As a public servant, Smith-Perera was appointed coordinator of the Eight National Development Plan (1989–1990), Minister of Transport and Communications (1990–1992) and Ambassador of Venezuela to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg (1992–1995).
He was chairman of the board and administrativa responsible of several public corporations, including CAMETRO, CANTV, Viasa, Aeropostal, INP, IPOSTEL, INC., CAVN and the State Railway Institute.
Smith-Perera founded the political party "Venezuela de Primera", which later became "Voluntad Popular", and was a candidate in Vargas's gubernatorial election.
He has worked in teaching and research at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Center for Development Studies (CENDES) at Universidad Central de Venezuela, and Boston University in Brussels.
He was president of the Student Center and student delegate to the Superior Council of Simon Bolivar University After finishing his Ph.D. in 1987, Roberto Smith-Perera worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co's energy group between until 1989, in Washington D.C.. After returning from his ambassadorship in Brussels in 1995, he served as CEO of IMPSAT Telecommunications in Caracas and the Sistema Satelital Andino Simón Bolívar.