Administrative Associate

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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.
The FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York (LON) has a lead responsibility in developing and implementing policies that enhance FAO's cooperation with the UN system, capitalizing on synergies between our work and that of other UN bodies, agencies, funds and programmes, and of Members.
In doing so, LON supports decision-making processes carried out at FAO headquarters in relation to developments in the UN system, mainly by representing FAO at working and coordination meetings, liaising with permanent delegations to the UN in New York, and establishing partnerships with relevant institutions in the New York area.

The post is located in the FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York (LON) that was established on 16 March 1956.

Main Purpose

The Administrative Associate leads and coordinates the office, as well as managing its support functions. He/she ensures the smooth flow of office work and information by setting priorities and organizing the day-to-day work. The job role requires in-depth knowledge and interpretation of office policies, procedures and practices. The incumbent provides procedural guidance to managers and staff in the office.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Administrative Associate reports to the Administrative Officer, LON. and works under the overall supervision of Director, LON.
Work is performed autonomously, showing a high degree of initiative and independent judgment. Supervision received is focused on facilitating service delivery. The incumbent effectively organizes and supervises other office support staff and provides relevant guidance and training.

Working Relationships

The incumbent maintains a wide range of contacts with managers, staff and counterparts both within and outside the Organization. Work relations may be on a high organizational level, requiring very good communication skills and experienced handling of issues.

Key Functions/Results

• Support the management and administration of financial records and monitoring systems for the office; monitor project and programme accounts for which responsibility is assigned; maintain imprest accounts; reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for day-to-day transactions and reports.
• Provide and coordinate the retrieval, entry, selection and analysis of data from a wide variety of sources, including FAO's corporate systems and databases; verify accuracy of data and 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.
• Independently compose and finalize correspondence of administrative nature; initiate and 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.
• Prepare recurring reports on programme, project and office accounts, report variations from budgets; prepare special reports on budgetary performance.
• Monitor the receipt of Government contributions and the transfer of ownership of the Organization's equipment.
• Maintain liaison with local banks and financial institutions.
• Advise other staff in the areas of office/administrative management; actively support the streamlining of procedures and practices and the introduction of new information technologies to the office.
• Advise international staff on administrative and protocol matters (visas, ground passes, parking permits, etc.).
• Make administrative arrangements for the office and perform administrative duties to ensure security and office maintenance.
• Coordinate and administrate contracts with external contractors for outsourced services.
• Process the payment of contractors' invoices and monitor payments.
• Review purchase requisitions, orders, contracts and tenders to ensure that they are technically complete and in conformity with established FAO rules and procedures; approve transactions in the relevant systems up to a maximum amount as delegated.
• Ensure that procurement actions are completed in a timely manner in accordance with the relevant rules and procedures; ensure timely information on the status of procurement activities and all related issues.
• Maintain and monitor database records related to procurement actions undertaken, assigned tenders and contracts; coordinate collection of statistical information on procurement actions and ensure that information maintained in the relevant systems is accurate and updated.
• 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\: Five years of progressively responsible administrative, accounting and office management experience.
Languages\: Working knowledge (proficiency- level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official 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

• Thorough knowledge of the communication and documentation standards.
• Thorough knowledge of corporate computerized financial, travel, human resources systems.
• Thorough knowledge of organizational structure, administrative procedures and policies and matters of protocol.

Desirable Qualifications And Skills

• Skilled in database management, including updating records on SharePoint and maintaining efficient archival systems.
• Previous experience in event management.
• Proficient in maintaining internal control tools and proactively monitoring deadlines and required actions.
• Experienced in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to optimize office workflows.

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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

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT