Programme Assistant

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through  FAO’s Subregional Office for the Caribbean (SLC) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing, and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional food, agriculture, and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC).

Main Purpose

The Programme Assistant performs a wide range of routine administrative and financial functions in support of the delivery of the organizational unit’s programme and projects.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Programme Assistant reports to the National Professional Officer (Administration) in charge of Operations for SLC.
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 Programme Assistant interacts with a wide variety of colleagues within the work unit and with immediate clients within the Organization, providing routine administrative and financial services.

Key Functions/Results

•    Collect and compile data on programme and or project activities to support reporting and delivery.
•    Initiate and follow up on administrative and financial actions related to staff management, affiliate workforce support, travel, payments, etc.
•    Review and prepare routine documentation and correspondence related to assigned procurement actions.
•    Provide information on programme and/or project expenditures and status of programme and /or project budget.
•    Process, format and proof-read reports, documents, publications, and correspondence related to the work of the unit from draft texts.
•    Review and direct correspondence, calls and queries to appropriate contacts; provide for background information; respond to routine enquiries.
•    Make arrangements for meetings, seminars and events: implement logistics, prepare correspondence, compile and distribute documents, make administrative arrangements.
•    Perform other duties as required.

Impact Of Work

The incumbent’s work impacts on the timely and efficient delivery of the immediate work unit’s programme.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education.
Experience: Three years of relevant experience in financial and/or administrative support work.
Languages: Working knowledge (proficient – 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 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

•    Good knowledge of corporate information systems.
•    Good knowledge of common administrative and financial rules and regulations.
•    Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

•    Limited knowledge (intermediate – Level B) of Spanish.
•    Experience with Multi-Country Office context/situation.
•    Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, particularly Oracle.
•    Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related area.