Innovation Accelerator - Office Assistant G4

We are seeking to fill a Fixed Term position of Office Assistant G4 in the WFP Innovation Accelerator (INKA) based in Munich, Germany.

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 of the duty station (Buttermelcherstrasse 16, 80469 München) and must be German Residents holding a valid passport and/or identity card, or a valid Resident Permit to work and live in the country.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger. WFP reaches more than 100 million people every day - delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers, communities, and governments to improve nutrition and build resilience.

The WFP Innovation Accelerator was named by Fast Company as Most Innovative Non-Profit Organization 2021 for its work in identifying, nurturing, and scaling disruptive start-ups and innovations to end global hunger. Based in Munich, Germany, the Innovation Accelerator provides WFP employees, entrepreneurs and start-ups with funding, hands-on support, and access to WFP’s global operations. Through the Innovation Accelerator, WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation - such as mobile technology, artificial intelligence and blockchain - and new business models to transform the way it serves vulnerable communities across the world. In 2020, Accelerator supported innovations that positively impacted the lives of 3.7 million people globally. Most recently, the Accelerator runs programmes for external partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others.

More information here: http://innovation.wfp.org  and https://youtu.be/OnKkQlRdh2c .

JOB PURPOSE

The purpose of this job is to support the office operations through the handling of administrative and business support tasks. Under the direct supervision of the Head of Business Development, the Office Assistant will be responsible to provide proactive   administrative and business support  aimed to facilitate effective service delivery, including  but not limited to :

• Procurement of goods and services
• Support to the organization of  physical and virtual events such as the Innovation Bootcamps
• Delivery of basic IT support in coordination with WFP Headquarters TEC Division
• Update,  maintenance and reporting in corporate database and systems
• Reception, verification, management and disposal of orders/materials and equipments 
• Support to the drafting of correspondence/reports
• Scheduling and maintenance of office set-up, installation and maintenance works
• Processing and handling of routine queries 
• Support the verification and payment of invoices, including preparation of financial/budget documents
• Maintenance and update of files and records management in paper and electronic verions

The Office Assistant will interact with various internal and external interlocutors through effective communication, tact and courtesy with a focus on customer service. The selected incumbent will be expected to be a team player within a small team with the  ability to produce accurate and organized work and to demonstrate  strong self-motivation, attention to details, proactiveness while working in a multicultural environment with individuals of different races, cultures and backgrounds.

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

• Gather information with clear direction to support the drafting of documents and preparing reports by other staff.
• Respond to queries and escalate where appropriate, in order to provide a timely and accurate service to clients.
• Support processing and managing routine administrative and financial tasks in various functional areas, to contribute to the effective and timely management of resources.
• Provide revision and proof-reading services for standard documents, to contribute to the development of accurate documentation.
• Take responsibility for the maintenance of set standard systems and files, to ensure information is accurate and readily available for the function.
• 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.
• Take responsibility for data integrity to facilitate availability of accurate information in corporate systems.
• Provide guidance on routine business support methods and practices to junior colleagues to ensure services are delivered consistently and to the required standards.
• 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  providing office administrative support.
• Experience  supporting the organization of meetings and events (physical and virtual).
• Experience  dealing with procurement of goods and services.
• Experience creating and maintaining filing structures and electronic records.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of Information Technology in order to support and guide staff on basic IT issues.
• Knowledge of ERP systems, specifically SAP Software.
• Knowledge of inventory/asset management processes.
• Experience working in a United Nations common system, international organization or non-governmental organization or knowledge of UN system administrative policies, rules and regulations.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Education : Completion of secondary school education.
• Experience:  Four or more years of progressively responsible work experience in general administrative work.
• Language : Working knowledge of English (proficiency/FAO level C). Basic knowledge of German.  Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) and/or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is desirable.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Proficient in the use of office equipment and computer software packages, such as Microsoft Word.
• Knowledge of work routines and methods in order to complete processes under minimal supervision.
• Uses tact and courtesy to give and receive information to a wide range of individuals.
• Ability to identify data discrepancies and rectify problems requiring attention.
• Ability to offer guidance or basic on-the-job training to more junior staff.

WFP 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

Please note that the official internal title for this role will be 'Business Support G4' in line with WFP's job profiles.

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 German 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 (address of the Duty station is Buttermelcherstrasse 16, 80469 München).
  • Be able to work remotely.

Please note that only applications submitted in English will be considered.

Deadline for applications: 19 October 2021

Ref. VA: 150120