Pat Holden began her career as a teacher living and working in Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria and Egypt as well as in the UK. Later she trained as a social anthropologist at Birmingham and Oxford universities. During this time she also taught at university and higher education levels; and undertook research and consultancy in international development and social policy. She was an active member of the Queen Elizabeth House Centre for Cross-Cultural Research, Oxford. She has edited and co-edited books on Women's Religious Experience; Women in Peace and War; and Anthropology and Nursing. She also co-authored a book on Children in Cities.

From 1988 to 2008 she has worked as Senior Social Development Adviser in the UK Department of International Development (previously ODA). She has a wide variety of experience in many different countries covering policy development and advocacy, and in project and programme design, monitoring and evaluation. She has particular expertise in the fields of gender, rights, poverty, social exclusion and participation. From 1997–2001 she worked at the UK Mission to the UN in New York and from 2001-2003 at the ILO in Geneva.

Since 2008 she has worked as in independent social policy and social development consultant and has worked for DFID, UNDP, GTZ and HelpAge International. She has been a Trustee of WomanKind Worldwide since 2008.

In 2002 she was awarded an OBE for services to international development.