WFP Tokyo - Business Support Associate G6

We are seeking to fill a Fixed Term local position of Business Support Associate G6, based in WFP Office in Tokyo, Japan

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, color, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status, physical or mental disability.

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

Applicants must reside within commuting distance to the office location in the duty station* and be Japanese Residents holding a valid passport and/or identity card, or a valid Resident Permit/legal papers to work and live in the country.

This vacancy announcement is being issued internally and externally

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. WFP’s Japan’s mission is to raise awareness of WFP’s work amongst the public and partners in Japan.

The WFP Japan Office acts as a partnership hub, fostering strategic partnerships with Japanese institutions, liaising with the Government as well as the private sector to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).

JOB PURPOSE

The Business Support Associate will report to the Director of WFP Japan Office and will serve as the Business Support Services Team Leader, coordinating and facilitating effective functioning of administrative and business support services, including client-focused and strategy-oriented HR services. He/she will provide dedicated assistance to Director and general assistance to other staff members to ensure the efficient functioning of the support services and inform decision-making. The selected incumbent will be responsible for managing resources, supervising, coaching, and coordinating team members while acting as an escalation point for complex and/or sensitive business queries. She/he will oversee the overall business support work such as organization and coordination of administrative work, including but not limited to agenda/calendar management, drafting of documents/reports, meetings, and events planning (in-person and virtual), travel arrangements, procurement, monitoring of budget and financial commitments/expenditures., etc.

The incumbent will also assist in analyzing and responding to various HR queries and supporting the recruitment, contracting, and onboarding of new staff to ensure that relevant processes are followed, and rules and conditions of service are understood by staff.

The Business Support Associate will be required to demonstrate strong communication skills, responsibility, initiative, and independence with the ability to manage complex and confidential information and to exercise good judgment in dealing with unforeseen problems on a daily basis.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, nor exhaustive)

• Provide dedicated assistance support.
• Provide a full range of complex business support services to staff to contribute to the effective functioning of business operations.
• Prepare and/or consolidate comprehensive reports, documentation, correspondence, briefing notes, talking points, presentation material, etc., and conduct research in the areas of work, i.e., administrative and other support services.
• Revise and review correspondence and documentation, proving feedback and asking amendments where appropriate, to contribute to the production of these materials to time and quality standards.
• Respond to complex business support queries in order to provide a timely and accurate resolution of inquiries for clients.
• Oversee the maintenance of records and databases to ensure information is organized and readily available for staff members and compliant with all relevant regulations and policies.
• Actively seek and use feedback to improve business processes and procedures.
• Assist managers in planning, monitoring and recording budget(s) to ensure that planned financial resources are used effectively.
• Assess and recommend improvements to procedures and practices, to contribute to the effective delivery of business support services.
• Provide advice, support and/or training to junior support staff in the provision of business support services, in order to support their learning in providing business support.
• Coordinate tasks of junior staff to ensure support services are delivered consistently and to the required standards

SPECIFIC POST REQUIREMENTS (As required by the Hiring Manager)

Essentials:

• Experience supporting and/or coordinating administrative services, such as travel, procurement, document drafting, financial tasks, etc
• Experience in Human Resources recruitment, contracting, and onboarding process
• Experience supporting managers and handling their calendars
• Experience organizing and coordinating internal and external meetings and events. (virtual and in-person)

Desirables:

• Experience working as staff assistant/executive assistant.
• Experience in liaising with the Government of Japan.
• Experience and/or awareness of international humanitarian development issues.
• Experience working with records management systems, filing structures, and electronic records.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education: Completion of secondary school education.

Language: Working knowledge (proficiency/FAO level C) of English and Japanese.

Experience: Six or more years of progressively responsible work experience in general administrative work (including one year at G5 level for internal candidates).

Knowledge & Skills:

• Specialised knowledge of the application of common business processes, practical business support methods, procedures and systems used in area of work, gained through technical training and work experience.
• Good communication skills in order to provide specialised business support services to a wide range of individuals.
• Ability to analyse and interpret financial data and monitor budgets.
• Ability to proactively identify and recommend areas for improvement to the design and delivery of specialised services.
• Ability to build relationships with a variety of individuals across functions.
• Experience in coordinating the work of others and self and training and supporting others.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

Purpose

• Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Coaches team in the most effective ways to communicate WFP’s Strategic Objectives to WFP team and partners in the field.
• Be a force for positive change: Implements new methods or tools to improve team’s work processes and productivity.
• Make the mission inspiring to our team: Maps team’s activities and tasks to specific successes in beneficiary communities to showcase positive impact.
• Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Explains to teammates how each unit contributes to the overall WFP mission.

People

• Look for ways to strengthen people's skills: Identifies skill development opportunities such as training modules or on-the-job experiences for self, colleagues and direct reports.
• Create an inclusive culture: Facilitates team building activities to build rapport in own unit.
• Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Facilitates the pairing of junior colleagues with coaches within own team.
• Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Proactively anticipates potential challenges and develops mitigation plans to ensure that team meets goals and targets.

Performance

• Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Identifies opportunities to be creative in own work and to help team be more innovative and accurate in their respective tasks and areas of work.
• Focus on getting results: Monitors team’s deliverables and provides feedback to ensure outcomes are delivered consistently and accurately.
• Make commitments and make good on commitments: Provides accurate guidance to team on expected responsibilities and tasks, whilst also upholding own commitment to the team.
• Be Decisive: Sets an example and provides guidance to junior team members on when to escalate issues when faced with challenging issues in the workplace or in the field.

Partnership

• Connect and share across WFP units: Facilitates partnerships with other WFP units to accomplish missions in the field.
• Build strong external partnerships: Sets an example and provides guidance to team on how to build relationships with external partners.
• Be politically agile & adaptable: Articulates to colleagues or direct reports the value of contributing to other WFP teams and agency partnerships in fulfilling WFP’s goals and objectives.
• Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Organizes, monitors, and prioritizes own and team’s efforts to ensure that they will fulfil the needs of internal and external partners.

Terms and Conditions

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.

http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

Applicants must be:

• Be Japanese Residents holding a valid passport and/or identity card, or a valid Resident Permit/legal papers to work and live in the country.
• *Reside within commuting distance (100-kilometer radius or distance that can be covered within 1.5 hours by car or public transport under average conditions of traffic, weather, and roads) to the office location at the duty station (WFP Japan Relations Office, UNU Building 4F, 5-53-70 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo).

Applications must be submitted in English.

Deadline for applications: 27 February 2022

Ref. VA: 156097

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.