FAO's Subregional Office for Mesoamerica is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). It assists the FAO Representations (FAORs) in the subregion with addressing subregional food security, agriculture and rural development issues at country level. The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO's Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The position is located in the Sub Regional Officer for Mesoamerica (SLM), Panama City, Panama.
Main Purpose
The Human Resources Assistant coordinates and performs the full range of human resources support functions. He/she ensures quality, transparency and consistency of data and processes within his/her area of responsibility and contributes to the smooth functioning of human resources operations.
Supervision Received/Exercised
The Human Resources Assistant reports to the Administrative Officer and may receive guidance from a Human Resources Associate of the Regional Office The incumbent operates independently and takes decisions on work priorities, exercise initiative for dealing with cases without precedents and finds solutions to problems after discussion with senior staff. Supervision received is focused on the quality of work outputs, in particular the meeting of timelines and the quality of advice given to clients. The incumbent provides guidance and advice to other human resources support staff.
Working Relationships
The Human Resources Assistant works closely with colleagues in the HR team and with managers and staff in clients' offices, providing and coordinating experienced human resources support.
Key Functions/Results
Coordinate support services related to the recruitment process of staff and affiliate workforce; initiate a range of related actions including contract preparation, extension and termination
Analyse and process a variety of complex human resources requests.
Support the briefing and de-briefing of affiliate workforce, provide information on specificities of contracts.
Communicate with applicants and prepare offers/terms of employment.
Collect and research background information; draft correspondence, reports and statistics related to all human resources functions as appropriate.
Review, maintain and update confidential personnel information, records and files; ensure completeness and accuracy of records and that follow-up on action is taken.
Investigate and resolve payment inquiries in collaboration with finance staff; prepare payment instructions.
Train and provide guidance to other human resources support staff in the work unit.
Participate in the preparation of training materials and delivery of training to administrative staff in the Organization.
Perform other duties as required.
Impact Of Work
The incumbent's work directly impacts on the smooth operations and the quality of overall output of the work unit. He/she plays a crucial role in the provision of human resources 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 administrative and human resources support work.
Languages: Working knowledge (proficient- level C) of English and 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 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.
Technical Skills
Very good knowledge of the essential elements of human resources activities and transactions, including corporate policies, rules and procedures.
Very good knowledge of ERP corporate computerized administrative systems.
Good knowledge of the communication and documentation standards.
Desirable Qualifications And Skills
Limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of French will be an asset
Experience in Human Resources in the UN, including relevant corporate human resources policies and procedures
