Tax & Quality Assurance Expert for Procedural Manuals - REMIT Programme

Background

The Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (REMIT) is a 39-months (2021 – 2025) programme funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and is being implemented by Adam Smith International (ASI). The programme 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 mobilisation reforms/initiatives, address investment environment challenges, facilitate trade and drive competitiveness by reducing trade barriers, and improve the macroeconomic policy and its management.   

To optimize Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) ’s operational effectiveness, REMIT has undertaken the development of comprehensive procedural manuals that can provide clear guidelines for the execution of tax laws on the pattern of HMRC departmental manuals. These guidelines/manuals cover crucial FBR processes such as voluntary and compulsory registrations, return enforcement, conduct of audits, processing of refunds and exemption certificates, penalty proceedings, on-field inspections and record impounding, investigative audits, monitoring of sales at business premises, and arrest and prosecution proceedings.  REMIT has onboarded a firm level resource for the development of procedural manuals on following five areas identified by FBR:  

•              Sales Tax Audit Manual (With Industry Specific Notes)

•              Refund Processing Manual (Income Tax and Sales Tax)

•              Federal Excise Audit Manual (With Industry Specific Notes)

•              Exemption Certificate issuance guide (including Advance Tax calculation)

•              Guide for operating FBR’s Online Systems i.e. IRIS

Job Summary

The Tax and Quality Assurance Expert will oversee the development of procedural manuals by the firm hired by REMIT so that the final output remains aligned with tax laws, regulatory requirements, and FBR’s business priorities. The expert will conduct thorough reviews, validate technical accuracy, and support the enhancement of manuals' clarity, consistency, and usability to guarantee high-quality output. The role also involves reviewing draft manuals, providing recommendations, and offering detailed feedback. In this way, the position contributes to ensuring value for money, mitigating risks, and ultimately facilitating approval of final outputs by FBR.

Duties & Responsibilities

·      Collaborate with the vendor hired by REMIT for the development of manuals to ensure that the development of output remains aligned with FBR priorities.

·      Verify all manual content against current Pakistani tax laws (Income Tax, Sales Tax, Federal Excise, Customs), including all relevant rules, SROs, circulars, and amendments.

·      Identify and report any discrepancies, omissions, or misinterpretations of tax laws and FBR regulations within the manuals to REMIT team and the vendor for the course correction

·      Ensure the technical accuracy of procedural steps in the light of other laws for the time being in force in the country.

·      After the delivery of manuals, confirm the completeness of each procedure, including all necessary steps, scenarios, and exceptions

·      Assess the clarity, conciseness, and user-friendliness of the language used keeping in view the needs of tax collectors

·      Evaluate the logical flow and practical applicability of procedures for real-world  operations of FBR.

·      Ensure consistency in terminology, formatting, and presentation throughout all manuals.

·      Suggest improvements for process efficiency and identify any potential procedural gaps or weaknesses.

·      Provide clear, constructive, and actionable feedback to vendor explaining in detail the required corrections and suggested enhancements.

·      Maintain comprehensive documentation of all review findings, issues identified, and recommended resolutions.

·      Review subsequent drafts of the manuals to verify that all identified issues have been effectively addressed.

·      Engage with FBR team for clarification on tax law interpretations or operational nuances as and when required

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience, particularly with tax authorities, donor-funded projects, or public sector reforms

• In-depth understanding of domestic tax laws and regulations (income tax, sales tax/VAT, federal excise, etc.)

• Familiarity with taxpayer services, registration, filing, audit, assessment, recovery, and appeals processes

• Experience with international best practices in tax procedure standardisation

• Knowledge of workflow mapping, process reengineering, and documentation standards.

• Expertise in quality assurance methodologies for documentation (e.g., peer reviews, checklist-based evaluations)

• Ability to assess manuals for internal consistency, completeness, legal alignment, usability, and risk identification

• Familiarity with statutory instruments, rules, and regulations governing tax procedures

• Ability to ensure procedural manuals are legally sound and aligned with institutional frameworks

• Understanding of procedural reform implementation and change management

• Experience in evaluating implementability and operational feasibility of manuals in tax administration

• Working knowledge of FBR’s IT systems.

• Excellent interpersonal skills to facilitate effective communication with different stakeholders and to deliver effective training.

Reporting

The Tax and Quality Assurance Expert will report to the Output Lead for Revenue Mobilization.

If interested, please submit your CVs by July 2nd, 2025.