Head of Office

Job Title Head of Pakistan Office

Reports To CEO

Location Karachi, Pakistan

Direct Reports Pakistan based heads of department (with administrative responsibility over all Pakistan based staff)

Office Purpose Group wide support and client delivery hub providing Finance, Project Management, KYC/AML, HR and RegTech development (azakaw) support to all Group office locations, teams and most importantly clients.

About j. awan & partners

j. awan & partners (JAP) is an international Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) consultancy headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), with offices across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Portugal, Pakistan, and South Africa. The company has served well over 1,000 financial institutions across the world, providing regulatory advisory, outsourced compliance and AML/KYC functions, risk management, finance, and recruitment services.

Azakaw is the Groups RegTech platform, delivers KYC/KYB onboarding, transaction monitoring, and corporate compliance solutions to regulated firms. The Karachi office serves as a critical delivery hub, providing dedicated teams that support international clients and internal operations across JAP, JAC and azakaw.

Mission / Purpose of the Role

The Head of Pakistan Office is responsible for leading and scaling JAP’s Karachi operation as a high performing delivery centre serving GCC based clients initially and other international locations (London, Singapore) at a later stage. The Karachi office houses four distinct teams: Finance, Project Management, azakaw (RegTech) Development, and KYC/AML Operations. None of these teams serve clients in Pakistan; their sole focus is supporting JAP and azakaw’s client engagements across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the broader GCC.

The role demands a hands on leader with a strong finance and operations background who can lead and develop teams, establish operational rigour, and ensure that the quality of work produced in Karachi is indistinguishable from work produced in our GCC offices. The successful candidate will manage recruitment, retention, operations, financial controls, and cross border coordination, while serving as the senior representative of the firm in Pakistan.

In addition to the leadership mandate, the Head of Office may be required to act as the designated Finance Officer for one to two GCC based client engagements, taking direct responsibility for financial reporting, regulatory filings, or finance function deliverables on those accounts. This dual role reflects the firm’s expectation that senior leaders remain hands on and client facing.

Note: while the Karachi office houses azakaw developers, technical delivery and product decisions for azakaw are owned by the azakaw CTO and technical leadership team. However, from a location and HR management perspective, it will be the responsibility of the head of the office to manage the azak aw team.

12–18 Month Mission Outcomes (What Success Looks Like)

1. Achieve full operational maturity of the Karachi office as a GCC delivery hub

• Finance, Project Management, azakaw Development, and KYC teams operating at full capacity.
• Clearly defined SLAs for all GCC client deliverables.
• Zero missed client deadlines attributable to Karachi operations.

2. Build and retain a high-performing team of 25+ professionals

• All approved headcount filled within 90 days of requisition.
• Annualised attrition below 15%.
• 100% of new hires complete structured onboarding within 30 days.
• Positive engagement scores in quarterly pulse surveys.

3. Deliver measurable cost efficiency versus GCC-based resourcing

• Karachi operating costs demonstrate minimum 40% savings versus Dubai or Riyadh headcount.
• Monthly cost tracking and variance reporting delivered to the Group CFO by the 5th of each month.

4. Establish robust governance and compliance frameworks

• 100% compliance with Pakistan labour law, tax, and corporate obligations.
• All Group policies (Information Security, Data Protection, HR, Finance) locally implemented.
• No material audit or compliance findings.

5. Ensure seamless service delivery to GCC clients

• Client satisfaction scores 4.5 / 5 or higher.
• Internal stakeholder NPS of 8+ across Dubai, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Doha offices.
• Escalations resolved within agreed SLA windows.

6. Implement effective performance management and reporting

• Weekly operational dashboards delivered to Group leadership.
• KPIs defined for every team member within 60 days of hire.
• Quarterly performance reviews completed for 100% of staff.

Key Accountabilities

GCC Client Delivery Oversight

• Own end-to-end delivery quality for Karachi teams supporting GCC clients across Finance / Project Management / KYC service lines
• For azakaw developers, manage HR, people, and operational oversight (technical delivery owned by azakaw CTO).
• Ensure deliverables meet quality, accuracy, and timeliness standards set by GCC offices.
• Act as Finance Officer for 1–2 GCC client engagements when required.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for GCC engagement leads.
• Implement and enforce SLAs between Karachi and GCC offices.

