Administrative 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, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member nations 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 our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, 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
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

The post is located in the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Cameroon, FRCMR.

Main Purpose

The Administrative Assistant coordinates and performs the full range of office support, management support and administrative tasks, providing for the smooth and efficient running of the Office. He/ she ensures quality and consistency of the flow of office work and information in the work unit.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Administrative Assistant reports to the Assistant FAOR/Administration/Manager and may receive guidance from an Administrative Associate The incumbent operates independently and takes decisions on work priorities and exercises initiative for dealing with cases without precedents. Supervision received is focused on the quality of work outputs. He/ she provides guidance and advice to other office support staff.

Working Relationships

The Administrative Assistant works closely with a wide range of colleagues in the division /region, with central units and external clients, performing and coordinating office- and management support services, and providing procedural guidance and information.

Key Functions/Results

• Maintain financial records and monitoring systems for the office; maintain imprest accounts; reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for day-to-day transactions and reports; manage the Country Office petty cash; monitor project and programme accounts for which responsibility is assigned.
• Retrieve, enter, select and analyse data from a wide variety of sources, including FAO's corporate systems and data bases; verify accuracy of data documents; make necessary calculations.
• Verify availability of funds under all programmes; ensure that operational expenditures are in accordance with approved budgets and that all committing documents are complete and consistent.
• Prepare correspondence of administrative and financial nature; draft correspondence to verify data, answer queries, and obtain additional information on transactions and financial matters, as required.
• Maintain detailed records of budget estimates, obligations and available balances; participate in the consolidation of budget proposals; prepare financial data for budget estimates and financial planning.
• Provide reports on budgetary performance of office accounts, and, if required, of project accounts; report variations from budgets.
• Maintain local inventory records with responsibility for proper recording of assets, their maintenance and safeguard.
• Maintain a filing system of administrative and financial documents.
• Monitor the receipt of Government contributions and the transfer of ownership of the Organization's equipment.
• Maintain liaison with local banks and financial institutions to keep up-to-date with financial and regulatory information (exchange and interest rates, procedures and rules, maintenance of bank accounts, etc.).
• Support the streamlining of procedures and practices and the introduction of new information technologies to the office.
• Support the administration of personnel and equipment.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Impact Of Work

The incumbent's work impacts on the timely and efficient delivery of office support services and on the overall output of the work unit.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education

Experience: Four years of administrative, accounting and office management experience

Languages: Working knowledge (level C) of French and limited knowledge (level B) of English

IT Skills: Very 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

• Very good knowledge of the communication and documentation standards
• Very good knowledge of corporate computerized financial / travel / human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies
• Very good knowledge of the organizational structure

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

• Ability to work under a minimum guidance
• Working experience with international organization or United Nations agencies

Assessment

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

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