Job Description
CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: 2402403
Office Assistant
- Closure Date: 24/Aug/2024, 12:59:00 AM
- Organizational Unit: NSP
- Job Type: Staff position
- Type of Requisition: General Service
- Grade Level: G-4
- Primary Location: Italy-Rome
- Duration: Fixed-term: two years with possibility of extension
- Post Number: 2002282
- 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.
Organizational Setting
The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is an international agreement on plant health with over 185 contracting parties, which aims to protect the world’s cultivated and wild plants by preventing the introduction and spread of plant pests. The IPPC is a Convention approved by the FAO Conference in adherence with Article XIV of the Constitution of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The IPPC Secretariat is hosted by FAO and is responsible to facilitate the implementation of the Convention, as well as the development and implementation of International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) to fulfil the IPPC’s mandates. The IPPC is also the implementing organization of the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) with FAO.
The post is located in the IPPC Secretariat within the Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP) 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 the IPPC Meetings Associate. Supervision received is focused on the quality of the work performed and provides for on-the-job learning. 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, screen and send e-mails 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 general administration/procurement/financial/travel/human resources system.
- Prepare purchase orders, purchase requisitions and support the preparation of Letters of Agreement (LoA), obtain clarification and follow up, when necessary.
- Make travel and hotel arrangements and prepare travel authorizations/claims for staff and affiliate workforce 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.
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.
- IT Skills: Good knowledge of 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
- Very good drafting skills for the preparation of official correspondence and communications.
- Very good organizational and planning skills.
- Initiative and the ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines in a team environment.
- Good knowledge of FAO procurement procedures.
- Good knowledge of FAO financial accountability practices.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
- Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
- The length of the appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to extension of appointments
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
- 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.
- No international benefits will be payable as selected candidates are recruited locally and paid in the local currency of the office location
- For additional information visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
REMUNERATION
- A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link:
- https://onehr.un.org/salary-survey/#/salary_scale
HOW TO APPLY
- To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Once completed, please apply and submit your application, with language certificates as attachments. Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications. FAO reserves the right to request candidates to undertake a language test in the future, as appropriate
- Incomplete applications will not be considered
- Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
- Incomplete applications will not be considered
- Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
- Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered
- Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
- We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
- If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp
