Deputy Director General

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 Deputy Director General Scientific Advisory and Policy will lead the Scientific Advisory and Policy Wing and provides the scientific foundation for NAFSA’s SPS measures. The role is responsible for risk assessment, standards development, drafting regulatory framework for registration, licensing, certification, track & trace, food safety & Quality Assurance, biosecurity measures, pesticides and related diagnostics, Surveillance and movements, international coordination for liaison with international bodies (WTO, IPPC, OIE, Codex) to develop strategies for market access & negotiations to boost exports and evidence-based recommendations to support operational decision-making. The position ensures alignment with international SPS frameworks and supports harmonization of SPS measures across provinces, coordination for crisis management planning.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead the Scientific Advisory and Policy Wing (SAPW) and provide scientific, technical and regulatory leadership to underpin NAFSA’s SPS and food safety mandate.
• Direct and institutionalize scientific risk assessment for food safety, animal health, plant health and related SPS domains; provide evidence-based recommendations/guidance to the Operations Wing for implementation of official controls, inspection, quarantine, certification, surveillance, track and trace, pesticides registration, and grade designation/ marking requirements.
• Develop, update and interpret SPS measures, standards, technical regulations and guidance documents aligned with the NAFSA Act and international standards (Codex, WOAH, IPPC).
• Establish and manage peer review mechanisms; enforce conflict-of-interest safeguards for scientific advice, access control, disclosures, RTI handling protocols
• Design and oversee surveillance and monitoring programs (pests/diseases, residues/contaminants, emerging hazards) and translate findings into risk-based regulatory actions.
• Define sampling, testing and inspection protocols; coordinate designation and oversight mechanism of laboratories, including accreditation requirements (ISO/IEC 17025, PNAC/ILAC where applicable).
• Develop risk-based import and export requirements, equivalence assessments and certification standards to support credible market access and compliance assurance.