Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment and educational details, experience-based segment and the behaviours and technical/ professional skills-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.’’

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

Main purpose of job:

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) pursues UK’s national interests and projects the UK as a force for good in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK’s security, defend our values, reduce poverty, and tackle global challenges with our international partners.

The British High Commission in Pakistan has an exciting opportunity for a programme management professional to join the Integrated Security Fund  (ISF) Portfolio Team to minimise and mitigate the risks of conflict and instability in Pakistan and its direct/indirect impacts on UK.

The jobholder will be expected to lead on engagement with internal stakeholders (BHC colleagues, UK APD/JFU colleagues, other UKG departments, ISF regional teams etc.) and with external stakeholder (thinktanks, policy groups, researchers, thought leaders etc.) to help identify the priority areas of future ISF portfolio (beyond April 25).

The British High Commission (Mission) follows an integrated approach to delivery and all CSSF programmes are embedded within the Campaign Goals (CG) structure of the Mission. The jobholder will need to engage with multiple quarters in the Mission, work with CG leads, be able to absorb information from multiple sources and track multiple conversations.

The jobholder needs to have a clear understanding of programme design, excellent communication skills (both written and verbal skills), and good stakeholder engagement / coordination capabilities. He / she will need to be able to quickly get up to speed with a wide-ranging set of topics and to confidently engage with experts and senior leadership.

The job holder will work under the direct supervision of ISF Portfolio lead and work closely with the existing ISF programme & portfolio team members to synthesize information from ongoing programmes and feed them into the design of a future ISF portfolio.

This position offers a great opportunity to build knowledge in the complex area of political and conflict response programming, and to engage on a diverse set of thematic issues with a wide range of stakeholders. 

This position also offers a good opportunity to build relationships with different teams across the Mission and with UKG departments.

Roles and responsibilities of the Job Holder:

• Develop and follow a structured plan of engagement with internal and external stakeholders to initiate, progress and consolidate the debate on potential priority areas for a future ISF portfolio of Pakistan.
• Identify and engage the key stakeholders; including internal stakeholders (e.g. BHC colleagues, UK APD/JFU colleagues, UKG departments, ISF regional teams etc.) and external stakeholder (e.g. thinktanks, policy groups, researchers, thought-leaders etc.) in structured conversations on IR23/ISF priority areas relevant to Pakistan.
• Identify thematic areas where follow-up research is required and work with ISF Research and Design Lead on commissioning / undertaking research, and ensuring that it feeds into and enriches deeper conversations on the potential priority areas for Pakistan.
• Engage the CSSF/ISF Programme Teams to identify any follow-up work of existing programmes that may need to be pursued under a future ISF Portfolio, debate the potential future scope and clarify their potential linkages with the IR23/ISF priority areas relevant to Pakistan.
• Engage the Development Programme Teams to identify potential synergies between the future ISF Portfolio and the future Country Development Programmes’ portfolio, clearly articulating the link with IR-Refresh / ISF priorities (relevant to Pakistan) and how would it support (or be supported by) the Development work in Pakistan.
• Organise and facilitate a debate on the potential synergies within the future ISF programmes’ portfolio, and with other programmes in the region, and how best could an effective integration of thematic and geographic portfolios be achieved.
• Organise and facilitate workshops on the design of specific programmes – falling within the future ISF portfolio, debating their MEL requirements, Results Framework, Risks, Finances and Delivery Changes.
• Organise and facilitate workshops on cross cutting programmatic themes; including Gender, VFM, MEL, Climate, and Conflict Sensitivity etc. and ensure that they feed into the design of future ISF portfolio as well as into the specific future programmes.
• Organise and facilitate the launch of new projects under the future ISF Portfolio, securing buy-in and support from key stakeholders during the pilot / implementation phase.
• Organise and facilitate external ISF related visits to Pakistan / BHC and showcase the Pakistan portfolio.
• Engage with the BHC and JFU Communication Team to showcase progress on the design and implementation of future ISF portfolio for Pakistan.
• Help design and implement a structured capacity building programme for building the “engagement and coordination skills” of ISF portfolio / programme teams.
• Support BHC wider engagement with other ISF Teams across the region and with other Directorates, sharing lessons and approaches to common challenges, where applicable.
• Provide regular reporting on the engagement aspects of ISF portfolio design and make presentation to the Portfolio Boards (as required) on the progress, challenges, interim-results of the consultation etc, to ensure that the Board members are appraised and briefed for required decisions on the ISF portfolio for Pakistan.
• Deputise for ISF Portfolio Head on the design of ISF-Pakistan2025 matters, when required, and attend to critical tasks that needed to be completed in his/her absence on the ISF portfolio design.
• Demonstrate flexibility to work on any additional responsibilities assigned by the Portfolio Head.

Language requirements:

Language: English

Level of language required: Proficiency in reading writing and speaking English language.

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

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

• Formal in-house and external training.
• Coaching, mentoring and job shadowing.
• Structured learning on the job, including stretching objectives and work.
• Field visits and attendance to regional or international events.

Working patterns:

Full time employment with flexibly of working home on a case-by-case basis.

Operating hours are Monday – Thursday 08:00 – 16:15 (with half an hour lunch break); Friday 08:00 – 13:00

Any other information (or specific local Post requirements):

As part of the assessment process, should you get shortlisted and invited for interview, you may be asked to deliver a 5-minute presentation on a set topic. The topic of presentation will be provided in advance. This may be coupled with a written exercise as well, which will be required to be completed on the day of assessment.

Essential on arrival:

• Master’s degree in management / administration / public relations / communication / international affairs.
• At least 5 years of engagement and coordination experience for the design of complex programmes
• Strong collaboration and team building skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Good organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
• Good oral and written English communication skills (ability to provide briefings, project reporting).
• Strong ability to build relationships, collaborate with partners across government and external stakeholders and work effectively as part of cross organisation team.
• Strong IT skill, working knowledge of MS Office 365.