Office Assistant

The Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) is responsible for ensuring FAO’s efforts to support countries and partners in preparing for and effectively responding to food and agricultural threats and crises by i) increasing the numbers of people reached in Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) 3 and above; and ii) increasing the numbers of people supported to move out of IPC 3 and above from a humanitarian caseload onto pathways of resilience and development. FAO has mainstreamed a humanitarian, development, peace nexus approach and a localization agenda throughout its strategic positioning and programmatic design and implementation at country and regional levels. In this organizational setting, OER is responsible for coordinating the development and maintenance of corporate tools and standards to enable Decentralized Offices (DOs) to assist Members to prepare for, and respond to emergencies as well as strengthen capacities of national and subnational institutions and partners for resilience and risk-informed development. OER ensures humanitarian policy coordination and knowledge, liaison with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee as well as with humanitarian resource partners, co-leadership with World Food Programme of the global Food Security Cluster, organizational preparedness, surge capacity and response to large-scale emergencies. OER supports food and nutrition security and sectoral/systems assessments, early warning activities related to emergency and humanitarian analysis and responses. OER plays a major role in the development and leadership of the Organization’s programme to increase the resilience of livelihoods to food and agriculture threats and crises of the Organization’s programme in areas such as risk governance and coordination, anticipatory actions, disaster risk reduction, early warning and response in agriculture and food chain crises.

The post is located in the Resource Mobilization and Communications team of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

The Office Assistant acts as GS focal point for OER official correspondence.

Main Purpose

The Office Assistant performs a 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 the Senior Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer/Team Leader of the Resource Mobilization and Communications team and receives guidance from a higher-graded Office Assistant. He/she acts independently in routine matters and consults with supervisor(s) on new and/or more complex issues and procedures. Supervision received provides for technical and procedural guidance and on-the-job learning.

Working Relationships

The Office Assistant interacts with a variety of colleagues from within the work unit. Interactions relate to the exchange of routine information and the provision of standard office support services.

Key Functions/Results

• Type, format and draft routine correspondence; collate tables, reports, presentations, publications, and other documentation.
• Receive, screen and direct telephone calls and visitors; respond to routine internal and external enquiries and/or refer to appropriate contacts/units.
• Enter, retrieve, structure and update selected information and data from various sources (e.g. Intra-/Internet, office files, etc.); present results in standard format.
• Set up and maintain office files and reference systems according to standard procedures.
• Initiate, view and track a variety of administrative transactions in the computerized financial/travel/human resources systems.
• Support the organization and administration of meetings, workshops and events (e.g. arranging for meeting rooms and other facilities).
• Assist with arranging for travels: organize transport, logistics, accommodation, documents.
• Ensure availability of office supplies and appropriate maintenance of office equipment.
• Perform other duties as required.

Impact of Work

The Office Assistant participates as part of a team in the provision of administrative and office support services. Actions reflect on the immediate and wider work unit.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education.

Experience: Two years of relevant experience in office support work.

Languages: Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English.

IT Skills: 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

• Knowledge of the communication and documentation standards.
• Knowledge of corporate computerized financial/travel/human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies.
• Ability to maintain log-in and log-out electronic record tracking of all incoming/outgoing correspondence and online and offline archives as required.

Desirable Qualifications And Skills

• Good knowledge of the organizational structure.
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of French and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
• Experience in preparing, drafting, formatting and finalizing routine correspondence, assisting with its review in accordance with standard procedures and FAO house style, ensuring appropriate routing and follow-up in order to respect established deadlines, and preparing and maintaining distribution lists of resource partners.
• Experience in assisting with the preparation of ready-to-send emails for senior management and knowledge of dispatch by mail/pouch/couriers.
• Ability to develop and maintain plans for key administrative processes (human resources, travel and procurement).
• Experience in programme support and business operations areas; planning, budgeting, financial reports preparation, expenditure forecasting, and general administration.
• Experience in direct collaboration and support of Decentralized Offices is desirable; certification course/programme in supply chain management, business administration, finance and accounting is an asset.
• Advanced knowledge of Excel.
• Knowledge of recruitment process of all categories of staff members and non-staff human resources.

Call For Expressions Of Interest – Vacancy Announcement

Job Posting

08/Dec/2023

Closure Date

29/Dec/2023, 11:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit

OER

Job Type

Staff position

Type of Requisition

General Service

Grade Level

G-3

Primary Location

Italy-Rome

Duration

Fixed-term: 1 year with possibility of extension

Post Number

0886106

CCOG Code

2101

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

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.