Administrative Assistant

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

Staff in the General Service category are recruited locally from the Primary Location area, which is where the office is located.

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.
FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country level.
The offices deliver on the programmatic priorities of each country as agreed in their respective Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs) aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and ensure effective and efficient operations with adequate human and financial resources.
Specifically, FAO Country Offices:
i.    advocate, inform and support policies and investments in the areas of FAO's mandate.
ii.    provide technical assistance and deliver core services.
iii.    assist and catalyse partnership and resource mobilization activities to support agrifood systems transformation.
iv.    position FAO as the specialized/authoritative technical agency in food and agriculture and agrifood systems transformation; and
v.    ensure risk-smart and accountable operations and management.

The position is located in the FAO Representation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Main Purpose

The Administrative 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 Administrative Assistant reports to and receives guidance from the Assistant FAOR (Administration).
The incumbent operates independently and 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 Administrative 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

•    Maintain financial records and monitoring systems for the office; maintain imprest accounts; reconcile
   expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for day-to-day transactions and reports.
•    manage the Country Office petty cash; monitor project and programme accounts for which responsibility is       assigned.
•    Retrieve, enter, select and analyse data from a wide variety of sources, including FAO's corporate systems and databases; verify accuracy of data documents; make necessary calculations.
•    Verify availability of funds under all programmes; ensure that operational expenditures are in accordance with approved budgets and that all committing documents are complete and consistent.
•    Prepare correspondence of administrative and financial nature; draft correspondence to verify data, answer queries, and obtain additional information on transactions and financial matters, as required.
•    Maintain detailed records of budget estimates, obligations and available balances; participate in the consolidation of budget proposals; prepare financial data for budget estimates and financial planning.
•    Provide reports on budgetary performance of office accounts, and, if required, of project accounts; report variations from budgets.
•    Maintain local inventory records with responsibility for proper recording of assets, their maintenance and safeguard.
•    Maintain a filing system of administrative and financial documents.
•    Monitor the receipt of Government contributions and the transfer of ownership of the Organization's equipment.
•    Maintain liaison with local banks and financial institutions to keep up-to-date with financial and regulatory information (exchange and interest rates, procedures and rules, maintenance of bank accounts, etc.).
•    Support the streamlining of procedures and practices and the introduction of new information technologies to the office.
•    Support the administration of personnel and equipment as well as protocol-related issues.
•    Perform other related 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: Four years of administrative, accounting and office management experience.
• Languages: Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English.
• IT Skills: Very good knowledge of MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment.

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 (proficiency - level C) of Russian and Tajik.
•    Familiarity with UN system rules, regulations, and administrative procedures.
 

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FAO staff are expected to adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO,

Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

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Additional Information

•FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
•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/ 
• The length of  the appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to extension of appointments
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
•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.
•No international benefits will be payable as selected candidates are recruited locally and paid in the local currency of the office location
• For additional information visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/ 

Remuneration

• A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: 
• https://onehr.un.org/salary-survey/#/salary_scale 

HOW TO APPLY
• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Once completed, please apply and submit your application, with language certificates as attachments. Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications. FAO reserves the right to request candidates to undertake a language test in the future, as appropriate
• Incomplete applications will not be considered

• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications• Incomplete applications will not be considered• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application• Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

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