Grants and Programs Officer

OVERVIEW

UNRWA USA seeks a strategic, highly organized, and mission-aligned Grants and Programs Officer to support the organization’s institutional fundraising efforts and the effective implementation of programs funded in the field. This role sits at the intersection of partnership development and program execution. UNRWA USA is facing a pivotal moment in which we are securing sustained support for Palestine refugees – especially from the Islamic philanthropy space. The Grants and Programs Officer brings business development experience and acumen to help ensure that funder prospecting, cultivation and management is well-coordinated and that grant-funded programs are tracked, implemented, and reported on with accuracy and integrity. 

Additionally, the Grants and Programs Officer keeps track of all internal grant budgets, reporting deadlines, and other project deliverables for the UNRWA programs funded through UNRWA USA. Regular collaboration with the Philanthropy and Strategic Communications teams is expected.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Funder Prospecting, Cultivation, and Retention (60%)

• Collaborate with the Vice President of Programs to grow a portfolio of North American foundation, corporate, and civil society partners, with a particular emphasis on Islamic philanthropy, to deepen commitments to investing in the humanitarian needs of Palestine refugees. 

• Identify and suggest engagement approaches for high-impact opportunities with new and existing partners where partner and UNRWA USA priorities align. 

• Support securing five- to seven-figure gifts in support of UNRWA USA’s technical pillars and emergency priorities, queueing up opportunities for strategic engagement of UNRWA USA senior leadership.

• Monitor the U.S. faith-based landscape, including Islamic philanthropy, and relevant trends impacting humanitarian response.

• Ensure consistent delivery of visibility and recognition for partners.

• Track all stages of prospecting, commitment, implementation, and deliverables in Salesforce, reporting out progress at least quarterly. 

• Support the Vice President of Programs in advancing UNRWA USA’s thought leadership by contributing to the development of materials and events that demonstrate program rigor, innovation, and impact.

• Help identify and track compelling program metrics, outcomes, and insights that strengthen storytelling and funder communications.

• Synthesize program data, field updates, and partner insights into clear, actionable inputs for external communications, proposals, and reports.

Program and Scholarship Administration (40%)

• Serve as the administrative and financial backstop for funded projects implemented by UNRWA, monitoring assigned grant deliverables, tracking implementation progress, funds utilization, and progress toward achievement of project milestones and results.

• Develop initial budgets as needed, and draft scopes of work, budgets, grant exhibit forms, and project reports for approval. 

• Directly manage the UNRWA USA scholarship program, with a focus on data accuracy and keeping processes running in a timely fashion. 

• Maintain a working knowledge of UNRWA proposals, funding needs, and operating status. 

• Develop a baseline understanding of UNRWA USA’s programmatic work in our pillar areas of Education & Training, Health (including Mental Health), Rights Protection, and Emergency Response.

• Use Salesforce to track programs (including scholarships), grants, and disbursements to UNRWA, keeping achievement dashboards up-to-date, and paying particular attention to funder and major donor supported projects.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in grant prospecting, supporting grants management, partnership development, program operations, or related fields, including comfort working with budgets – especially within Islamic or other faith-based giving.

• Demonstrated success in supporting partnership and funder cultivation. 

• Project and budget management experience, with the ability to manage multiple timelines and priorities simultaneously

• Exceptional capacity for staying calm under pressure and navigating continually evolving programmatic implementation realities. 

• Culturally competent; experience in Palestine/Middle East/refugee advocacy or humanitarian work strongly preferred.

• Technical experience in the areas of education & training, health, protection, and/or emergency response preferred. 

• Familiarity with Salesforce or similar CRM systems preferred.

• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (2-3 times annually) 

Who you are:

You are passionate about the UNRWA USA mission, and the humanitarian sector more broadly. You are both a strong operator and an emerging strategist, someone who thrives in complexity, builds trust quickly, fearlessly seeks support for vital humanitarian work, and brings rigor and follow-through to every stage of the grant lifecycle.  

You are energized by complexity, calm under pressure, and at your best when juggling multiple timelines and stakeholders. You bring a lens of dignity, equity, and cultural competence to your work, and you are motivated by the urgency of telling Palestinian stories with integrity and reach. You value the inclusion of various perspectives, identities, and expressions. You are the kind of person who follows through, closes loops, anticipates needs, and sees coordination as a critical form of leadership. .

OUR COMMITMENT

We are committed to building a team that reflects the communities connected to our mission and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. If this role excites you but your experience does not match every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply.

We strive to create a workplace where staff can bring their full selves to work and where collaboration, respect, and shared accountability guide how we operate.

About UNRWA USA: 

UNRWA USA is an American 501c3 nonprofit that lifts up the voices, experiences, and humanity of Palestine refugees to secure American support for resources essential to every human being, for the promise of a better life. UNRWA USA’s organizational culture is based on these four core values: shared purpose, integrity, growth mindset, and gratitude. UNRWA USA's core values inform everything we do, from our ongoing relationships with donors and partners to our daily interactions with colleagues across UNRWA USA and UNRWA. It’s what we look for in potential staff members, board members, and volunteers, and part of what staff is evaluated on in addition to their performance. 

UNRWA USA embraces diversity and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. The more inclusive we are, the better our work (and world) will be. UNRWA USA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of a person's actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, place of birth, sex, age, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, weight, or height.

Submission Details

• Deadline: June 18, 2026

• Submit to: talent@unrwausa.org

• Format: Single PDF, labeled LastName_FirstName_GrantsandProgramsOfficer, including a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 work related references.  We use software to transition your application to a folder for review. It is important to follow the subject line guidance exactly.

• Please note that only complete proposals will be reviewed.

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT UNRWA USA STAFF DIRECTLY

To ensure a fair and efficient review process, applicants are asked to refrain from contacting UNRWA USA staff directly regarding this opportunity. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to individual outreach. All inquiries should be submitted through the designated application channel, and applicants are kindly asked to allow the process to run its course.

Applicants are welcome to followUNRWA USA on LinkedIn for updates about our work and future opportunities.