Travel Associate

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.

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 Shared Services Centre (SSC) recommends and administers process management and procedures that need to be executed effectively; ensures the management of quality assurance activities associated with the transactional processes and implementation of service delivery; continuously improves the satisfaction of its customers, internal or external, while pursuing a continuous improvement agenda that will drive up service excellence while driving down the costs of service delivery through process standardization, process automation and self-service capabilities.

The position is located in the Shared Services Centre, SSC in Budapest, Hungary.

Main Purpose

The Travel Associate plays a lead role in the coordination of travel support services for the entire work unit. He/she performs a broad range of specialized travel-related functions, requiring in-depth knowledge of relevant policies and procedures. The incumbent ensures quality and consistency of processes and provides procedural guidance to clients and travel support staff.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Travel Associate reports to the Travel Operations Officer.
Work is performed autonomously, showing a high degree of initiative and independent judgment. Supervision received is focused on facilitating service delivery and meeting client requirements. The incumbent provides guidance and training to travel support staff in the work unit.

Working Relationships

The Travel Associate maintains a wide range of contacts with managers in client departments and staff throughout the organization as well as with colleagues within the team in the delivery of travel-related services and handling of specialized and complex processes.

Key Functions/Results

• Assist in processing Travel Authorizations and Travel Expense Claims ensuring conformity with FAO travel rules and procedures
• Analyse and investigate technical problems, rejections and queries relating to recoveries, payments, rates etc. to verify correctness and alignment of records including adjustments and settlements of outstanding items in corporate systems.
• Investigate and analyse complex cases and draft replies with documented evidence of background transactions.
• Perform accounts reconciliation; review and approve expenditure documents ensuring conformity with FAO regulations and procedures; request journal vouchers for adjustments.
• Participate in the design and implementation of automated travel management systems; recommend operational procedures and methodologies to accomplish the work.
• Provide guidance and advice on travel rules and procedures to SSC/Divisions/Field Office staff.
• Supervise junior level General Service staff assigned to the Travel Unit, providing training where necessary.
• Review and reconcile monthly recovery reports, taking corrective action where necessary and validating items for recovery.
• Assist Accounts Payable on clearances of consultants’ honoraria payments, providing details performing necessary accounting adjustments.
• Respond to Service Now requests and Teams enquiries.
• Supports corporate initiatives in accordance with the Corporate Environmental Responsibility Strategy to reduce emissions, increase efficiency and integrate sustainability.

Impact of Work

The incumbent’s work affects the smooth and efficient operation of the Organization’s travel support functions. He/she plays a lead role in the coordination and provision of the travel support services for the successful achievement of the Division/Office’s mandate.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education
Experience: Five years of relevant experience in office/travel and accounting support work
Languages: Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English
IT Skills: Very 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

• Thorough knowledge of the essential elements of a range of financial/accounting/budgeting activities, including the relevant policies, rules and regulations.
• Thorough knowledge of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) corporate travel systems.
• Thorough knowledge of communication and documentation standards.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

• Limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of one of the other official FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

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FAO staff are expected to adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO,

Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
• 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/

• The length of the appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to extension of appointments

• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
• 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.
• No international benefits will be payable as selected candidates are recruited locally and paid in the local currency of the office location
• For additional information visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

REMUNERATION
A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link:
http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salary.htm

HOW TO APPLY
• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Once completed, please apply and submit your application, with language certificates as attachments. Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications. FAO reserves the right to request candidates to undertake a language test in the future, as appropriate
• Incomplete applications will not be considered

• 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 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

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT