Director General | 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.

The Director General is the chief executive of NAFSA appointed under the NAFSA Act, responsible for establishing and leading the Authority while overseeing smooth transition from legacy departments including Department of Plant Protection and Animal Quarantine Department. Reporting to the Board of Governors of NAFSA, the Director General is required to provide strategic direction and effective governance for optimal service delivery as per statutory mandate of NAFSA.

Responsibilities:

• Timely establishment of NAFSA on modern lines with required systems, policies, SOPs, staffing to ensure effective service delivery as per assigned legal mandate under NAFSA Act 2026.
• Oversee timely transition of assets, operations and systems from legacy departments including DPP and AQD with minimal risk of business disruption or non-compliances.
• Provide strategic leadership and act as the chief executive officer of the Authority.
• Serve as ex-officio member and secretary to the Board of Governors while providing support in implementation of Board’s decisions.
• Develop and execute NAFSA’s strategic plan and annual work plans.
• Performance reporting to the Board and Federal Government, setting-up KPIs and robust performance appraisal mechanism.
• Establish an appropriate service structure and lead merit-based recruitment of key leadership and technical staff.
• Oversee establishment of various formations of NAFSA with clear responsibilities and development of their operational processes to optimally deliver assigned functions
• Develop effective coordination and collaboration mechanism between different formations of NAFSA
• Ensure capacity building and workforce readiness for operations and support functions
• Development of needed corporate culture and mechanisms to attract and retain best in class human resource and ensure their optimal utilization
• Approve internal policies, SOPs, delegations and control frameworks consistent with the Act and Board directions.
• Promote integrity, transparency and accountable decision-making.
• Provide stewardship of the NAFSA Fund and budget processes, ensuring financial sustainability, and effective oversight of the Finance and corporate controls.
• Ensure audit and accountability arrangements, including facilitation of internal and external audits including those by the Auditor General of Pakistan, ensure timely corrective actions and closure of observations.
• Represent NAFSA in national and international forums; coordinate with federal and provincial governments, regulators, Customs and development partners to advance SPS compliances, food safety and trade facilitation objectives especially enhancing and sustaining Pakistan’s market access for enhanced exports of agri-products.
• Lead risk management and emergency response for SPS incidents (outbreaks, contamination, pest incursions), including crisis coordination and stakeholder communication.
• Adoption of technology and digitalization to minimize human interface and discretion in day to day operations.
• Effective management of various services providers and related service level agreements.
Delegate powers and functions to authorized officers as appropriate and ensure effective oversight of delegated authorities, consistent with the Act and prescribed conditions.

Requirements

Education:

• Master Degree (16 years of education) Management Sciences, Agronomy, Food Safety, Veterinary Sciences, Plant Protection, Public Health, Trade/Economics, or a related field from a reputable institution.

Experience:

• Minimum 15 years of relevant professional experience with at least 5 years in an executive leadership role in a regulator, autonomous body, large public sector organization or comparable institution.
• Proven track record of leading institutional reforms, establishing organizations or large programs, and managing multi-disciplinary teams and geographically distributed operations.
• Experience in public finance and governance, including budgeting, fund management, audit oversight and implementation of internal controls.
• Demonstrated understanding of SPS systems and international standards (WTO SPS, Codex, WOAH, IPPC) and their application to import/export controls and domestic regulation.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and diplomacy skills, including coordination with federal/provincial governments and engagement with private sector and international partners.
• Excellent communication and decision-making abilities with high integrity, independence and resilience under pressure.
• Experience driving digital transformation, data-driven management and integration with national systems is an advantage.