Administrative Support Assistant

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

FAO’s mission involves reducing food insecurity and rural poverty; ensuring an enabling policy and regulatory framework for food and agriculture, fisheries and forestry; securing sustainable increases in the supply and availability of food; conserving and enhancing the natural resource base. The FAOR for the Guyana country office is to ensure FAO’s mission is achieved with support from the programmatic and administrative team in the Guyana office. The office has a vacancy for a Assistant Administrative Support who will assist the country team.

Reporting Lines

The Administrative Support Assistant will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Guyana and the two AFAORs.

Technical Focus

The Administrative Support Assistant will work closely with the FAO Representative in Guyana and the two AFAORs, Project Coordinators and support staff to provide overall assistance and advice on matters such as visa requirements, permits, correspondence, meeting coordination, protocol, etc.

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the supervision and direction of the FAO Representative in Guyana and working closely with the Assistant Representative for Administration in the Country Office, the Administrative Support Assistant plays a critical role in ensuring the smooth operations of the FAO office. In accordance with the Host Country Agreement between the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the government shall assign an incumbent who will be responsible for the following\:

• Screen requests for appointments with supervisor; maintain supervisor’s calendar; confirm mutually convenient schedules and arrange appointments; receive visitors; place and screen telephone calls; respond to queries and correspondence, often of a sensitive, confidential or technical nature.
• Coordinate office support services for meetings, trainings, seminars, committees, and special projects and events; attend meetings, prepare minutes, monitor follow-up activities; make arrangements for formal editing, translation, etc., of documents and publications.
• Review, record, distribute and process incoming mail and correspondence; follow-up on pending actions; prepare draft responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communications, often requiring knowledge of technical terminologies and/or detailed office procedures; carry out quality control functions for outgoing documents; proofread texts for adherence to format, grammar, punctuation and style.
• Perform a variety of administrative duties, e.g. contract extensions and requests for temporary staff, leave and attendance recording, budget preparation and follow-up; coordinate with other units to ensure smooth running and expedition of work within the unit.
• Research, compile, and organize background information and reference materials from various sources for reports, briefs and speeches; generate a variety of statistical and other reports from various databases.
• Coordinate the work of other office support staff, establish priorities and ensure equitable distribution of work; train new staff in relevant administrative procedures and practices and provide general assistance as required.
• Create and maintain the work unit’s filing and reference systems; review the efficiency of office procedures and make recommendations for improvements; update office websites.
• Use the i-procurement module in GRMS to enter procurement requisitions, receive goods, etc.
• Assist in acquiring travel itineraries, visas for personnel as directed.
• Seek the necessary duty free, VAT concessions etc. from the relevant Ministries and assist with clearance (customs and warehouse) of goods for the representation.
• Maintain the inventory of supplies for the representation and its projects and request the timely replenishment of supplies as required.
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Candidates are required to have\:
• Completed Secondary School (High School Diploma) with at least 8 years post-secondary experience or a Diploma in Business Administration from a recognised learning institution with at least 6 years relevant work experience.
• Working knowledge of English is required (both spoken and written).
• National of Guyana or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Selection Criteria

• Working knowledge of Word, Excel, Email, Outlook.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help or have queries, please contact\: Careers@fao.org
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• For other issues, visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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