Financial Controller - Projects & Grants

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. 

We are currently recruiting for a Financial Controller - Projects & Grants to join our Finance & Corporate Services Division, based in Birmingham. 

The Finance & Corporate Services Division provides high-quality, responsive, and enabling services across Finance, Treasury, ERP & Digital Transformation, ICT, Supply Chain, and Facilities. The division plays a critical role in ensuring operational excellence, financial sustainability, digital innovation, and service efficiency across the organisation's global operations. 

About the Role 

This is a senior finance leadership position responsible for providing strategic financial oversight, control, and governance across Islamic Relief's global projects and grants portfolio. 

The successful candidate will lead the organisation's project and grant financial management framework, ensuring robust financial controls, donor compliance, accurate reporting, audit readiness, and effective risk management across a complex international portfolio. 

Reporting to the Head of Finance, you will manage a specialist team responsible for project and grant finances, acting as a key business partner to the International Programmes Department (IPD), regional teams, country offices, and senior leadership. 

You will play a pivotal role in ensuring that financial operations support programme delivery while maintaining the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and compliance. 

The role also requires regular collaboration with global stakeholders and occasional domestic and international travel to provide financial oversight, capacity building, and support to regional and country teams. 

The successful candidate will have: 

• A professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, ICMA, CMA or equivalent). 

• Significant senior-level finance leadership experience within a complex organisation. 

• Proven experience preparing and completing statutory financial statements in accordance with UK GAAP, Charity SORP, and relevant statutory frameworks. 

• Extensive experience managing project and grant finances, ideally within the charity, humanitarian, or international development sector. 

• Strong understanding of restricted and unrestricted funds, donor compliance requirements, reserves management, and Charity Commission regulations. 

• Experience leading budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, and scenario planning activities. 

• Strong knowledge of institutional donor requirements, including FCDO, DEC, and other donor frameworks. 

• Experience managing financial risk, implementing financial controls, and supporting organisational governance. 

• Proven experience managing external audits and ensuring audit readiness. 

• Advanced Excel skills and experience using financial management and ERP systems. 

• Demonstrable leadership experience managing and developing high-performing finance teams. 

• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills. 

• Experience delivering training and building financial capability across organisations. 

• Strong presentation skills, with the confidence to communicate complex financial information to senior leadership and non-finance audiences. 

• A proactive, solution-focused approach with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities. 

• Willingness and ability to undertake regular domestic and international travel. 

Desirable 

• Experience working within an international NGO or humanitarian organisation. 

• Knowledge of Islamic finance principles and ethical investment considerations. 

• Experience operating in insecure or complex environments. 

• Experience supporting ERP implementation and digital transformation projects. 

• Additional language skills, particularly Arabic or French. 

Why Join Islamic Relief? 

This is a unique opportunity to play a key leadership role within one of the world's largest faith-based humanitarian organisations. You will have the opportunity to influence strategic decision-making, strengthen financial governance across a global portfolio, and directly support programmes that improve the lives of vulnerable communities worldwide. 

If you are an experienced finance leader with a passion for excellence, accountability, and humanitarian impact, we would love to hear from you. 

For more information, please refer to the full Job Description in the documents tab. 

PLEASE NOTE: The vacancy closes at 23:59 on the deadline date. 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible!

Pre-employment Checks:  

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

• screening clearance  

• Criminal records check  

• proof of eligibility to live and work within the UK  

• receipt of satisfactory references  

Please note, for UK-based roles, we are only able to accept applications from candidates who are eligible 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.

Islamic Relief is an equal opportunities employer