TRAVEL ASSISTANT

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• 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 Members 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 FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, 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
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

FAO's Sub-regional Office for Central Asia is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing sub-regional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with sub-region wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). The Sub-regional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU).

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the Sub-Regional Coordinator and the direct supervision of the National Administrative Officer, the incumbent provides day-to-day assistance to travel, including the processing of TAs and TECs and provision of assistance in the use of corporate travel systems, to ensure the implementation of appropriate travel activities in conformity with the relevant rules, procedures and practices of the Organization.

Technical Focus

The Travel Assistant performs a large variety of routine functions assisting the processing of transactions and the use of corporate travel systems

Tasks and responsibilities

• Process Travel Authorisations (TA), in accordance with the organization’s rules and policies; verify required travel documents are submitted;
• Process travel expense claims, in accordance with the organization’s rules and policies; verify travel performed against appropriate entitlements;
• Identify, review and claim refunds of travel costs from travel agents or travellers and take necessary follow up action;
• Provide travel assistance to staff on a day to day basis for travel arrangements and entitlements based on the organization’s rules and policies; liaise with relevant travel agents to ensure that the organization obtains the best service and price for all travel;
• Brief/de-brief staff members on issues relating to related administrative matters such as visas, security clearance, documentation procedures ,etc.
• Extract, input, maintain and verify correctness of travel records in the organization’s corporate travel system to ensure proper accounting transactions related to travel costs and staff travel;
• Assist in the preparation of budgets on travel costs and maintain travel budgetary and statistical control records;
• Assist in clearing outstanding travel-related balances through reviewing travellers’ recovery lists and taking the necessary follow-up action;
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Education: Secondary School Education
• Experience: Three years of relevant experience in travel/ office / administration / or accounting support work
• Languages: Working knowledge (Level C) of English and Turkish
• IT Skills: Good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment
• National of Turkey or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Good knowledge of financial rules and regulations, accounting policies and practices
• Good knowledge of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) corporate travel systems
• Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.