Office Assistant

21012101

Staff in the General Service category are recruited locally from the Primary Location area, which is where the office is located.

• 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 persons 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.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Organizational Setting

The Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP) promotes the transition to sustainable crop production systems. It promotes an integrated approach for crop production policies and practices within the framework of sustainable food and agriculture and its underlying principles: increasing productivity and resource use efficiency, conservation and management of natural resources, enhancing resilience to climate change and improvement of livelihoods and governance

The post is located at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy in the Pest and Pesticide Management team (NSPCD), one of the six teams in the division. The Team provides technical advice and guidance in areas of integrated pest management in the context of sustainable crop production intensification and diversification, and pesticide management in the context of the implementation of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management.

Main Purpose

The Office Assistant performs a large variety of routine administrative transactions and office support functions contributing to the smooth and efficient running of the work unit.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Office Assistant reports to an Agricultural Officer and receives guidance from the G-5 Programme Assistant, NSPCD.
He/she acts independently in routine matters. Supervision received is focused on the quality of the work performed and provides for on-the-job learning.

Working Relationships

The Office Assistant usually interacts with a wide variety of colleagues within the work unit and with immediate clients within the Organization, providing routine administrative and office support services.

Key Functions/Results

• Arrange appointments for the supervisor, receive visitors, place and screen telephone calls and respond to routine requests for information.
• Provide office, protocol, administrative and logistics support to meetings, committees, conferences, etc.
• Review, record, distribute and process incoming mail and correspondence; follow-up on pending actions.
• Respond or draft responses to standard/routine correspondence and other communications; use word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports.
• Proofread documents and format texts for accuracy, grammar, punctuation and style as well as for adherence to established standards.
• Initiate general administrative tasks in the computerized financial/travel/human resources systems.
• Make travel and hotel arrangements and prepare travel authorizations/claims for staff as required.
• Provide assistance in the administrative processing of vacancy announcements and consultants' contracts.
• Research, compile and organize information and reference materials from various sources for reports; create spreadsheets and presentations; manage and update databases for mailing lists and other information; and maintain electronic and paper files.
• Perform other 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: Three years of relevant experience in office support work.
Languages: Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
IT Skills: Good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment.
Residency: General Service Staff are recruited locally. To be eligible for this position, candidates must be nationals of the country of the duty station or possess an existing visa/work permit, and reside within commuting distance of the duty station at the time of the application. "Commuting distance" means the distance within which staff members can travel daily between their place of work and their residence.

Competencies

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

Technical Skills

• Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards.
• Good knowledge of corporate computerized financial/travel/human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies.

Desirable Qualifications And Skills

• Good knowledge of the organizational structure.
• Ability to draft routine correspondence, format documents and typing accuracy.
• Ability to plan, organize work and establish priorities.
• Capacity to provide guidance to colleagues and clients.
• Good knowledge of the project lifecycle.
• Good knowledge of procurement procedures and experience related to high value contracts.
• Experience related to pest and pesticide management programmes/projects.

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