Office Assistant

Job Posting: 10/Jan/2025

Closure Date: 24/Jan/2025, 4:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit: OSL

Job Type: Staff position

Type of Requisition: General Service

Grade Level: G-5

Primary Location: Italy-Rome

Duration: Fixed-term: two years with possibility of extension

Post Number: 2007793

CCOG Code: 2101

**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**:

- 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 Office of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) (OSL) coordinates activities to address and meet the special needs of these vulnerable populations and countries by strengthening inter-sectoral coordination and policy planning processes, facilitating experience sharing and cooperation in the design of high-impact programmes.

The position is located in the Office of SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs (OSL) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

**Main Purpose**

The Office 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 Office Assistant reports to Director, OSL.
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 output. He/she provides guidance and advice to other office support staff.

**Working Relationships**

The Office Assistant works closely with a wide range of colleagues in the office, with central units and external clients, performing and coordinating office and management support services and providing procedural guidance and information.

**Key Functions/Results**
- 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 admin