Regional Office Assistant G-5

**Organizational Setting**:
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

The Programme Management Department (PMD), under the leadership of an Associate Vice-President, is responsible for the overall programme of loans and grants of the Fund and is composed of five (5) regional divisions and the Operational Policy and Results Division (OPR). The five regional divisions are: Asia and the Pacific (APR), East and Southern Africa (ESA), West and Central Africa (WCA), Near East, North Africa and Europe (NEN), and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), where this position is located.

The Office Assistant position is located in an IFAD Regional Office and reports directly to the respective Director. The Regional Office Assistant works under the direct supervision of the Division Director and with a dual reporting line to Regional Office Administration and Resource (ROR) Analyst.

**Job Role**:
The Regional Office Assistant (OA) is accountable for the management of administrative services and workflows at divisional level and responsible for providing administrative and secretarial support, with a primary focus on supporting the Director, executing a broad variety of routine tasks and some specialized for the respective area, requiring thorough knowledge of IFAD administrative procedures, processes and policies.

The incumbent provides support for administrative activities including business support to the Regional Director, logistics support to the RO; and collaborates closely with the ROR Analyst to ensure a smooth flow of the Regional office, to monitor Front Office budget and expenditures and create synergies with other Office Assistants across Regional Offices and with the PMD Front Office to ensure consistency in administrative related matters.

The accountabilities/key results expected are:

- Business support to Director
- Support to Resource management and planning
- Divisional outputs and activities
- Divisional Communications and Information Management
- Managerial functions

**Key Functions and Results**:

- 1. BUSINESS SUPPORT TO DIRECTOR: The Office Assistant organizes and manages the office business and support RO Director, to ensure integrity and adherence to established rules and procedures. Accountabilities typically include but are not limited to:
- Maintaining the supervisor’s calendar and managing the travel arrangements (including related ERP transactions handling of visas and logístical arrangements and compliance with UNDSS recommendations on travel);
- Prepare briefing materials for official trips or meetings;
- Draft responses to written inquiries on routine and non-routine queries and coordinating responses to sensitive or complex issues;
- Liaise with internal (Field and HQ) and external clients for the smooth functioning of business operations;
- Organize the logistics of internal and external meetings/committees;
- Review all correspondence and official documents for style, factual and grammatical accuracy, as well as conformance with established guidelines and procedures;
- Prepare the submission of correspondence for the supervisor’s signature.
- 2. SUPPORT TO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING: The Office Assistant provides support in the planning and delivery of the divisional work plan(s) and budget. Accountabilities typically include but are not limited to:
- Contribute to coordinating office work plan(s) and generating regular reviews and final reporting;
- Originating the procurement of goods and services (e.g. non-staff recruitments, commercial and non-commercial entity contracts);
- Maintaining accurate travel expenses documentation and records of other expenditure, Handling payments; tracking deliveries, etc
- Managing and following up on procurement of necessary office goods, supplies and services; gathering quotations;
- Initiating HR-related actions for recruitment/contract extension and ensuring timely and efficient completion of actions.
- Supporting office asset administration (including maintenance of IFAD office furnishings and equipment, inventory control and vehicle/fleet management, if any
- Contribute to the coordination with the host agency at the country level is effective and collaborative.
- 3. SUPPORT TO DIVISIONAL OUTPUTS AND ACTIVITIES: The Office Assistant is responsible for ensuring timely submissions of reports, correspondence and documentation within stipulated deadlines, as well as adherence to corporate standards and processes. Accountabilities typically include but are not limited to:
- Coordinating and follow up on work flows for divisional docu