Director Finance & Procurement | NAFSA

This position is being recruited by Pakistan Single Window (PSW) on behalf of the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority (NAFSA). NAFSA is being established as a strategic national initiative to strengthen Pakistan's agri-trade ecosystem through enhanced regulatory oversight, facilitation, and modernization of food safety and trade processes. The selected candidate will be part of NAFSA's foundational team, contributing to the development of systems, processes, and institutional capabilities.

Reporting to the DDG CSW, Director Finance & Procurement leads the establishment and operation of a transparent, efficient and compliant procurement and contract management function for NAFSA. The role ensures that procurement planning, tendering, evaluation support, contract award, and contract administration are conducted in accordance with applicable public procurement rules, NAFSA policies and integrity standards. The position also supports value-for-money outcomes through category planning, vendor management, timely procurements for critical regulatory operations, and strong record-keeping to support audits and governance oversight.

Responsibilities:

• Establish and manage the procurement and contract management function for NAFSA, including SOPs, templates, checklists and controls aligned with applicable procurement rules and Board-approved policies
• Prepare annual/quarterly procurement plans aligned with approved budgets and work plans; monitor execution, lead times and risks, and propose corrective measures to meet operational timelines
• Lead end-to-end procurement processes: review requisitions, support specification/ToR development, determine procurement method, prepare bidding documents, publish solicitations, and coordinate bid receipt and opening
• Coordinate and support evaluation committees (technical and financial evaluations); ensure process transparency, documentation completeness, conflict-of-interest controls and approvals as per delegations
• Manage contract award and administration, including issuance of purchase orders/contracts, performance securities, deliverables tracking, amendments/variations, and contract close-out in coordination with Finance and Legal
• Develop and maintain a supplier database, panels/framework arrangements (where approved), and vendor performance evaluation mechanisms; manage vendor communications and dispute resolution with Legal support
• Ensure compliance with procurement record-keeping requirements (tender files, evaluation reports, approvals and contract documents) and maintain audit-ready procurement registers and dashboards
• Support procurement reporting to management/Board committees as required, including procurement KPIs (cycle time, compliance, competition levels, savings/value-for-money indicators) and exception reporting
• Implement and promote digital procurement workflows and e-procurement tools (as adopted by NAFSA), ensuring secure approvals, audit trails and integration with finance/ERP systems
• Support disposal of obsolete/unserviceable assets in coordination with Admin and Finance through transparent disposal/auction processes as per rules and approved procedures
• Identify procurement and contract risks; recommend mitigation controls and contribute to ERM and internal control strengthening, including responses to audit observations and corrective action tracking
• Lead and develop procurement staff; conduct trainings on procurement rules, ethics, evaluation processes and contract management to strengthen institutional capacity.
  
  

Requirements

Education:

• Master's degree (16 years of education) in Business Administration, Finance, Supply Chain/Procurement, Engineering, Law or a related discipline from a recognized university (Bachelor's degree with strong relevant experience may be considered)
• Professional procurement/contract management certification (e.g., CIPS, CPP, CPSM or equivalent) is an advantage.
  
  

Experience:

• Minimum 12 years of relevant procurement and contract management experience, including at least 5 years in a supervisory/managerial role; experience with public sector/autonomous bodies or donor-funded procurement is preferred
• Demonstrated hands-on experience conducting competitive procurements (goods, works and services) under applicable public procurement rules, including preparation of bidding documents and evaluation support
• Experience in contract administration and vendor performance management, including handling variations, deliverables tracking and coordination of payments with Finance
• Strong understanding of integrity safeguards (conflict of interest, confidentiality, transparency) and ability to ensure robust documentation for audit and governance review
• Experience implementing digital procurement tools/e-procurement workflows and using data for procurement dashboards and performance reporting
• Strong negotiation, analytical and communication skills; ability to advise technical teams on procurement strategies and ensure value-for-money outcomes
• High integrity, impartiality and resilience; ability to handle tight timelines, multiple procurements and sensitive stakeholder environments.