Office Assistant

21022102

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 International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) is a legally binding instrument with the objective to facilitate conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use. The Governing Body of the ITPGRFA is composed of all Contracting Parties to the ITPGRFA. The Secretariat of the Governing Body prepares, supports, and follows up on the Governing Body's deliberations and negotiations. The Secretariat enjoys functional autonomy in matters within the mandate of the ITPGRFA and decisions taken by the Governing Body, and be technically accountable to the Governing Body. The Secretariat is hosted by the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment. The post is located in the Secretariat of the ITPGRFA at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

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 and receives guidance from the Programme Officer of the Secretariat. 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, 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.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS - candidates will be assessed against the following

Education: Secondary School Education
Experience: Three years of relevant experience in office support work
Languages: Working knowledge (Level C) of English, and limited knowledge (level B) of French 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 corporate computerized financial/travel/human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies
• Knowledge of FAO's organizational structure
• Experience with the organization of intergovernmental meetings
• Ability to organize own work, set priorities and meet deadlines
• Good customer relation, skills and ability to collaboratively work as a member of a team

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• Good knowledge of the International Treaty, its policy processes and main operational mechanisms
• Experience with processing Letters of Agreement, Purchase Orders, procurement and consultants’ recruitment
• Ability to apply knowledge of various FAO information management systems, as well as administrative, financial and budgetary rules and regulations

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