[2] Mahfouz began her career in the Civil Service Fast Stream Programme, working with the Ministry of Defence and other departments.

Mahfouz's poetry work and performances earned her a Creative in Residence Award in 2011 at The Hospital Club in London.She was invited to New York with the Old Vic New Voices TS Eliot exchange program in 2011 and later that year produced her first solo show, Dry Ice, which premiered at Underbelly during Edinburgh Festival 2011.

Dry Ice was directed by David Schwimmer, receiving critical acclaim and a nomination for The Stage Award for Best Solo Performance.

In 2013, Clean was commissioned as a longer piece and played at Traverse Theatre and Oran Mor in Glasgow, transferring to 59e59 Theater in New York during 2014.

In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, Mahfouz signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election.