Administrative Assistant Full-Time

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. Through its Country Offices, or FAO Representations, FAO assists governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to address hunger and malnutrition, and provides technical support for the sustainable development of their agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors. The activities of the FAO Country Offices include design and implementation of country-tailored field programmes, liaison with local donor representatives, and active public awareness-raising and outreach activities related to FAO initiatives such as the World Food Day.

Reporting Lines

The Administrative Assistant reports to the area Coordinator and may receive guidance from a Senior Staff.
The incumbent operates independently, 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.

Technical Focus

The Administrative Assistant performs a large variety of routine administrative transactions and office support functions contributing to the smooth and efficient running of the work unit.

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.
• Coordinate office support services for meetings, trainings, seminars, committees and special projects and events; attend meetings, prepare minutes, monitor follow-up activities; make arrangements for formal editing, translation, etc., of documents and publications.
• 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 format, grammar, punctuation and style.
• Perform a variety of administrative duties, e.g. contract extensions and requests for temporary staff, leave and attendance recording, budget preparation and follow-up; coordinate with other units to ensure smooth running and expedition of work within the unit.
• Research, compile and organize background information and reference materials from various sources for reports, briefs and speeches; generate a variety of statistical and other reports from various databases.
• Coordinate the work of other office support staff, establish priorities and ensure equitable distribution of work; train new staff to relevant administrative procedures and practices and provide general assistance as required.
• Create and maintain the work unit’s filing and reference systems; review the efficiency of office procedures and make recommendations for improvements; update office websites.
• Perform other duties as required.

Minimum Requirements

• High school diploma in business or public administration or a related field.
• Five years of relevant experience in office/management support work.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Portuguese.
• National of Mozambique.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work.
• Extent and relevance of experience in office/management support work.
• All candidates should possess computer/word processing skills.
• Ability to organize work systematically, set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Ability to structure and convey information in an appropriate format, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
• Actively support new ideas to streamline working methods.
• Recognize sensitive and confidential material and handle it with a high level of discretion.
• Ability to communicate appropriately with high level officials and to professionally handle matters of protocol.
• Ability to carry out and manage a high number of diverse and complex assignments and to cope with an increased volume of work during peak periods.
• High level of trustworthiness is needed. As he/she is often the first point of contact with enquirers both from within and outside the Organization, utmost tact, discretion and courtesy are essential personal attributes

Additional Information

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• 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/.
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/.
•  Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

How to Apply

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills.
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile.
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• 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 FAO 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.