Travel Assistant

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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.

This position is located in the FAO Shared Services Centre and based in Budapest, Hungary.

Main Purpose

The Travel Assistant coordinates and performs the full range of travel support and administrative processing functions. He/she ensures quality, transparency and consistency of data, processes and services provided within his/her area of responsibility and contributes to the smooth functioning of the work of the unit.

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Travel Assistant reports to the National Professional Officer of the Travel Unit (CSLCT) and receives guidance from the Travel Associate.
The incumbent operates independently and takes decisions on work priorities. Supervision received is focused on the quality of work output. He/she provides guidance and advice to other travel support staff.

Working Relationships

The Travel Assistant works closely with a wide range of colleagues and clients in the Organization, with clients’ offices and staff in handling and coordinating travel support services and providing procedural guidance and information.

Key Functions/Results

• Process travel expense claims, including verification of travel performed against entitlement and computation of costs within FAO liability.
• Identify/claim refunds of travel costs from carriers, travel agents or travellers and take necessary follow-up action.
• Process lump sum payments and post-factum claims, verifying correctness with FAO travel agent in cases of complex fares.
• Assist in providing guidance and advice on travel rules and procedures to SSC/Divisions, Offices, Centres/Field Offices staff.
• Manage the Travel E-mail account concerning queries on travel-related payments/recoveries/entitlements from travellers/SSC/Human Resources Division/Field Offices.
• Verify correctness of records related to travellers in corporate systems to ensure proper accounting transactions relating to claimant staff members and consultants.
• Review the daily rejections list relating to travel payments, investigating and checking incorrect entries.
• Review and reconcile monthly recoveries report for submission to Accounts Receivable, taking corrective action where necessary and validating items for recovery.
• Assist Accounts Payable in clearing consultants’ honoraria payments, providing details relating to travel expense claim (TEC) deductions and/or follow up actions with Divisions/Offices/Centres regarding outstanding TECs, performing any accounting adjustment.
• Address/initiate requests and tasks in Service Now customer portal.
• Supports corporate initiatives in accordance with the Corporate Environmental Responsibility Strategy to reduce emissions, increase efficiency and integrate sustainability.
• Perform other duties as required.

Impact Of Work

The incumbent’s work impacts directly on the smooth operation and performance of the work unit. He/she plays a lead role in the provision of travel support services for successful achievement of the organizational unit’s mandate.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

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

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

Desirable Qualifications And Skills

• Limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of one of the other working languages of the Organization (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
• Extent of knowledge using complex spreadsheet database.
• Extent of experience working in an international environment.
• Knowledge of the Corporate Environmental Responsibility.

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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:
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