Office Assistant

The Office Assistant performs a large variety of routine administrative transactions and office support functions contributing to the smooth and efficient running of the work unit within the Sustainable Animal Production, Feed and Genetics Branch of the Animal Production and Health Division at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Responsibilities

Arrange appointments for the supervisor, receive visitors, screen and send e-mails 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 general administration, procurement, finance, travel, human resources system.

Prepare purchase orders, purchase requisitions and support the preparation of Letters of Agreement (LoA), obtain clarification and follow up, when necessary.

Make travel and hotel arrangements and prepare travel authorizations/claims for staff and affiliate workforce 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.

Requirements

Secondary School Education.

Three years of relevant experience in office support work.

Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English.

Good knowledge of MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment.

General Service Staff are recruited locally; 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.

Very good knowledge of communication and documentation standards.

Very good knowledge of corporate computerized administration, procurement, finance, travel, human resources systems and administrative procedures and policies.

Very good knowledge of the organizational structure.

Relevant experience with corporate administrative processes is desirable.

Experience with official correspondence and protocol matters is desirable.

Experience with travel management and support to the organization of meetings, particularly Statutory Bodies meetings, is desirable.

Ability to work under pressure and deal with multiple tasks simultaneously.

Good oral and written communication skills and ability to write and/or edit documents clearly and concisely in English.

Intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is desirable.

Skills

Office Support

Microsoft Office applications

Internet usage

Office technology equipment

Communication standards

Documentation standards

Corporate Administration Systems

Procurement Systems

Financial Systems

Travel Management

Human Resources Systems

Administrative Procedures

Official Correspondence

Protocol Matters

Meeting Organization

Multitasking

Written Communication

Oral Communication

Languages
English