PPH Officer

UNHCR is seeking to recruit an Officer to support the development of its Islamic Philanthropy strategy within the UK. The Officer will work closely with the UK for UNHCR team, leveraging their experience in Islamic giving and philanthropy to help cultivate long-term partnerships with (for example) foundations, faith-based charities, institutional donors, Islamic financial institutions, and individual philanthropists.

The ideal candidate will have proven experience in Islamic philanthropy, strong connections within the UK Muslim community, and a deep understanding of the UK’s philanthropic landscape. The Officer will play a key role in driving transparency, compliance, and trust, ensuring UNHCR’s programs align with Islamic philanthropic principles, thus supporting the growth of this crucial funding stream.

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Senior PSP Officer (Europe) in close collaboration with UK for UNHCR (UK4U), working to support their fundraising team. The incumbent will furthermore help UK4U liaise with key UNHCR teams including the representation in London and the Bureau for Europe in Geneva.

The incumbent will be based in London, UK, including meeting regularly with the team at UK for UNHCR.

Duties and responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Senior PSP Officer (Europe), the PPH Officer (Islamic Philanthropy) will perform the following duties:

• Identify and establish contact with a range of potential Islamic Philanthropy supporters: including leading Islamic financial institutions in the UK (banks, insurance firms, wealth management companies, etc),  corporate organisations and their community Muslim networks, Muslim charities across the UK, grant giving organisations, membership based groups, (U)HNWIs, and influential connectors, with the aim of supporting UK for UNHCR’s work to raise funds to help refugees and IDPs. Working with counterparts from UK for UNHCR, this role would help support the prospecting process from first meetings through to opportunities secured;
• Create a clear case for support and a range of compelling and up-to-date project proposals and reports to solicit and report back on Islamic funds, tailored to the interests and priorities of Islamic philanthropists;
• Build and strengthen relationships with key internal and external stakeholders related to the guidance and implementation of UNHCR’s Islamic Philanthropy strategy, and in support of UK for UNHCR’s Islamic Philanthropy strategy;
• Support in refining UNHCR’s strategic approach to Islamic Philanthropy in the UK; this includes but is not limited to strengthening the case for support through existing streams (Zakat, Sadaqah, Waqf, Sukuk) and identifying where the greatest opportunities are;
• Support the speedy and effective implementation of the strategy, aiming to support UK for UNHCR to build relationships and awareness among Islamic Philanthropy actors in the UK, including donor partners, (U)HNWIs, financial institutions, and Islamic institutions such as Zakat and Waqf Houses;
• Support UK for UNHCR to help it further establish strong, creative, regular events and communications programme to provide cultivation, stewardship and thanking opportunities throughout the year around Islamic Philanthropy;
• Provide guidance and advice on best practices in the area of Islamic Philanthropy, accompanied with recommendations on how UK for UNHCR and UNHCR can best employ such practices to increase credibility and transparency among audiences;
• Support UNHCR in the monthly process of reconciling received Islamic funding in order to guarantee utmost accountability in recording such funds, accurately channeling them to the programs/ beneficiaries they are supposed to be earmarked for, and full transparency in reporting back to donors;
• Liaise with relevant internal UNHCR stakeholders to guarantee on-going compliance of relevant programmes and expand the internal scope of compliance through the continuous identification of relevant UNHCR programmes for compliance purposes;
• Ensure that regular reports on optimum and compliant utilization of Islamic funds by UNHCR in a professional and timely manner. Additionally, assure external compliance reports are drafted and published by the relevant 3rd party;
• Perform other adhoc functions.
• Essential minimum qualifications and professional experience required:

The ideal candidate will be required to have:

• University Degree in Finance, Islamic Finance, Economics, Business Administration, development, public administration or other related field is mandatory for this position;
• Minimum 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate/Bachelor’s degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate/Master’s degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate/PHD degree;
• Knowledge of Muslim community and networks in the UK;
• Proven expertise in Islamic philanthropy and/ or Islamic finance in the UK or Islamic world;
• Proven experience in fundraising;
• Good knowledge of humanitarian assistance and UN environment;
• Strong project management skills.

Key Competencies:

• Excellent knowledge of Islamic Philanthropy and Financing Practices;
• High client orientation, networking and relationship-building skills;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Excellent negotiation skills;
• Good written and oral communication and interpersonal skills;
• Fluency in English language. Arabic language is a plus.