WFP Ottawa Office - Business Support Assistant, G4

We are seeking to fill a Fixed Term position of Business Support Assistant G4, based in the WFP Global Office Canada located in Ottawa, Canada.

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

Applicants must reside within commuting distance to the office location in the duty station ( 340 Albert Avenue, Ottawa) and must be Canadian Residents holding a valid  passport  and/or identity card, or a valid  Resident Permit to work and live in the country. 

Due to COVID restrictions, the tasks related to this position will be initially performed remotely and applicants should be able to work remotely. Once the situation improves, the role will be in person in the WFP office based in Ottawa.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies, and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. The Public, Partnerships and Resourcing (PPR) Division provides leadership and expertise to WFP’s global partnership, advocacy and resource mobilization efforts with the aim to ensure that the needs of people we serve are fully met and that Member States are effectively supported in achieving Zero Hunger and Agenda 2030. In doing so, PPR engages with governments, the private sector, UN agencies, international financial institutions, academia, think-tanks, NGOs, and the public at large through HQ and WFP offices. These offices are in critical global hubs and key donor capitals (such as Ottawa), carrying out Department-related functions. WFP is intensifying its engagement with Canada, setting up a presence in the capital and bringing more visibility to WFP in Canada.

JOB PURPOSE

Reporting to the Director of the Office, the Business Support Assistant will be responsible to provide overall business and administrative support to ensure effective service delivery. The selected incumbent will be responsible to provide support in administration, travel, procurement, as well as a basic IT in coordination with WFP Headquarters (HQ) technical team,  and will support the Business Support Associate  with basic  Finance and HR tasks. The Business Support Assistant will be expected to interact professionally with a range of internal and external interlocutors, produce accurate and organized work under minimal supervision and demonstrate good communication, proactiveness and client orientation skills.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive):

1. Gather information with clear direction to support the drafting of documents and preparing reports by other staff.

2. Respond to queries and escalate where appropriate, to provide a timely and accurate service to clients.

3. Support processing and managing routine administrative and financial tasks in various functional areas, to contribute to the effective and timely management of resources.

4. Provide revision and proof-reading services for standard documents, to contribute to the development of accurate documentation.

5. Take responsibility for the maintenance of set standard systems and files, to ensure information is accurate and readily available for the function.

6. Identify simple discrepancies in statistics and data, such as missing information, and report to senior staff in order to support clients to deliver their work.

7. Take responsibility for data integrity to facilitate availability of accurate information in corporate systems.

8. Work with a variety of individuals, taking on feedback where appropriate to assist in business support delivery for staff.

SPECIFIC POST REQUIREMENTS (As required by the Hiring Manager)

Essential

• Experience supporting routine administrative, protocol, basic HR and Finance tasks
• Experience in the preparation of correspondence and briefings for regular and high-level meetings.
• Experience in handling manager’s calendar and supporting the organization of meetings, visits and events (virtual and in-person)
• Experience in dealing with travel arrangements and procurement of goods and services
• Experience working with records management systems, filing structures and electronic records.
• Good skills in Word and Excel.

Desirable

• Some knowledge of ERP systems (specifically SAP Software)
• Knowledge of Information Technology in order to support and guide staff on basic IT issues.
• Experience working in a United Nations common system, international organization or non-governmental organization.
• Some knowledge of Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Education: Completion of secondary school education.

Language: Working knowledge (proficiency/FAO level C) of English. intermediate B level in French

Experience: Four or more years of work experience in the relative business stream with experience in general administrative work (including one year at G3 level for internal candidates)

Knowledge & Skills:

• Ability to develop and maintain relationship with a variety of individuals internally across functions and externally across sectors in order to provide a quality support service learned through educational background and/or through work experience.
• Knowledge of specialized common business practices and methods gained through technical training and/or work experience.
• Good communication skills required to provide dedicated business support services to a wide range of individuals.
• Ability to identify data discrepancies and rectify problems requiring attention.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Proficient in the use of office equipment and computer software packages, such as Microsoft Word.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES 

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Helps teammates articulate WFP’s Strategic Objectives.
• Be a force for positive change: Suggests potential improvements to team’s work processes to supervisor.
• Make the mission inspiring to our team: Explains the impact of WFP activities in beneficiary communities to teammates.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Articulates how own unit’s responsibilities will serve WFP’s mission.

People

• Create an inclusive culture: Seeks opportunities to work with people from different backgrounds.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Tracks progress toward goals and shares this information on a regular basis with supervisor.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Explores ways to consistently be more efficient and accurate in own areas of work and shares new methods of work with colleagues.
• Focus on getting results: Focuses on getting results and tracks trends in completion rates for own tasks to identify opportunities for efficiency.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments: Takes responsibility for own tasks and notifies supervisor as soon as possible of potential delays in meeting deadlines or commitments.
• Be Decisive: Independently decides what action to take when faced with critical choices in the workplace or in dangerous situations in the field.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Suggests opportunities for partnering with other units to supervisor.
• Build strong external partnerships: Identifies opportunities to work with colleagues and partners in the field towards common goals.
• Be politically agile & adaptable: Develops an understanding of the value of WFP’s teams and external partners in fulfilling team’s goals and objectives.
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Aligns own activities with supervisor’s priorities to fulfill internal and external partner needs.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualification and experience Please visit http://www.wfp.org and click on: ‘Our work’ and ‘Countries’ to learn more about WFP’s operations.

Applicants must:

• Be Canadian Residents holding a valid  passport  and/or identity card, or a valid  Resident Permit to work and live in the country. 
• Reside within commuting distance (100-kilometer radius or distance that can be covered within 1.5 hours by car or public transport under average conditions of traffic, weather, and roads) to the office location at the duty station (340 Albert Avenue, Ottawa).
• Be able to work remotely

Please note that applications should be sent in English.

Deadline for applications: 12 September 2021

VA Req: 146105