Senior Reform Dialogue Specialist - REMIT Programme

Senior Reform Dialogue Specialist – National Fiscal Pact Reform

Background   

The Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (REMIT) is a multi-year (2021 – 2028) program funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and is implemented by Adam Smith International (ASI). The program provides technical assistance (TA) to Pakistan with a broader objective to implement reforms for strengthening macroeconomic stability and improving conditions for high and sustained growth, mutual prosperity, job creation, and poverty reduction. The Programme works towards supporting the Government of Pakistan, its relevant ministries, institutions, and departments to strengthen revenue mobilization reforms/initiatives, address investment environment challenges, facilitate trade and drive competitiveness by reducing trade barriers, and improve the macroeconomic policy and its management.

Activity Context

A major milestone under the Government’s macroeconomic reform agenda has been the signing of the National Fiscal Pact (NFP) in September 2024. The NFP, aligned with the 18th Constitutional Amendment and a key reform under Pakistan’s IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF), aims to rebalance federal and provincial responsibilities in public expenditure. Its implementation requires the devolution of selected federal functions and expanded provincial spending in areas such as education, health, social protection, and regional infrastructure.

In response to a request from MoF, REMIT has provided technical assistance to support NFP implementation. This has included detailed data collection and expenditure analysis across federal and provincial levels, alongside the development of policy simulations to quantify fiscal impacts of different devolution scenarios. Estimates prepared by REMIT suggest that full implementation of agreed NFP actions, such as the devolution of Higher Education Commission (HEC) expenditures, rationalisation of PSDP, and provincial participation in BISP, could result in federal savings of over PKR 1.1 trillion in FY2025–26.

In May 2025, the Government of Pakistan announced the formation of a High-Level Committee on NFP Implementation, co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister. MoF is designated to provide secretariat support to the Committee and lead the technical preparation for intergovernmental consultations. In this context, REMIT has been asked to expand its support to the MoF.

Under the current work plan (2025–2026), REMIT will support MoF across two main areas:

• Implementation of agreed NFP actions, including cost-sharing arrangements for HEC and BISP, and rationalisation of PSDP in line with NEC and SIFC decisions.

• Federal fiscal architecture review, where REMIT will help develop technical options to improve coordination across federal and provincial governments, simulate fiscal impacts of alternative policy arrangements, and identify next steps in institutional reform.

The Senior Reform Dialogue Specialist will play a central role in supporting reform communication and intergovernmental engagement by developing narrative materials, facilitating consultations, and drafting proposals for reform of Pakistan’s intergovernmental fiscal architecture.

Job Summary

The Senior Reform Dialogue Specialist will support the Ministry of Finance and REMIT in developing and communicating the technical and policy rationale for the NFP. This includes producing narrative content, organising and reporting on stakeholder consultations, and drafting and refining reform proposals on Pakistan’s intergovernmental fiscal architecture.

Duties and Responsibilities

The expert will undertake the following responsibilities:

• Draft and refine content to support MoF’s narrative in favour of NFP reforms, including briefs, talking points, and strategic messages

• Design and support the delivery of consultative workshops with provincial and federal stakeholders

• Facilitate feedback loops and consolidate insights from consultations into formal reports

• Draft a discussion paper on intergovernmental fiscal architecture, identifying key challenges and reform options

• Finalise a technical paper proposing reform pathways for fiscal coordination, vertical balance, and expenditure alignment

• Collaborate with other REMIT experts to align narrative content with technical analysis and policy simulations

Brief Description of Deliverables

Qualifications and Experience:

·       A minimum of 10 years of experience in the development of public finance reforms, intergovernmental coordination, or fiscal reform dialogue

·       Demonstrated experience in policy communication and stakeholder engagement in government or donor settings

·       Good understanding of economic policies, debt management and operation of variables like interest rates, and inflation rates.

·       Excellent system development and data expertise for the development models.

·       Minimum master’s, preferably PhD qualification in economics, statistics, or related field.

·       Strong review and analysis skills, with the ability to review technical policy and legal documents.

·       Ability to engage with senior-level government officials, and to facilitate the process of getting things done vis-à-vis timelines, responsibilities, and resources required to deliver individual actions.

·       Excellent record keeping, report writing, communications, and presentation skills.

·       Excellent oral and written English.

Reporting

The consultant will report to the REMIT Team Lead and REMIT Macroeconomic Governance Component Lead.

LOE: 60 days

Application and Deadline
Interested applicants should submit their resume of not more than 2 pages by Sunday 13th July