Meetings Associate

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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 Agrifood Economics Division (ESA) conducts economic research and policy analysis related to all five of the Organization's strategic objectives (food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, poverty reduction, inclusive food systems and resilient livelihoods). ESA provides evidence-based analytical support to national, regional and global policy processes and initiatives related to food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture; and leads the production of two FAO flagship publications: The State of Food and Agriculture and The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. ESA also leads large programmes at country level on agricultural and food policy monitoring, climate smart agriculture (CSA), agribusiness and food value chains, rural poverty, and food security information and analysis in support of national policies.
The post is located in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) joint Secretariat, which is hosted in ESA and funded by FAO, IFAD and WFP. CFS constitutes the foremost inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for a broad range of committed stakeholders to work together in a coordinated manner and in support of country-led processes towards the elimination of hunger and ensuring food security and nutrition for all human beings. The CFS Secretariat provides technical support to the Committee, its Bureau and Advisory Group and its working groups. This includes collection, analysis and presentation of information in support of the global food security policy agenda, facilitating and contributing to the implementation of CFS workstreams, developing documents and preparations for CFS sessions and meetings, and strengthening linkages with CFS stakeholders

Main Purpose
The Meetings Associate acts as contact person and coordinator for all administrative, logistics and documentation support activities of international meetings and conferences at held at FAO. He/ she ensures the smooth preparation and organization of meetings and the registration and accreditation of meeting participants in compliance with relevant policies and procedures.

Supervision Received/Exercised
The Meetings Associate reports to the CFS Secretary. Work is performed autonomously, showing a high degree of initiative and independent judgment. Supervision received is focused on facilitating service delivery. The incumbent provides guidance, training and supervision to meetings support staff in the Division.

Working Relationships
The Meetings Associate maintains a wide range of contacts with colleagues within the Team, and with managers, staff, meeting participants and business partners inside and outside the Organization, while coordinating the preparation and organization of meetings at FAO.

Key Functions/Results
• Manage arrangements and administrative support for meetings and conferences held at FAO; act as contact person for all meetings support issues and activities;
• Receive, screen and draft a variety of correspondence related to the preparation and organization of meetings and conferences held at FAO; follow-up on deadlines and necessary actions to be taken;
• Supervise the preparation of pre- and in-session meeting documents, using the appropriate templates and liaising with relevant units; proofread and check working documents ensuring consistency of format and translations; ensure the timely translation, printing, dispatch and storage of meeting documents;
• Assist in the financial planning and management of meetings and maintain financial records and running balances; draft Letters of Agreement with host governments or other organizations involved in hosting meetings;
• Supervise logistics arrangements for meetings held at FAO; ensure the provision of meeting rooms, facilities, and equipment as required;
• Supervise administrative and personnel matters; prepare draft requests for conference staff and for recruitment of temporary staff; initiate a variety of administrative transactions in FAO's computerised financial/personnel systems; maintain detailed records for each meeting;
• Receive and route telephone calls and visitors; respond to specific and complex queries from both within and outside the Organization by applying a thorough knowledge of meeting activities, policies and established procedures;
• Distribute work and supervise meetings support staff and temporary staff recruited during meetings;
• Manage and improve the filing and storage of relevant meetings information (lists of participants, correspondence lists, mailing lists, etc.), as well as meeting statistics; compile reports as required;
• Find adequate solutions to problems and issues arising and recommend improvements to current work processes;
• Perform other duties as required.

Impact Of Work
The incumbent's work directly affects the smooth and efficient administration and organization of meetings held at FAO. He/she plays a lead role in the coordination and provision of the meetings support services for the successful achievement of the Division/Office's mandate.
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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements
Education: Secondary School Education
Experience: Five years of experience in administrative and logistics support of meetings and conferences
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: 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
• Thorough knowledge of meetings procedures and conference registration system
• Thorough knowledge of meeting cycle, planning, organization, procedures and classification
• Good knowledge of corporate computerized financial / travel / personnel systems
• Very good knowledge of the communication and documentation standards

Desirable Qualifications And Skills
• Extensive knowledge of organizational structure, administrative procedures and policies and matters of protocol
• Extensive experience in providing guidance, mentoring and supervision to junior General Service staff
• Ability to draft standard and complex correspondence, and to proofread texts/ outgoing correspondence and formal documents
• Analytical skills and ability to manage and monitor large volumes of complex and diversified correspondence and documentation, often of confidential and sensitive nature;
• Knowledge of and experience with budget systems, monitoring and reporting

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