Director Secretariat | 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 NAFSA Secretariat (Company Secretary) provides end-to-end secretarial, governance and compliance support to the Board of Governors (BoG) and its committees, enabling effective oversight, timely decision-making and documentation integrity. The role supports the Director General in his statutory capacity as Secretary to the BoG by coordinating Board and committee meetings, managing Board papers and records, tracking implementation of decisions, and maintaining statutory registers and compliance calendars under the NAFSA Act, 2026 and notified rules/regulations. The position also establishes secure digital and physical record management for governance documentation, ensuring confidentiality, transparency and auditability.

Responsibilities:

• Act as the professional secretariat for the BoG and its committees (including HR, Finance & Audit, Planning & Development and statutory committees), ensuring smooth governance operations and timely convening of meetings.
• Develop and manage an annual Board/committee meeting calendar; coordinate agendas, meeting logistics, circulation of notices and papers, and ensure quorum and procedural compliance.
• Coordinate preparation of Board papers by liaising with NAFSA wings and functions; ensure completeness, quality, and appropriate legal/financial vetting before submission.
• Record accurate minutes and resolutions; maintain a decision register and secure repository of approved papers, minutes and resolutions with version control and access management.
• Maintain statutory registers and governance documentation, including Board/committee composition, terms of appointment, declarations of interest, attendance, and approvals as required under the Act and governance guidelines.
• Track implementation of BoG and committee decisions across NAFSA; maintain action logs, follow-up mechanisms and periodic compliance/progress reports for Chairpersons, the BoG and the Director General.
• Draft and manage official correspondence of the BoG/committees (letters, notes, notifications and directives), handles the BoG/logistics (Agenda, Minutes, Quorum) in coordination with the Director General and relevant ministries/departments, ensuring timely dispatch and record retention.
• Coordinate induction and orientation of Board and committee members; prepare briefing packs on mandate, governance framework, ethics/conflict-of-interest, key risks and performance dashboards.
• Support development and administration of governance policies and procedures (Board charters, committee ToRs, operational guidelines, document templates and confidentiality protocols) and ensure periodic updates.
• Facilitate governance reporting requirements, including inputs to annual reports, statutory reporting to Federal Government, and coordination of meeting fee/expense processing in collaboration with Finance (as per approved policies).
• Establish and administer secure digital workflows (board portal/e-meetings, document management, e-signature and action tracking) in coordination with ICT to improve governance efficiency and audit trails.
Lead, supervise and develop Secretariat staff (board affairs, committee coordination and compliance officers); set work priorities, ensure service standards and maintain strict confidentiality.

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Requirements

Education:

• Master’s degree (16 years of education) in Public Administration, Management Sciences/Business Administration, Law, Corporate Governance or a related discipline from a recognized university; LLB/LLM is preferred for governance/legal drafting heavy environments.
• Professional qualification/certification in corporate governance or company secretarial practice (e.g., ICSA/CG qualifications or equivalent) is an advantage.
  

Experience:

• Minimum 12 years of relevant experience in board/committee secretariat, company secretarial or governance roles; experience in an autonomous body, regulator, SOE, or large public/private organization is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience preparing Board agendas, papers, minutes and resolutions, and managing end-to-end meeting processes with senior stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of governance best practices, statutory compliance tracking, and record retention requirements; ability to design governance SOPs and templates.
• Experience coordinating multi-stakeholder decision implementation (action tracking, follow-ups, escalation and progress reporting).
• High level of integrity, discretion and ability to handle confidential and sensitive information; sound judgment in governance matters.
• Strong drafting, communication and stakeholder management skills, including engagement with ministries, regulators and public sector entities.
• Proficiency in digital document management/board portals and MS Office; ability to implement secure, auditable governance workflows.