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:

To produce reporting on economic and political-economy issues in Pakistan, with a particular focus on identifying opportunities and implications for HMG’s economic development, political, trade and regional stability work.

To achieve this, a successful job holder will need to develop, maintain and harness on behalf of HMG a network of economic and other contacts within the Pakistan government, international financial institutions, civil society and other international missions.

The job holder will work closely with a wide variety of staff across both the British Deputy High Commission (BDHC) in Karachi and the British High Commission (BHC) in Islamabad, as well as UK-based colleagues at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and other UK Government departments.  

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 / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

This position sits within the Economics & Political team at the British Deputy High Commission Karachi and will be line-managed by the Second Secretary (British diplomat). The job holder will have responsibility for the Economic portfolio within the BDHC Economics & Political team and more broadly at the British Deputy High Commission Karachi, producing reporting on economic developments (particularly in Sindh and Baluchistan) and engagement with economic and other institutions based in these provinces (e.g. State Bank of Pakistan, business groups, universities).

The job holder will also be expected to input from an economics perspective on the BDHC Economic & Political team’s broader work; priority areas over the next year will likely include: climate change (green finance, renewable infrastructure), regional stability and trade, provincial-federal political and fiscal settlements, and supporting the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA)—programmes managed from Islamabad, with delivery partners in Sindh—implementation in Sindh through advice and engagement with the Provincial Government and a broad range of contacts. The job holder will support senior visits to Karachi and should expect to travel to Islamabad on a regular basis within the role.

The job holder will also work closely with:

• The Deputy High Commissioner at BDHC Karachi, to produce briefing for and input into their conversations with Economic and other institutions.
• The Political Advisor at BDHC Karachi, to coordinate on the production of political economy reporting relating to Sindh, Baluchistan, and the institutions and contacts based there.
• The Economics team based in BHC Islamabad, including contributing bespoke analysis from a Karachi perspective on wider economic issues, and supporting ODA programme teams with technical economics assistance and delivery—including for the JETPAK private sector development programme.
• Department for Business and Trade colleagues based in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, on issues relating to trade and economics.
• The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s Economics Unit and other UK Government departments, who may request ad hoc economic

The UK’s work in Pakistan has undergone considerable change due to a number of factors, including the impact of the Covid pandemic.  It is likely that the exact job specifications for this position may change as we take forward our planning for coming years, and it will be important that the successful candidate is flexible and ready to adapt their work accordingly.

Learning and development opportunities (if any):

The FCDO is committed to providing learning and development opportunities to all its employees, including:

1. Formal in-house and external training.
2. Coaching, mentoring and job shadowing.
3. Structured learning on the job, including stretching objectives and work.
4. Potential field visits to project deliverables, and attendance to regional conferences.
5. Online training

Specific to this role, there will be opportunities to attend specific UK Government courses relating to Economic and other issues (e.g. climate change, trade, gender). 

Language Requirements:

• Language: English & Urdu
• Level of language required: Proficient

Essential On Arrival:

Government Economic Service (GES) minimum criteria (a 2:1 (or equivalent) undergraduate degree with at least 50% of economics in the final two years, or a post graduate diploma, or a Master’s degree in economics) plus experience working in an economics role, or MSc economics expertise or equivalent experience.

• Macro Economics: Being able to understand and explain the economy as a whole including: growth measurement, trends, drivers, and diagnostics; inflation and exchange rates; fiscal and monetary policy; financial sector and debt sustainability; exchange rates and government regulation (e.g. labour, climate).
• International economics: Being able to understand and explain the interaction with the global economy including: balance of payments; international and regional trade; international aid, remittances, financial flows and debt; migration; international and regional financial institutions and regulation.
• Effective Communication of Economics: Being able to effectively communicate the relevance and impact of economic ideas, orally and visually, to colleagues and stakeholders of different backgrounds. Build effective working relationships with policy colleagues and other specialists to build mutual understanding of how to work together. Understand how wider political economy contexts influence policy response.