National Project Personnel – Office Assistant

Organizational Setting

FAO assists governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to address hunger and malnutrition, and provides technical support for the sustainable development of their agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to respond to cries. FAO in collaboration with the Government of Malawi and with support of multiple development partners is implementing a wide range of activities to improve livelihoods of small-scale farmers as well as assisting a more inclusive and sustainable development in the country. FAO Malawi is currently supporting the Government to strengthen community-based resilience in vulnerable rural areas, facilitate a more sustainable management of natural resources and supporting nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Likewise, FAO provides and mobilizes technical assistance required by the country in areas related with agriculture production, agriculture economics and other areas relevant.

Reporting Lines

The Office Assistant will be under the the direct supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Malawi and shall maintain a wide range of contacts with managers, staff and counterparts both within and outside the Organization, facilitate and support the work of the FAOR and contribute to the smooth and efficient operations of the Office.

Technical Focus:

The Office Assistant shall play a lead role in assisting operation and management of the FAOR Office.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will work more specifically:

• Assist the FAOR in managing appointments, time schedule and transportation arrangements;
• Prepare, review and format official documents to be signed by the FAOR; and arrange their dispatching and distribution.
• Manage and monitor mails and emails forwarded from the Reception Desk and received in the FAO-Malawi email-box, clear the mail and email boxes on a daily basis.
• Communicate with internal units, sections and filed offices of FAO-Malawi, to convey instructions and decisions from the FAOR Office; and follow up with their implementation.
• Cooperate with FAO sub-regional, regional and headquarter offices on information and requests received from them; and follow up with needed responses.
• Liaise with UN agencies, government departments and other external partners on needed communication and collaboration assigned by the FAOR.
• Manage and archive confidential information handled by the FAOR office; and manage the use of the office seal following relevant FAO corporative policies and guidelines.
• Provide secretarial services to regular Management Meetings of FAO Malawi, including preparation of meetings and minutes, monitoring and updating on implementation of agreed actions.
• Coordinate with relevant persons to ensure regular updating of the Management Folder at the Shared Point of FAO-Malawi.
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in communications, development studies or any other area related to office administration/management
• Good oral and written communication skills in English for various audiences
• A minimum of three years of relevant experience in office management and office support work
• Very good knowledge of the MS Office applications, internet and office technology equipment
• National of Malawi.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Thorough knowledge of communication and documentation standards
• Thorough knowledge of a corporate computerized financial / travel / Human Resources system
• Extent of knowledge of organizational structure, administrative procedures and policies and matters of protocol
• Extent of experience in providing guidance and supervision to junior General Service staff
• Ability to draft standard and complex correspondence, and to proofread texts/ outgoing correspondence and formal documents
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

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
• 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
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/