Office Assistant - Programme

Organizational Setting

The national consultancy 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.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR- Programme, The Office Assistant operates independently and takes decisions on work priorities and exercises initiative for dealing with cases without precedents. 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.

Technical Focus

The Office Assistant usually interacts with a wide variety of colleagues within the direct work unit, Sub- regional and Regional offices and with immediate clients within the Organization, providing routine administrative and office support services. The incumbent will also offer management support services, and providing procedural guidance and information on FAO conformity requirement.

Tasks and responsibilities

• 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;
• Provide office, administrative and logistics support to meetings, committees, conferences, etc.;
• 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 diplomacy, format, grammar, punctuation, style and established standards;
• 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;
• Initiate general administrative tasks in the computerized 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;
• Provide assistance in the operational processing of Program Unit, especially on Procurement process.
• Actively participate in the Procurement Cycle as integral part of it.
• 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

• Post-Secondary and/and Undergraduate Level Education in Business Administration or related administrative fields
• Three years of relevant experience in office support work
• Level C fluency in English. Level B working knowledge in Spanish is desirable.
• Good knowledge of the MS Office applications, Internet, virtual platforms and office technology equipment
• National of Jamaica or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical Skills

• Good knowledge of communication, documentation standards and meeting platforms
• Good knowledge of corporate computerized financial / travel / human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies

Additional Selection Criteria

• Good knowledge of the organizational structure
• Good knowledge of Excel
• Working knowledge of Spanish