Administrative Associate

Organizational Setting

FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.

FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country level. 
The offices deliver on the programmatic priorities of each country as agreed in their respective Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs) aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and ensure effective and efficient operations with adequate human and financial resources.

Specifically, FAO Country Offices:

(i)    advocate, inform and support policies and investments in the areas of FAO’s mandate;
(ii)    provide technical assistance and deliver core services; 
(iii)    assist and catalyse partnership and resource mobilization activities to support agrifood systems transformation; 
(iv)    position FAO as the specialized/authoritative technical agency in food and agriculture and agrifood systems transformation; and 
(v)    ensure risk-smart and accountable operations and management.  

The FAO Representation in South Sudan is organized into three main units: programme, operations and administration. The current portfolio of projects in South Sudan includes activities related to agriculture (crop), livestock, fisheries, natural resource management, food information systems and are implemented with humanitarian, transitional and development funding. FAO South Sudan currently operates 14 field offices across 10 states and 3 administrative areas of South Sudan.

The position is located in the FAO Representation in South Sudan, Juba.

Main Purpose

The Administrative Associate leads and coordinates the office and management support functions of the Office. The incumbent ensures the smooth flow of office work and information by setting priorities and organizing the day-to-day work. The job role requires in-depth knowledge and interpretation of office policies, procedures and practices. The incumbent provides procedural guidance to managers and staff in the division/ department or location.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Administrative Associate reports to the Administrative Officer. Work is performed autonomously, showing a high degree of initiative and independent judgment. Supervision received is focused on facilitating service delivery. The incumbent effectively organizes and supervises other office support staff and provides relevant guidance and training.

Working Relationships

The incumbent maintains a wide range of contacts with managers, staff and counterparts both within and outside the Organization. Work relations may be on a high organizational level, requiring very good communication skills and experienced handling of issues.

Key Functions/Results

• Support the management and administration of financial records and monitoring systems for the office; monitor project and programme accounts for which responsibility is assigned; maintain imprest accounts; reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for day-to-day transactions and reports; manage the Country Office petty cash.
• Provide and coordinate the retrieval, entry, selection and analysis of data from a wide variety of sources, including FAO's corporate systems and data bases; verify accuracy of data and documents; make necessary calculations.
• Verify availability of funds under all programmes; ensure that operational expenditures are in accordance with approved budgets and that all committing documents are complete and consistent.
• Independently compose and finalize correspondence of administrative nature; initiate and draft correspondence to verify data, answer queries, and obtain additional information on transactions and financial matters, as required.
• Maintain detailed records of budget estimates, obligations and available balances; participate in the consolidation of budget proposals; prepare financial data for budget estimates and financial planning.
• Initiate, review, process and follows-up actions related to the administration of human resource activities, e.g., recruitment of staff and affiliate workforce, ensuring consistency in the application of FAO rules and procedures.
• Respond to enquiries and provide information and advice to staff regarding administrative procedures, processes and practices, conditions of service, duties and responsibilities, and entitlements under the Staff Rules and Regulations.
• Oversee the issuance of vacancy announcements and calls for expression of interest and keep track of their status.
• Prepare recurring reports on programme, project and office accounts, report variations from budgets; prepare special reports on budgetary performance.
• Monitor the receipt of Government contributions and the transfer of ownership of the Organization's equipment.
• Maintain liaison with local banks and financial institutions.
• Advise other staff in the office and actively support the streamlining of procedures and practices and the introduction of new information technologies to the office.
• Advise international staff on administrative and financial matters.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Impact Of Work

The incumbent's work impacts on the timely and efficient delivery of office support services and on the overall output of the work unit.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements
Education: Secondary school education.
Experience: Five years of experience in general administration including human resources, accounting and office management-related tasks
Languages:  Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
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 valid visa to work or valid 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 communication and documentation standards.
• Thorough knowledge of corporate computerized financial / travel / Human Resources systems.
• Thorough knowledge of organizational structure, administrative procedures and policies, and matters of protocol.

Desirable Qualifications And Skills

• Thorough knowledge of corporate computerized administrative systems such as Oracle, SAP, etc.
• Thorough knowledge of corporate human resource policies and recruitment cycle.
• Discretion, good judgement in handling sensitive and confidential matters.