ABOUT THE COMPANY:

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. We believe that everyone can play a part in ending hunger.

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Repesentative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The FAO Representation for Jamaica, the Bahamas and Belize is a multi-country office, serving all three countries from one office in Kingston, Jamaica, where this position is located.

The post is located in the FAO Representation in Kingston, Jamaica.

Reporting Lines

The Assistant FAO Representative (Administration) reports to the FAO Representative (FAOR).

Technical Focus

Programme administration and financial management, including accounting and personnel administration.

Key Results

Effective and efficient provision of administrative support to programme and project activities of the FAO Representation.

Key Functions

•    Provides support in the areas of administration, finance and budgetary control.
•    Maintains all financial records and monitoring systems of the office and assists with monitoring of various accounts; supervises and/or maintains imprest accounts; ensures that operational expenditures are in accordance with approved budgets and that all committing documents are complete and consistent; and reports variations from budgets.
•    Supervises the administrative team, assisting with organizing and/or retrieving, entering, selecting and analysing data from a wide variety of sources, including FAO’s corporate systems.
•    Prepares financial and administrative correspondence for the office, including the processing of payments in accordance with established rules; maintains a filing system; and ensures that an appropriate paper trail with key documentation is archived.
•    Assists with the preparation of recurring reports on programme, project and office accounts; provides support in the preparation of reports for budget planning, audits and other related requests; and liaises with local banks and financial institutions.
•    Monitors the receipt of Government contributions and ensures that all procurement and custom clearances for programmes, projects and the office are properly requested and obtained.
•    Ensures the compliance with the Organization’s security guidelines (Minimum Operational Security Standards – MOSS).

Specific Functions

•    Ensures the effective and efficient operation of the FAO Representation, as well as the two multiple accredited countries’ activities.
•    Complies with and enhances the Representation’s knowledge, understanding and observance of FAO’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), Fraud Prevention and Internal Controls.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    National of Jamaica.
•    Advanced university degree in a field related to business or public administration.
•    One year of relevant experience in office management, administration, accounting and/or audit, budget or finance.
•    Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English.

Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building effective relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of Spanish.
•    Experience with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, such as Oracle, SAP or other comparable system.
•    Professional experience managing a team or group of professionals.
•    Extent and relevance of experience in the field of office management and administration, including supervisory experience.
•    Extent of knowledge of UN or standard operational rules and procedures and project/programme administrative management procedures.
•    Extent of knowledge of FAO’s corporate systems and database, or knowledge of other accounting or financial modules or applications relevant to accounting procedures or project budget management, would be considered an asset.
•    Demonstrated analytical and judgment skills and ability to apply rules and regulations in the subject field.

Assistant FAO Representatives shall be granted fixed-term appointments for such period or periods as the Organization may determine and having an expiration date specified in the letter of appointment or extension.

Appointments, including extensions, do not carry any expectation of renewal or of conversion to another type of appointment. However, this does not preclude the incumbents from applying to other positions in the Organization.