Team Building, Recruitment & Retention

• Lead recruitment of Finance Analysts / Project Managers / KYC Analysts / azakaw Developers (with CTO coordination)
• Implement a structured onboarding programme enabling productivity within 30 days.
• Build a talent pipeline through partnerships with Universities / Professional bodies / Recruitment agencies
• Improve retention through Competitive compensation benchmarking / Career development pathways / Strong workplace culture.

Operations & Infrastructure

• Establish and maintain office infrastructure including IT systems / Connectivity / Workspace Business continuity arrangements
• Ensure secure connectivity to Group systems including HubSpot / SharePoint / Communication platforms
• Coordinate with azakaw technical leadership on infrastructure needs.
• Manage vendor relationships for Office services / IT support / Legal advisors / Accounting providers
• Maintain Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans.

Financial Management & Cost Control

• Prepare and manage the annual Karachi office budget.
• Deliver monthly financial reporting to the Group CFO.
• Ensure tax filings, payroll, and statutory obligations are completed accurately and on time.
• Identify cost optimisation opportunities without reducing service quality.

Governance, Compliance & Risk

• Ensure compliance with Pakistan employment law / Corporate law / Tax regulations
• Data protection requirements
• Implement and localise Group policies including Information Security / Acceptable Use / HR policies / Anti-Bribery / Whistleblowing
• Maintain internal controls suitable for a regulated financial services group.
• Coordinate with Group Compliance and Legal teams.

Cross-Border Coordination & Communication

• Act as the primary liaison between Karachi and GCC offices.
• Ensure time-zone overlap for GCC working hours.
• Participate in Group leadership meetings and provide operational updates.
• Promote a One Firm culture across JAP and azakaw teams.

Core Competencies

Offshore Delivery Leadership

• Experience leading offshore or nearshore delivery centres serving international clients.

Operational Execution

Ability to:

• Establish workflows
• Implement SLAs
• Scale teams
• Maintain quality and cost discipline

Cross-Border Team Management

Experience managing international teams across:

• Cultures
• Time zones
• Matrix reporting structures

Finance Expertise

Strong experience in:

• Financial reporting
• Management accounting
• Finance function leadership

Ability to act as Finance Officer on client engagements while managing office-level budgets.

Integrity & Governance

• High professional standards
• Strong accountability
• Experience working in regulated environments

Talent Development

• Passion for building teams
• Supporting career development
• Retaining high-performing professionals

Role-Specific Competencies

• Minimum 5 years leading an offshore, nearshore, or shared services centre serving international clients.
• Strong finance and operations background.
• Experience in Financial reporting / Regulatory filings / Finance leadership roles
• Experience managing multi-functional teams including Finance, Technology, Operations, and Compliance.
• Familiarity with GCC financial services regulators, including DIFC / ADGM / SAMA / QFC / CMA
• Comfortable operating within matrix reporting structures.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required (Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration preferred).
• Master’s degree preferred (MBA or MSc Finance).
• Professional qualifications preferred - ACA / ACCA / CFA / CPA / CAMS or other compliance certifications are a plus.

Experience

• 12+ years progressive experience in finance and operations.
• Strong experience in Financial reporting / Management accounting / Finance leadership
• Minimum 5 years managing teams of 15+ staff.
• Background in Financial services / GRC consulting / Professional services.

Industry Background

• Financial services
• RegTech
• Management consulting
• Professional services
• Corporate services

Languages

• Fluent English (mandatory)
• Urdu required
• Arabic desirable

Rewards & Growth

• Competitive salary aligned with Pakistan senior leadership market
• Performance-based bonus linked to mission outcomes
• Opportunity to lead a critical international delivery hub
• Direct reporting line to CEO / Deputy CEO
• High visibility across the Group
• Continuous learning and development with exposure to GCC regulatory environments