Office Assistant

Organizational Setting
FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations

The Office of Strategy, Programme and Budget (OSP) advises the Director-General on strategic and policy matters related to the Organization's objectives, results-based programmes and budgets for all sources of funds; leads the development of policies and procedures on results-based management, FAO country programming frameworks, risk management and internal control; coordinates the preparation of the Organization's strategic, programme and budget plans; manages allocation of resources and monitors and reports on corporate programme and budget implementation to help ensure effective and efficient achievement of results.

The position is located in OSP 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 the ADG/Director, OSP, in close coordination with the Office Associate.

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

• Screen requests for appointments with supervisor; maintain supervisor's calendar; confirm mutually convenient schedules and arrange appointments; receive visitors; screen and send e-mails; 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, including an e-book for signatures; review the efficiency of office procedures and make recommendations for improvements; update office websites.
• Perform other duties as required.

Impact Of Work
The incumbent's work impacts directly on the smooth and efficient running of the Office. He/she plays a lead role in the provision of office support services for successful achievement of the organizational unit's mandate.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
Education: Secondary School Education.

Experience: Four years of relevant experience in office/management support work.

Languages: Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English.

IT Skills: Very good knowledge of 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

• Very good knowledge of 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 another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
• Experience in serving Governing Body meetings and other high-level meetings.
• Extensive experience in preparing complex Governing Body documents with graphical layouts.
• Experience in setting up electronic monitoring systems.

Call For Expressions Of Interest - Vacancy Announcement
Job Posting
26/Nov/2025

Closure Date
10/Dec/2025, 11:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit
OSP

Job Type
Staff position

Type of Requisition
General Service

Grade Level
G-5

Primary Location
Italy-Rome

Duration
Fixed-term: one year with possibility of extension

Post Number
2010830

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
• 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.