UNIDO Country Representative - NO-D, Pakistan

Requisition ID 8091 invites qualified nationals of Pakistan to apply for the position of UNIDO Country Representative based in Islamabad. This full-time, fixed-term role offers a minimum net annual salary of approximately PKR 13,342,354. The appointment aligns with UNIDO’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable industrial development, supporting national development goals through strategic partnerships and technical cooperation. The position requires leadership of the UNIDO Country Office, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and fostering collaboration with government, development partners, and the private sector.

Key Responsibilities

Lead and represent UNIDO in Pakistan, promoting the organization as a key development partner and maintaining strong relationships with government institutions, donors, UN entities, and other stakeholders. Oversee the Country Office’s activities to contribute effectively to national development objectives and identify donor priorities for technical and financial support.

Drive the identification, development, implementation, and monitoring of integrated technical cooperation projects and programmes, including Programmes for Country Partnership (PCPs), in collaboration with relevant UNIDO divisions and partners. Coordinate and report on UNIDO’s activities, ensuring strategic coherence with regional policies and supporting engagement with UN Resident Coordinator Offices, UN Country Teams, and joint UN programmes.

Strengthen partnerships with government counterparts, the private sector, UN organizations, and development finance institutions. Advocate for UNIDO’s mission and ensure dissemination of communication and media content to relevant stakeholders.

Manage the Country Office’s financial and human resources, ensuring compliance with organizational policies on security, asset safeguarding, and contingency planning. Develop and implement a results-oriented, gender-mainstreamed annual business plan, applying Results-Based Management principles for evidence-based decision-making and adaptive management.

Perform additional duties as assigned by supervisory authorities.

Required Qualifications

A first-level university degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) in economics, business administration, international relations, public administration, or a related field with a focus on development economics is required. An advanced degree (master’s or doctorate) in these fields is acceptable with reduced professional experience requirements.

Professional experience must correspond with educational qualifications: at least 10 years for bachelor’s degree holders, 7 years for master’s degree holders, and 5 years for doctorate holders. Candidates must demonstrate progressively responsible experience at the national level in economic development and senior technical cooperation roles.

Proven ability to assess country needs, lead project cycles (formulation, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation), and manage both technical and non-technical teams is essential. Experience in collecting and analyzing performance data to support evidence-based management is required.

Candidates should have experience in representational functions, working closely with policymakers and within or alongside the UN system. Experience with intergovernmental bodies, strategic partnerships, and resource mobilization is desirable. Prior work experience in Pakistan and the surrounding region is an advantage.

Fluency in written and spoken English and Urdu is mandatory. Knowledge of additional UN official languages is beneficial.

Preferred Qualifications and Benefits

UNIDO emphasizes gender parity, diversity, and inclusion, encouraging applications from underrepresented groups and providing reasonable accommodations as needed. The organization fosters a respectful, accessible workplace that supports work-life balance through flexible arrangements.

Core values expected include excellence, integrity, inclusion, humility, and humanity, with a strong focus on ethical conduct and accountability. Candidates should demonstrate competencies in collaboration, strategic planning, results delivery, continuous learning, innovation, and leadership.

UNIDO offers a dynamic international environment aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and provides opportunities to contribute to impactful industrial development initiatives. Salary details are available through the International Civil Service Commission.

Applicants are reminded that UNIDO does not charge any fees during the recruitment process. All applications must be submitted online through the official UNIDO careers portal. Only candidates advancing to later stages will be contacted. The Director General reserves the right to appoint at a lower level if deemed appropriate.