs and enablers, drafting lobbying strategies and briefs and coordination with other development partners.
• Support in identifying synergies between the health and education group linking them to the human capital agenda and incorporate those in programming and policy work.
• Ensure programmes in the health portfolio are compliant with FCDO Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) i.e. covering Evidence for Health (E4H) programmes and supporting colleagues as required. This includes oversight of the finance, risk management, contract management and programme governance.
• Manages external relationships, particularly with programme partners – holding them to account/challenge as appropriate.
• Liaise proactively with other donors and programmes across BHC Islamabad portfolio to develop synergies.
• Demonstrates good line management skills and zero tolerance to Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination.

Learning and development opportunities:

The BHC provides learning and development opportunities.

Resource Managed (staff and expenditure):

2 x Executive officer (EO)
There will be programme related budgetary responsibilities

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Essential on arrival:

• At least 5 years of health sector experience of managing and delivering development/donor funded programmes across the programme cycle.
• Demonstrated experience of working on policy and influencing with the government and development partners
• Strong programme delivery, financial and risk management skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to prioritise workload and respond flexibly as new priorities arise.

Language Requirements:

• Language: English & Urdu
• Level of language required: Expert in written and spoken

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Desirable:

• Programme management or programme delivery qualification
• Experience of managing programmatic and policy work in the health sector in Pakistan
• Postgraduate qualification in Public Health (MPH) or an equivalent health-related degree and will be considered an added advantage.

Required behaviours

Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Working Together

Application deadline

15 October 2025

Grade

Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

Type of Position

Full-time, Permanent

Working hours per week

41

Region

South Asia & Afghanistan

Country/Territory

Pakistan

Location (City)

Islamabad

Type of Post

British High Commission

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

PKR

Salary

PKR 362,725 per month

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

15 December 2025

Other benefits and conditions of employment

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

For other than BHC candidates the basic salary will be PKR 362,725 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.

Additional information

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 15th 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, caste 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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements