Field Research Associate - Pilot Implementation, Impact and Political Economy Assessment of CCoRR Approved Regulatory Reforms

No. of vacancies: 2

Background

The Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (REMIT) Programme, funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by Adam Smith International (ASI), provides technical assistance to the Government of Pakistan to improve the business environment, strengthen regulatory governance, attract investment, and support sustainable economic growth.

Over the past two years, the Government of Pakistan has undertaken one of its most ambitious regulatory reform programmes through the Cabinet Committee on Regulatory Reforms (CCoRR), with strategic leadership from the Board of Investment (BoI) and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), and technical support from the REMIT Programme and JC&A. Supported by the enactment of the Asaan Karobar Act, 2025, the programme has shifted Pakistan's regulatory reform agenda from incremental procedural improvements towards a comprehensive regulatory governance framework based on the Regulatory Guillotine methodology.

To date, more than 550 regulatory reforms have been approved through the CCoRR process, targeting the simplification or elimination of unnecessary regulatory requirements, streamlining approvals, modernising regulatory systems, reducing compliance costs, and improving the overall ease of doing business. While these reforms represent a major milestone, the long-term success depends on effective implementation by regulators and the extent to which they generate measurable benefits for businesses and government institutions.

Recognising the need to move beyond implementation monitoring towards implementation evaluation, the Government of Pakistan has requested REMIT's technical support to undertake a pilot implementation, impact, and political economy assessment of selected CCoRR-approved reforms. The assignment will apply the REMIT Regulatory Impact Evaluation (RIE) methodology to assess implementation effectiveness, business and regulator impacts, institutional capability, and political economy constraints. The findings will generate practical recommendations to strengthen reform delivery while establishing a repeatable evaluation methodology that can ultimately be institutionalised within the Asaan Karobar Technical Unit (AKTU).

To support this assignment, REMIT seeks to engage a Field Research Associates supporting the lead Regulatory Impact Evaluation Expert for the pilot assessment, oversee the analytical methodology, manage stakeholder engagement, and deliver evidence-based recommendations to Government.

Job Summary

The Field Research Associate will support the Regulatory Impact Evaluation (RIE) Expert in delivering the pilot implementation, impact, and political economy assessment of selected CCoRR-approved regulatory reforms. Working under the technical direction of the RIE Expert, the Associate will provide research, field coordination, and stakeholder engagement support to facilitate the application of the REMIT Regulatory Impact Evaluation (RIE) methodology across the selected pilot reforms.

The role will focus on collecting and validating quantitative and qualitative evidence relating to reform implementation, business and regulator impacts, implementation constraints, and institutional and political economy factors. The Associate will coordinate stakeholder consultations, undertake field interviews, collect implementation data, and support the preparation of analytical inputs and documentation. Through high-quality field research and stakeholder coordination, the Associate will contribute to generating robust evidence that informs practical recommendations to strengthen the implementation and sustainability of Pakistan's regulatory reform programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Field Research Associate will provide research and field implementation support to the Regulatory Impact Evaluation Expert. Key duties and responsibilities include:

• Support the implementation of the pilot Regulatory Impact Evaluation by coordinating field research activities across selected federal and provincial regulatory institutions.

• Assist in reviewing reform documentation, implementation records, operational procedures, and supporting evidence required for the assessment of selected CCoRR-approved reforms.

• Coordinate meetings, interviews, and consultations with government ministries, regulatory authorities, private sector representatives, business associations, and other relevant stakeholders.

• Conduct key informant interviews, structured consultations, focus group discussions, and site visits using agreed research protocols and data collection tools.

• Collect qualitative and quantitative evidence to support implementation verification, implementation maturity assessments, business impact assessments, regulator impact assessments, and political economy analysis.

• Support verification of reform implementation by collecting evidence relating to legal notifications, revised procedures, staff awareness, operational practices, digital systems, and business utilisation of reformed regulatory processes.

• Collect business-level information relating to compliance costs, administrative burden, approval timelines, documentation requirements, regulatory interactions, and perceptions of reform effectiveness.

• Compile, organise, and maintain interview records, consultation notes, field observations, supporting documentation, and evidence databases to support analysis and reporting.

• Support stakeholder validation and consultation meetings by coordinating logistics, documenting discussions, and incorporating stakeholder feedback into analytical outputs.

• Undertake other research, coordination, and analytical tasks as reasonably required by the Regulatory Impact Evaluation Expert to support successful delivery of the assignment.
  

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Economics, Public Policy, Public Administration, Business Administration, Political Science, Development Studies, Law, Sociology, or another relevant discipline. A Master's degree will be considered an advantage.

• At least 3 years of professional experience in policy research, regulatory reforms, public sector reform, or related assignments.

• Demonstrated experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research, including key informant interviews, stakeholder consultations, focus group discussions, surveys, and field data collection.

• Good understanding of Pakistan's public sector institutions, regulatory environment, investment climate, or business environment reform agenda.

• Experience collecting, managing, and synthesising research evidence from multiple sources and preparing concise analytical summaries and supporting documentation.

• Strong organisational and coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple field activities and maintain high-quality records under tight timelines.

• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to work effectively with government officials, regulators, private sector stakeholders, and development partners.

• Willingness to undertake travel within Pakistan to support field research, stakeholder consultations, and validation activities as required.

Reporting line

• The Associate will work closely with lead RIE Expert and will indirectly report to REMIT Deputy Team Lead/Investment Climate Lead. The assignment will require close engagement with key governments stakeholders.

• Closing Date: 17th July 2026