Office Assistant

Organizational Setting

The position is located in the Food Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF), Economic and Social Development Stream at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Division supports a coordinated approach to the development of food systems, including inter alia, engagement in global level dialogue, platform and initiatives, the strengthening of food safety and quality at national, regional and international levels, the development of sustainable food value chains, reductions in food loss and waste and the implementation of the urban food agenda.

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 Director ESF and receives guidance from the Assistant to the Director, ESF. 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, place and screen telephone calls 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 systems. • Make travel and hotel arrangements and prepare travel authorizations/claims for staff 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 and limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish). IT Skills: 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

• Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards. • Good knowledge of corporate computerized financial/travel/human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies. • Experience in multitasking against tight deadlines.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

• Good knowledge of the organizational structure. • Experience in the preparation of Letters of Agreement would be an asset. • Experience in the coverage of front offices. • Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of French or Spanish.