Executive Assistant to Director of External Relations & Advocacy

Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) is a faith-based humanitarian relief and development organisation working to save and transform the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Established in 1984, with an active presence in over 45 countries, we strive to make the world a better and fairer place for those affected by poverty, conflict and natural disasters.

IRW’s External Relations & Advocacy Division is recruiting an Executive Assistant to support the divisional Director, from its offices in either Birmingham or London. The position is being offered on a permanent, full-time basis, and the organisation is currently operating to a hybrid working model.

In close cooperation with the other divisions of the organisation and the direct line reports of the Director of External Relations and Advocacy (ERA), the Executive Assistant will play a central role in supporting the External Relations and Advocacy Director in driving the effectiveness and strategic delivery of the ERA Division by anticipating needs, solving problems, and coordinating seamlessly across senior leadership and global partners.

• Significant previous experience of providing senior executive support
• Previous experience of coordinating meeting agendas, minute taking and related skills
• Previous experience of budget monitoring and finance-related administrative tasks
• Previous experience of project and process management
• Some knowledge of the social media landscape is desirable, coupled with some experience in creating social media content
• Previous experience of analysis and research in a communications, marketing or public relations setting.
• Relentlessly organised, anticipatory in approach and resourceful under pressure.
• Committed to integrity and IR values, upholding the highest standards of conduct.
• Flexible, and able to adapt to changing situations and priorities
• A learning attitude and a continuous improvement philosophy.
• Good knowledge and sound understanding of the voluntary INGO sector
• Good knowledge and sound understanding of the needs, sensitivities and professional discipline of public communications and external relations
• Ability to navigate and influence stakeholders in this complex organisation and work cross-functionally with diplomacy and clarity.
• Strong interpersonal skills and strong communication skills in English. This includes listening skills, writing, basic editing/proof reading, and delivering complex information accurately and with clarity. A good wordsmith in English is essential for this role
• Ability to work in a way that is discreet and maintains confidentiality
• Ability to triage priorities and think critically under pressure.
• Skilled in exercising sound judgement and decisions when dealing with unexpected issues
• Strong project management and process optimisation skills to improve divisional performance. Digitally competent, with strong command of MS 365 (particularly Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Teams) and efficiency tools (e.g., project dashboards, CRM, internal knowledge bases, content calendars)
• Proven ability to maintain calm, confidence and clarity during crises or high-pressure scenarios.
• Ability to contribute to group discussions in a thoughtful manner
• Analytical skills to interpret large volumes of data and to be able to summarise salient key messages
• Ability to take accurate and well-presented minutes
• Ability to help prepare presentations for the ERA Director for meetings
• Willingness to travel and work outside normal office hours

• Providing confidential executive level support to the ERA Director
• Assisting in the smooth running of the division including travel and accommodation arrangements and regular managers’ and all-staff meetings
• Managing the calendar of the Director
• Ensuring agreed processes and project management tools are followed
• Providing effective reporting mechanisms
• Preparing reports and presentational materials on a regular basis
• Completion of special projects and tasks agreed in consultation with the divisional management team.