Al-Dafa is currently the Executive Director of the Global Dryland Alliance (GDA), an international organisation associated with food security that is based in Qatar.
Al-Dafa was also Qatar's ambassador in Madrid, Cairo, Paris, Moscow, Washington, as well as being the non-resident ambassador to Switzerland, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Mexico, and Qatar's Permanent Delegate to the Arab League.
He also served as Head of the Department of European and American Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Assistant UN Secretary General, and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
Al-Dafa has a master's degree in international public policy, and bachelor's degree in political science and economics.