Executive Operations Partner

The Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD), established in 2013 as an award-winning Strategic Business Unit, aims to enhance knowledge and skills in the humanitarian sector through capacity building, applied research, and leadership development. Originating from Islamic Relief (IR), a global NGO serving humanity for over 40 years, HAD initially supported the IR Family but now strives to develop the wider NGO sector. HAD envisions itself as a hub for humanitarian and development studies, training future leaders, undertaking applied research, and advocating for effective aid and development from an Islamic perspective.

Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD) is actively recruiting for the position of Executive Operations Partner to be based from its office in Birmingham, UK. The organisation currently operates to a hybrid working model.

Purpose of the role:

The Executive Operations Partner provides high-level executive, operational, and administrative support to the Managing Director (MD) and ensures the smooth and efficient running of HAD Academy.

This role combines administrative responsibilities with operational coordination, process management, and service oversight to enable the Academy to deliver its strategic objectives effectively.

Working closely with the MD and wider leadership team, the post holder acts as a trusted partner—anticipating needs, managing priorities, coordinating information flow, and supporting the implementation of key projects and business processes.

The successful candidate must have or be:

• Degree-level education or equivalent professional qualification
• Any professional or other qualification relevant to executive office support, business administration, or NGO management
• Training in executive assistance, office administration, or project management advantageous
• Proven experience supporting senior executives or directors
• Experience coordinating operational processes, reporting, or strategic projects
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and deliver to deadlines
• Experience liaising across departments and engaging diverse stakeholders
• Experience in budget monitoring and administrative financial tasks
• Strong resource, budgetary, and financial management skills
• Experience influencing and implementing strategies aligned to organisational objectives
• Ability to guide staff development toward achieving key performance indicators
• Consultative approach to decision-making and team motivation
• Strong oral, visual, and written communication skills
• Analytical skills to interpret data and provide recommendations
• High digital literacy: Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams), collaboration platforms
• Awareness of the external environments within the humanitarian sector to support the impact of the work and the changing needs of HAD
• Project management and financial budget management experience to allow the Division to deliver on its strategic objectives
• Additional languages (Arabic, French, or others) beneficial
• NGO, education, or professional services sector experience desirable

For more information, please click on the Documents tab above to view the full Job Description

Islamic Relief promotes equality and meritocracy, and seeks individuals who are sympathetic to the IR values of; Sincerity, Excellence, Compassion, Social Justice and Custodianship together with our policy standards on Anti-Bribery, Child Protection and Code of Conduct. If you would like to be a part of an organisation striving to make a difference in the world and are looking for a meaningful career, we will be glad to hear from you.

For more information on the excellent company benefits we offer our employees, please visit: 

What we offer UK colleagues - Islamic Relief Worldwide

Please Note: Interviews are expected to take place in January 2026.

Pre-employment Checks:

Any employment with Islamic Relief will be subject to the following checks:

• screening clearance
• proof of eligibility to live and work within the UK
• receipt of satisfactory references

For UK based roles, we are only able to accept applications from candidates who have the right to work in the UK. We are unable to progress applications which would require sponsorship.

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

IRW is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom IRW engages. IRW expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records checks. IRW also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.

In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.

By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

HAD is an equal opportunities employer