JOB DESCRIPTION

View Vacancy – Deputy Country Director, Grade-SEO, 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

Department for Business and Trade roles (DBT)

Job Subcategory

Department for Business and Trade (DBT)

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:

To lead a team promoting and increasing trade and investment between the UK and Pakistan, in line with the Industrial Strategy, Trade Strategy, Country Business Plan and Middle-East and Pakistan (MEaP) Regional Trade Plan (RTP). You will support the Country Director and wider economy and trade team as it finds and delivers UK export, investment and trade policy wins. As the sole Islamabad-based DBT member of staff, you will need to work autonomously, proactively and collaboratively, sourcing viable opportunities that require consistent engagement with the GoP and seniors in order to deliver economic growth for the UK.

As the Deputy Country Director you will take the lead on the management and administration of the team, driving decisions around resourcing and performance across the network, while also identifying the best ways to work through others.

You will also play a leading role in progressing the UK Pakistan Trade Dialogue, which was launched in July 2025. Driving forward DBT led work on generating economic growth for the UK, you will need to have not only a thorough understanding of the market and opportunities here, but an appreciation of the political dynamics and where trade work can be further advanced through other UK equities. You will have a Trade Director based in Karachi, so you will need to be able to take the lead with Federal Ministries and support the High Commissioner as and when appropriate.

This role requires a whole of Government approach, leveraging resources from across the mission. Collaboration will be essential to succeed. HMG interests in Pakistan cut across every departmental agenda, and the UK growth mission is an integral part. You will be required to keep the High Commissioner and seniors briefed on relevant issues and mobilised as appropriate for maximum impact.

To get the most out of this job, you will need to be resilient and willing to pitch-in across the board. Strong leadership, enthusiasm, proactivity and a can-do attitude are essential.

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:

Leading by example and delivering through the team, you will provide guidance and direction to ensure that the country targets set by HMTC MEaP are met, and that the Pakistan market makes a proportionate contribution to the wider objectives laid out in the MEaP Regional Trade Plan. This will include close and regular engagement with UK plc and senior Pakistani stakeholders, to whom you will have excellent access. You can expect to be involved with the following areas of activity:

• Team Leadership (25%) : The DBT team in Pakistan has undergone a period of transition. Through active, hands-on leadership you will need to guide team members and ensure the right structures and prioritisation are in place to achieve team, CBP and RTP objectives.
• Export promotion (25%) : To promote and increase trade between the UK and Pakistan. This will require outward-facing efforts to raise awareness of DBT and its work; a thorough understanding of the Pakistani marketplace and the unique circumstances here; an energetic and creative approach to identifying opportunities; and an excellent understanding of the political context and UK interests. It will require identifying viable opportunities that have the potential to become significant UK wins, while also pursuing longer-term strategic opportunities and relationships in parallel.
• Trade policy (25%) : The UK and Pakistan have launched a bilateral Trade Dialogue which will focus on securing mutually beneficial economic growth, with a focus on trade policy, exports, investment and the UK/Pakistan Business Council. You will support annual meetings and regular senior officials working groups to deliver TD ambitions.
• Contribute to wider High Commission work and to play a leadership role within the mission (10%) : You will need to make an appropriate contribution in a range of areas, leading by example. Working closely with the Director for Trade in Karachi, the successful candidate will play a key role in leading the small, but experienced, DBT team to meet UK growth mission objectives.
• Build and maintain an effective network of contacts (10%) : You will need to have a broad and deep range of influential contacts among UK and Pakistan industry/business, banking, government/regulators and the diplomatic community. Given the interrelations of politics, economics and trade here, you will need to work closely with the political and economic teams across the mission with regular travel to Lahore and Karachi as and when required.
• Contribute to the wider DBT MEAP regional team and projects (5%) : As part of your role, you could be required to work on regional projects as instructed from HMTC MEaP and her office in order to provide additional resource on major trade and engagement campaigns for the region as a whole.

 

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Line Management of 2 x Executive Officers (EOs)

Learning and development opportunities:

Access to a diverse L&D package

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Essential on arrival:

• Minimum 5+ years professional / commercial experience
• Graduation degree or above.
• Broad sector knowledge
• Business development, sales or marketing experience, either from a business-facing role in government or from a corporate background
• A proven track record of successful relationship management with senior stakeholders and international clients
• Events, project management and market research skills
• Experience of delivering results against deadlines/targets
• Ability to provide oral and written briefings, produce meeting notes and provide policy advice on sensitive issues to senior officials and ministers
• Evidence of self-motivation, professionalism and the ability to work under minimal supervision
• Evidence of adaptability and ability to prioritise against competing, challenging tasking, often to tight deadlines.

Language Requirements:

• Language: English
• Level of language required: Fluent in written and spoken

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Desirable:

• Familiarity with Pakistan and the specifics of doing business in this market
• Management of geographically dispersed teams

Required behaviours

Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Leadership, Working Together

Application deadline

28 November 2025

Grade

Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

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 720,719 per month

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

1 February 2026

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 720,719 per month. This salary is non-negotiable.

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, have prior approval from their line manager and should not be on an active formal written warning, else the application will not be considered.

We will accept only online applications by 28th November 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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements