Assistant Operations Officer

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NO: VA-004-2016
Issued on :22 March 2016
Deadline For Application: 5 April 2016
POSITION TITLE: Assistant Operations Officer
GRADE LEVEL: SC 8
CONTRACT TYPE: Service Contract
DUTY STATION: Nairobi
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: FAO Representation Office in Kenya
DURATION: 12 months with possibility of extension
ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES: KENYAN NATIONALS
ANTICIPATED START DATE: May 2016

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF TASKS AND OBJECTIVES TO BE ACHIEVED
Under the general supervision of the FAO Representative, the direct supervision of the Resilience Coordinator Sub Regional Office and in close collaboration with the Finance and Administration Unit and Programme Management Unit (PMU), the Assistant Operations Officer will perform the following duties:
 
Key responsibilities:
 Provide administrative and operational support in formulation, implementation and management of projects in the relevant sector
Key activities:
 Directly responsible for providing operational support during preparation, planning and implementation of project activities in line with FAO’s procedures. This includes functions related to procurement, contracts, Letters of Agreement (LOAs); staffing and recruitment, travel (planning and reporting), financial monitoring;
 Initiate and follow-up a broad variety of administrative and operational actions necessary for the timely implementation of projects, including recruitment actions, travel requests, letters of introduction/instructions, briefing schedules and procurement of equipment;
 Assist in the preparation and updating of detailed procurement plans, preparation of tenders, drafting and review of letters of agreements and contracts to ensure the successful and timely implementation of projects;
 Assist in preparation of work plans, monitoring and review of project implementation to ensure that all operations activities are carried out in line with the plan and raise any concerns with Sector Head and/or Deputy FAOR;
 Assist in drafting initial project budgets, maintain regularly updated financial monitoring system of portfolio of projects in the respective sector, prepare field budget authorizations, budget revisions, funds transfer requests, and preparation of project progress and final financial statements (including mapping of the project expenditures for Result Based Budget when required);
 Establish and maintain up-to-date basic records required for project implementation, and reference records on directives and procedures of a technical or administrative nature relating to field operations work; reconcile operational records with other corporate records of the organization regarding personnel, budget, training, purchases, contracts and reports;
 Provide guidance and advice to project staff in the areas of operations and administrative matters; arrange meetings on day-to-day project matters;
 Maintain a register of where all assets procured by the projects are and ensure proper hand over of assets and liaise with Finance Unit for recording into the FAO corporate assets register.
 Brief junior operations personnel regarding all aspects of the job, ensuring adherence to procedures, guidelines and work requirements; ensure accuracy and diligence of the work provided
 Perform other related duties as required

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
 Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business Administration or other related field.
 Three years’ relevant work experience in project management/operations and support
 Computer proficiency in use of standard MS Office packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
 Good communication and report writing skills
 Fluency in written and spoken English
 Proven experience with UN regulations and procedures will be an added advantage

TO APPLY:
Candidates are requested to attach a cover letter and FAO Personal Profile Form (PPF). To create the PPF, please follow the instructions available at http://www.fao.org/employment/irecruitment-access/en/. In order for your application to be properly evaluated, please ensure that all sections of the on-line profile are completed. Please note that attached resumes or CV’s in place of the PPF will not be considered.
Please send your application to vacancy-kenya@fao.org quoting the position title and vacancy announcement number. Applications received after the deadline and without all the specified/ required documents will not be given consideration. Only short listed candidates will be contacted
This vacancy is open to both male and female candidates. Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply. Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.