Office Assistant (Administration)

Position details

• Vacancy number: 2601815
• Opportunity type: Staff position
• Grade / contract type: General Service
• Organizational unit: PSU
• Duration: Fixed-term%5C: two years with possibility of extension
• Application deadline: 08/Sep/2026, 4%5C:59%5C:00 AM

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.

The Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division (PSU) of FAO is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the identification, strengthening and stewardship of strategic partnerships with UN agencies and non-state actors (NSAs) including parliamentarians, civil society, academia and research institutions, family farmers' and Indigenous Peoples' organizations. The Division leads FAO's engagement in the UN Development System repositioning, develops capacities, fosters dialogues, scales up programmes and advocates for FAO's corporate positions in support of FAO's new Strategic Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It ensures that multi-stakeholder processes and strategic interventions globally and locally are an integral part of FAO's work and provides targeted support for successful collaboration with NSAs and UN agencies. The Division has the lead responsibility for the promotion of the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS RAI) and the implementation of the Food Coalition, the UN Decade of Family Farming (2019-2028), and the FAO Policy on Indigenous Peoples. PSU is also in charge of FAO's e-learning programmes and access to scientific and technical data through knowledge platforms and enhanced information policies and standards, to promote and facilitate knowledge sharing on sustainable food security and nutrition among various stakeholders.

This position is located in the Family Farming, Parliamentary Networks and Communication for Development Unit (PSUF) of the Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division (PSU), at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Main Purpose

The Office Assistant (Administration) 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 (Administration) reports to the Partnerships Officer, Family Farming, Parliamentary Networks and Communication for Development Unit (PSUF). 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 (Administration) 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 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 (proficiency - level C) of English. 
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 valid visa to work or a valid 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 administration, procurement, finance, travel, human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies.
•    Good knowledge of corporate information systems such as iMIS.
•    Good knowledge of programme and budget processes and procedures.
•    Good knowledge of GRMS and eBMM functions.
•    Good knowledge of financial/project management rules and regulations of trust fund projects and FPMIS.

Desirable Qualifications And Skills

•    Experience in raising consultancy contracts and letters of agreements in GRMS.
•    Experience in conducting journal vouchers and accounting adjustments.
•    Intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency – level B) of one of the other official languages of the Organization (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

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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 valid visa to work or valid 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