Office Assistant

Overview

Coordinate and perform office support and administrative tasks

You have:

• Secondary School Education.
• Four years of relevant experience in office/management support work.
• Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English.
• Limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
• Very good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment.

Organizational Setting

The Markets and Trade Division (EST) monitors and analyses developments and trends in international, regional and national agricultural commodity markets and the factors affecting them, collecting and disseminating up-to-date and comprehensive market and policy information for the major traded commodities and those important to food security. It also undertakes forward-looking outlook studies. The Division analyses issues that affect global food and agricultural markets and trade, including analysis of trade policies and agreements, and provides technical support and capacity development to FAO Members in all these areas. Through its Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS), the Division is responsible for FAO's early warnings on food shortfalls and food security problems. The Division houses the secretariats of the Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP) and its subsidiary Intergovernmental Groups (IGGs), the G20 Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) and the World Banana Forum (WBF). The post is located at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, in the Markets and Trade Division, in the Team on Responsible Global Value Chains. The Team analyses and supports the development of sustainable, efficient and inclusive global agricultural value chains by working in close collaboration with governments, companies, farmer organizations, research and development institutes and civil-society organizations. It comprises the following five work streams: supporting countries and companies in the adoption of responsible business practices and risk-based due diligence; supporting the development of responsible value chains for tropical fruits; strengthening the resilience of agricultural supply chains; analysing trade and markets for bananas and tropical fruits; facilitating multi-stakeholder collaboration for sustainable banana production and trade.

Main Purpose

The Office Assistant coordinates and performs the full range of office support, management support and administrative tasks, providing for the smooth and efficient running of the Office. He/she ensures quality and consistency of the flow of office work and information in the work unit.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Office Assistant reports to the Senior Economist leading the Team on Responsible Global Value Chains and may receive guidance from the Office of the Director. The incumbent operates independently, takes decisions on work priorities and exercises initiative for dealing with cases without precedents. Supervision received is focused on the quality of work outputs. He/she provides guidance and advice to other office support staff.

Working Relationships

The Office Assistant works closely with a wide range of colleagues in the division/region, with central units and external clients, performing and coordinating office and management support services and providing procedural guidance and information.

Key Functions/Results

• Screen requests for appointments with supervisor; maintain supervisor's calendar; confirm mutually convenient schedules and arrange appointments; receive visitors; place and screen telephone calls; respond to queries and correspondence, often of a sensitive, confidential or technical nature. • Coordinate office support services for meetings, trainings, seminars, committees and special projects and events; attend meetings, prepare minutes, monitor follow-up activities; make arrangements for formal editing, translation, etc., of documents and publications. • Review, record, distribute and process incoming mail and correspondence; follow-up on pending actions; prepare draft responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communications, often requiring knowledge of technical terminologies and/or detailed office procedures; carry out quality control functions for outgoing documents; proofread texts for adherence to format, grammar, punctuation and style. • Perform a variety of administrative duties, e.g. contract extensions and requests for temporary staff, leave and attendance recording, budget preparation and follow-up; coordinate with other units to ensure smooth running and expedition of work within the unit. • Research, compile and organize background information and reference materials from various sources for reports, briefs and speeches; generate a variety of statistical and other reports from various databases. • Coordinate the work of other office support staff, establish priorities and ensure equitable distribution of work; train new staff to relevant administrative procedures and practices and provide general assistance as required. • Create and maintain the work unit's filing and reference systems; review the efficiency of office procedures and make recommendations for improvements; update office websites. • Perform other duties as required.

Impact Of Work

The incumbent's work impacts directly on the smooth and efficient running of the Office. He/she plays a lead role in the provision of office support services for successful achievement of the organizational unit's mandate.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education. Experience: Four years of relevant experience in office/ management support work. Languages: Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish). IT Skills: Very good 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

• Very good knowledge of the communication and documentation standards. • Very good knowledge of corporate computerized financial/travel/human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies. • Very good knowledge of the organizational structure.

Desirable Qualifications And Skills

• Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of another FAO official language. • Prior experience in front office management. • Experience in organizing large meetings with external participants both at FAO and at outside venues. • Experience in supporting the selection and hiring of human resources. • Good planning, organizational skills and accuracy. • High degree of discretion in dealing with confidential matters as well as diplomacy and tact.

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: fao.org