Senior Research Officer

UNDP works with the Government and people of Pakistan to develop local solutions to development challenges. In an evolving development context, we support Pakistan’s efforts to build a more equitable, prosperous, peaceful and resilient society, and to achieve its SDGs and COP25 targets. UNDP promotes transformational change by fostering strategic partnerships with national counterparts in the federal, provincial and regional governments, civil society, the private sector and the local and international community. UNDP supports transformational change by providing technical assistance focusing on developing capacity within national and local authorities, providing solutions with strong monitoring and evaluation tools, and delivering programmes with maximum efficiency, transparency and accountability.

UNDP’s ultimate goal is to improve the lives of the people of Pakistan through keeping people out of poverty; governance for peaceful, just and inclusive societies; crisis prevention and increased resilience; nature-based solutions for development; clean affordable energy; and women's empowerment and gender equality.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been supporting the Government of Pakistan in advancing key reform initiatives for nearly a decade through its Reforms and Innovation in Government for High Performance Project. The project is grounded in improving state performance, strengthening evidence-based policy planning, and building institutional capacity. It is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), UNDP’s Strategic Plan signature solution on governance, and the UNDP Pakistan Country Programme Document’s focus on fostering open, accountable, and future-ready institutions.

Within this framework, the National Governance Programme (NGP) represents a flagship technical assistance initiative funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Running from 2023 to 2028, NGP is a 4.5-year programme designed to strengthen state capability and institutional resilience by improving coordination across tiers of government. The programme works at the intersection of federal and provincial governance to promote policy coherence, accountability, and collaborative delivery on national priorities.
NGP works across four reform sectors—climate change, pension reform, power, and petroleum—and engages through four institutional channels: Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office, federal ministries, and provincial departments. The programme provides technical assistance, facilitates horizontal and vertical coordination between institutions, and designs governance instruments to support policy delivery and address critical gaps.
NGP seeks to enable whole-of-government responses to pressing reform issues and strengthen mechanisms for anticipatory governance. In doing so, the programme contributes to building institutions that are more responsive, capable of delivering cross-sectoral reforms, and equipped to meet Pakistan’s long-term sustainable development objectives.
The Senior Research Officer will lead and coordinate the Analytical Cell’s research and analytical work to support the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, oversee the Cell’s outputs, guide the Research Associate, ensure methodological rigour and timely delivery, and serve as the primary liaison with the Committee Secretariat, Senior Consultants, and relevant government entities such as the Finance Division and FBR to strengthen evidence-based budget oversight.

This will be done in accordance with UNDP rules, policies, and procedures.

The Senior Research Officer must comply with the following responsibilities:

Analytical Leadership and Oversight

• Lead research and analysis on fiscal, economic, and legislative matters to prepare draft analytical reports, financial impact assessments, and briefing notes for the Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue.
• Supervise and guide the Research associate in data collection, analysis, and drafting to ensure accuracy, consistency, and timely completion of assigned work.
• Develop data-sharing protocols with the Finance Division and FBR, and financial assessments of at least one enacted law.

Research and Analysis

• Lead the preparation of at least one analytical report on key government initiatives (e.g., energy subsidies, climate finance, tax reforms) to showcase the practical value.
• Review and synthesize data from multiple sources to inform committee deliberations, budget hearings, and parliamentary oversight activities.
• Ensure that findings and recommendations are communicated in clear, policy-relevant formats suitable for use by parliamentarians.
• Oversee data validation, consistency checks, and evidence triangulation to maintain credibility and accuracy of analyses.

Institutional Strengthening and Formalization

• Provide technical input and documentation to support formalization of the analytical unit, including drafting recommendations, concept notes, or inputs for changes to Rules of Procedure or official notifications.
• Support the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and templates for consistent data analysis and reporting.
• Advise on institutional sustainability options, including integration of the unit within parliamentary structures.

Capacity Building and Stakeholder Engagement

• Design and deliver capacity-building sessions for parliamentarians, committee staff, and analysts to enhance understanding of public finance, fiscal analysis, and budget oversight.
Reporting and Quality Assurance
• Prepare high-quality analytical papers, presentations, and summaries for the Committee’s review and discussion.
• Review and finalize all research outputs to ensure methodological soundness, policy relevance, and clarity.
• Contribute to project monitoring and reporting requirements by documenting progress, lessons learned, and recommendations for scaling up.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to:
• Strengthen their knowledge on of the SDGs and the United Nations Development System.
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance, in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNDP and UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.