National Project Personnel - Procurement Assistant

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), leads international efforts to alleviate hunger, eliminate poverty and achieve food and nutrition security for all. Ending hunger is about all people having access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round. At present, FAO is supports food systems the transformation to More efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, for Better production, Better nutrition, Better environment and Better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO is currently implementing a project titled “Building Resilience of Agri- Food Systems and Better Nutrition in the context of the global pandemic”. The project is executed under EU funded multi-sectoral program ‘’AGRI-CONNECT’’ through support to the Ministry of Agriculture (Mainland and Zanzibar). This project includes a separate nutrition component which aims at promoting behavioral changes in order to achieve better nutritional outcome, in addition to poverty reduction, It also includes new challenges that have emerged due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences on agri- food systems. To ensure effective and timely delivery of projects activities, the FAO Representation in the United Republic of Tanzania now seeks to recruit a suitably qualified and experienced Procurement Officer to perform a wide range of routine administrative, financial and logistical functions in support of the projects and Representation Office.

The post is located in FAO Representation in Tanzania, with the incumbent also working with other units in an integrated and cross-sectoral approach.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative Administration, the incumbent will be required to demonstrate comprehensive procurement expertise and professionalism to support the efficient functioning of the FAO Representation in accordance with the project objectives, FAO procedures and corporate strategic objectives.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will provide technical support to various project in area of procurement, and programme/project management support.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Procurement Assistant will will have the following roles

• Execute day-to-day work of the administration, finance and procurement/logistics of the FAO Representation, and the projects;
• Establish an inventory of project assets, and to ensure project assets are properly registered, insured, used, maintained and safeguarded;
• Review and certify all administrative and financial; documentation submitted to the FAO Representative for approval, for accuracy, appropriateness, correctness and compliance with the approved budget, FAO rules and regulations, as well as donor requirements;
• Identify opportunities for improvements and streamlining of financial controls and procurement procedures, and monitoring of expenditures under project budget lines to effectively support project activities;
• Monitor actions related to recruitment and payment of consultants, contractors, and implementing partners in financial, and procurement matters;
• Identify level of resources (staff and system support) required to process transactions and meet all accounting and reporting requirements;
• Ensure that project budgets and budget revisions are prepared in a timely and orderly manner, so as to meet the project cycles and timelines as well as the needs of the FAO Representation, and the donor agency;
• Prepare administrative and financial documents such as purchase requisitions and orders, payment requests, letters of agreement, contracts etc;
• Provide guidance to and supervise work of staff involved in activities concerned with premises, security and other administrative services;
• Assist with recruitment of new personnel, and to provide guidance to staff on matters related to staff recruitment, maintenance and separation;
• Assist in securing accreditation of internationally recruited staff, and provide guidance to national and international staff on protocol issues;
• Prepare travel requests and authorizations;
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in procurement, business or public administration, finance, accounting, economics, finance, auditing or related fields
• At least three (3) years of relevant work experience in administration support work including at least 2 years of experience in procurement, finance and administration in big development projects;
• Fluent English and Kiswahili.
• National of Tanzania.

FAO Core Competencies

• Result focus
• Team work
• Communication
• Building effective relationships
• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Ability to draft correspondence and review financial records, ensuring accuracy and consistency;
• Maturity and confidence in dealing with high ranking official of government institutions, international institutions and non- government institutions.
• Remain open to change and ability to manage complexity.
• Ability to work and act under pressure and with discretion in multicultural environment.
• Demonstrate capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time to meet goals in a high-pressure environment.
• Understanding of the purpose and functions of technical programmes, operational guidelines and programme/project management procedures, preferably those adopted by the United Nations or FAO would be considered
• Working experience with UN and/or international organizations will be an asset;
• Required Qualifications, Experience and Competencies
• Ability to follow instructions and to work independently;
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use word processing, accounting, financial management and other office applications and equipment;
• Demonstrable knowledge and working experience of FAO/UN finance and administration procedures and systems is an advantage

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/