National Project Administrative Assistant

Organizational Setting

The FAO country representative office for Jamaica, Belize and Bahamas is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies and actions for addressing food, agriculture and rural development priorities in these three countries. It develops and maintains relations with national institutions, including government agencies, development partners, civil society organizations and private sector institutions. The Office is a subsidiary of FAO's Sub-regional Office for the Caribbean and the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC).

Among activities that the Office is currently supporting in Jamaica include the implementation of the project MTF/JAM/023/STF “Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety and Market Access Opportunities Along the Hot Pepper Value Chain in Jamaica”. The project aims at strengthening the Government of Jamaica’s international competitiveness in the hot pepper industry by improving institutional capacity and supporting farmers in producing a consistent, high-quality supply of fresh and processed hot pepper and improving market access conditions, delivering three key outputs that are:

Output 1: Improve the technical and resource capacity of local research and regulatory bodies involved in SPS management, focusing on reducing the prevalence of pests and on the distribution of clean seeds to enable greater availability of clean planting material. Output 2: Increase the capacity of stakeholders to produce safe foods that satisfy local and international market access requirements. Output 3: Promote the value chain and food safety management systems approach by strengthening sustainable and resilient practices to increase the output of fresh pepper production, storage, and transformation.

With a duration of approximately three years, the project will be implemented in collaboration with the Bureau of Standard of Jamaica (BSJ), the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Ministry of Industry Investment and Commerce and other Government Agencies.

Reporting Lines

The Project Administrative Assistant will report directly to the National Project Manager and in close collaboration with the FAO Project Country Representative for Jamaica, Belize and Bahamas.

The incumbent will work closely with the Project Manager, the Project Officers and other staff within the FAO office (including the program team and the communication consultant) to ensure good monitoring, operation and communication regarding the different tasks of the project.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will function as focal point on project administrative matter including procurement, financial and operational issues.

• Administrative support to prepare, execute and monitoring of annual work and procurement plans of the project MTF/JAM/023/STF “Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety and Market Access Opportunities Along the Hot Pepper Value Chain in Jamaica • Timely procurement processes and ensuring compliance with the FAO guidelines on procurement and administrative issues on the management and implementation of the project annual procurement plan. • Preparation of monthly fund requirement forecast and submit to the PMU for management purposes based on the work and procurement plans. • Documentation and record control filling system for finance and administration • Reporting and monitoring of project performance and progress on the annual work plan. • Project logistics and planning • Communication framework to engage project staff, implementing partners, value chains actors, beneficiaries, donor agency and FAO teams

Tasks and responsibilities

The National Project Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following tasks, working closely with the Project manager:

• Provide effective delivery of administrative services to the project in the areas of personnel, finance, procurement and general services • Ensure that project work and procurement plans are completed according to FAO guideline and submitted on a timely basis • Perform monitoring and analysis of project financial statement and addressing discrepancies, problems, and other variations as necessary in a timely and effective manner • Request from FAO timely donor financial reports to allow internal review • Prepare administrative report and provide updates to the Project Manager on project expenditures and provide quarterly budget implementation reports for internal management according to project work plan. • In consultation with FAO Procurement Unit, support the procurement of project items and ensure that proper specifications and budget codes are provided. • Ensure that items procured are received, documented and follow ups are made to facilitate payments according to FAO protocol. • Ensure the timely delivery of project inputs to intended beneficiaries and safe receipt at various stages of distribution • Assist in the development and implementation of logistics planning and operations such as training arrangement, traveling and accommodations for international consultants through coordination with other responsible officers. • Prepare and share meeting notes for stakeholder engagements, consultant briefing and regular staff meetings. • Undertake any other tasks assigned or that is relevant in supporting the efficient implementation of the project

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Business or Public Administration, Accounting, logistics, Project Management or a related field. • At least 3 years of relevant experience in providing administrative support to complex operations, project monitoring and/or evaluation • Fluent or Working knowledge of English (Level C) • National of Jamaica (legal working permit and current residence)

FAO Core Competencies

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

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• 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/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.