Executive 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 General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) is a regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) established under the provisions of Article XIV of the FAO Constitution. The main objective of the GFCM is to promote the development, conservation, rational management and best utilization of living marine resources as well as the sustainable development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. To this end, the GFCM formulates and recommends appropriate measures for the conservation and rational management of living marine resources and ensures these recommendations are implemented; constantly reviews the economic and social aspects of the fishing industry, recommending specific measures in connection with its development; promotes and carries out training, research and development activities, in addition to cooperation and technical assistance in fisheries-related fields; collects, publishes and disseminates information on exploitable living marine resources and on fisheries exploiting these resources; and promotes programmes for marine and coastal fisheries enhancement.

The post is located in the GFCM headquarters at Palazzo Blumenstihl (Via Vittoria Colonna 1, Rome, Italy) and the incumbent is expected to support the Executive Secretary and relevant staff of the GFCM Secretariat, including its subregional technical units, transversally.

Main Purpose

The Executive Associate manages the office and management support functions of the Office of the Deputy Director-General (DDG). He/she ensures the quality and smooth flow of office work and information within the Office and all the units under the DDG's responsibility. The job role requires applied knowledge and interpretation of office policies, procedures and practices. The incumbent provides procedural guidance to managers and staff in the work stream.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Executive Associate reports to the GFCM Executive Secretary.
Work is performed autonomously, showing a high degree of initiative and independent judgment. Managerial guidance received focuses on integration of the work with related services and organizational units. The incumbent coordinates, supervises and trains other office support staff within the Office.

Working Relationships

The incumbent maintains an extensive range of contacts both within the Organization and with external partners, counterparts and senior managers, providing comprehensive support services and offering process improvements. Matters are often sensitive or controversial, requiring proficient handling of information and contacts.

Key Functions/Results

• Analyse, manage and monitor a large and diversified volume of complex correspondence and documentation, often of confidential and sensitive nature; ensure appropriate routing, reply, prioritization, accuracy, consistency, informal translation and timeliness.
• Serve as reference point regarding the duties of the office\: answer substantive questions requiring extensive research and independently obtain clarification; draft correspondence and reply to enquiries on own initiative; provide advice on procedural and administrative requirements.
• Conduct extensive research and prepare briefing material for the supervisor; select a variety of information from various sources and present findings in appropriate form.
• Manage the calendar for the supervisor and schedule appointments and meetings; arrange travels and visits, notifying organizations and officials to be visited, receive visitors.
• Liaise with appropriate staff within FAO to ensure timely submission of inputs to publications, reports and other documentation; review documents and make changes to their formal or style in accordance with standard practice.
• Serve as contact person / link between supervisor and senior staff regarding office issues and information; on behalf of supervisor, keep others informed by conveying directives, reports, status updates and other relevant information; bring sensitive and urgent matters to the attention of the supervisor.
• Coordinate the logistic arrangements of meetings with' high-level officials including all preparation, delivery- and follow-up activities with internal and external partners and participants; draft briefing information to support the supervisor's participation in meetings, councils and programme activities.
• Coordinate, monitor and process administrative actions (human resources, contracts, procurement, accounting, finance, logistics) in FAO's computerized systems.
• Provide expert guidance to staff on relevant administrative issues; train and coordinate other office support staff in the Office; coordinate the work of office support staff.
• Review systems and processes under area of responsibility to ensure that they meet the needs of the work stream; formulate proposals for improvements.
• Perform other duties as required.

Impact Of Work

The Executive Associate plays a leading role in the integration and coordination of office and management support services. The impact of work extends to related functions and corporate activities. The incumbent's work contributes to the successful achievement of the Office's mandate.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education\: Secondary School Education.
Experience\: Six years of experience in office and management support work.
Languages\: Working knowledge (full proficiency - level C) of English and French.
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
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical Skills

• Excellent knowledge of communication and documentation standards.
• Excellent knowledge of organizational structure, administrative procedures and policies and matters of protocol.
• Excellent knowledge of corporate computerized systems.
• Excellent knowledge about the management of large/high level in-presence and/or hybrid meetings.
• Excellent knowledge of the use and functioning of digital network systems, cloud services and virtual platforms (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, etc.)

Desirable Qualifications And Skills

• Excellent knowledge of financial procedures in support of the management of office spaces, relevant resources and projects.
• Excellent drafting skills and experience in complex multimillion administrative and financial reporting customized by donor.
• Excellent planning, organizational skills and accuracy, including the required tact, courtesy and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Extensive experience in managing a front office and providing support to the management of assigned offices and/or buildings (e.g. procurement of goods and services, timely planning and execution of maintenance services, etc.).
• Extensive experience in the internal organization of capacity building activities, including delivery of guidance, mentoring and supervision to relevant General Service staff.
• Working knowledge (full proficiency - level C) of Arabic and/or Spanish would be an asset.
• Certification of Prince2 on project management will be considered an asset.
• Familiarity with the work of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and/or FAO Article XIV Bodies.

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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\:
https\://onehr.un.org/salary-survey/#/salary_scale

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