Office Assistant

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Staff in the General Service category are recruited locally from the Primary Location area, which is where the office is located

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FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are protected from any type of discrimination during any stage of employment, including the recruitment phase

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

The post is located in the Legal Office (LEG). As part of the Office of the Director-General, the Legal Office provides authoritative legal advice and assistance on a wide range of issues to the Director-General, units in Headquarters and in the field, the Governing and Statutory Bodies and Members of the Organization.

The incumbent of the post is in the Front Office of LEG, providing support to the Legal Counsel, the Deputy Legal Counsel, and officers of the General Legal Affairs Service (LEGA) and the Development Law Service (LEGN)..

Main Purpose

The Office Assistant performs a large variety of office support functions contributing to the smooth and efficient running of the Legal Office. In light of the functions of LEG, the Office Assistant must maintain absolute discretion in dealing with confidential matters and materials.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Office Assistant reports to the Legal Counsel, and is supervised on day-to-day matters by the Deputy Legal Counsel. The activities of the Office Assistant will be guided by the head of the LEG Front Office. He/she acts independently in routine matters. Supervision received is focused on the quality and timeliness of the work performed and provides for on-the-job learning.

Working Relationships

The Office Assistant usually interacts with a wide variety of colleagues within the work unit and with clients across the entire the Organization. The Office Assistant may receive instructions from the Senior Legal Officer, LEGA and, as appropriate, the Chief, LEGN.

Key Functions/Results

• Arrange appointments for the supervisor, receive visitors, place and screen telephone calls and respond to routine requests for information;
• Provide office, administrative and logistics support to meetings, committees, conferences, etc.;
• Review, record, distribute and process incoming mail and correspondence; follow-up on pending actions;
• Respond or draft responses to standard/ routine correspondence and other communications; use word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports;
• Proofread documents and format texts for accuracy, grammar, punctuation and style, as well as for adherence to established standards;
• Initiate general administrative tasks in the computerized financial / travel / human resources systems;
• Make travel and hotel arrangements and prepare travel authorizations/claims for staff as required;
• Provide assistance in the administrative processing of vacancy announcements and consultants' contracts;
• Research, compile and organize information and reference materials from various sources for reports; create spreadsheets and presentations; manage and update databases for mailing lists and other information; and maintain electronic and paper files;
• Perform other duties as required.

Impact Of Work

The incumbent’s work impacts on the timely, accurate, and efficient delivery of office support services and on the overall output of the Legal Office. His/her work impacts upon the Organization’s compliance with external legal obligations, such as adherence to the deadlines established by the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education

Experience: Three years of relevant experience in office support work

Languages: Working knowledge (Level C) of English and limited knowledge (Level B) of one of the other FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish)

IT Skills: Good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment

Competencies

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

Technical Skills

• Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards
• Good knowledge of ERP corporate computerized financial / travel / human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies
• Ability to organize and retrieve documents (emails and hard copy)
• Good knowledge and experience in formatting various types of documentation (including newsletters, charts and other statistical analyses, presentations and other documents), and developing new templates for standard documents
• Ability to coordinate the identification of IT office equipment needs and initiate related procurement actions

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

• Prior experience in an embassy or legal office.
• Proven capacity to handle sensitive and/or highly confidential information.
• Readiness to develop and apply new IT skills

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified applicants may include an assessment exercise and a technical / competency-based interview.

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