Organizational Setting
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.
FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.
The Secretariat of the Joint FAO/World Health Organization (WHO) Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), which is the executive organ of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, is located in the Joint FAO/WHO Centre (Codex Food Standards and One Health) in FAO Headquarters. The Secretariat is under the programmatic responsibility of the relevant Deputy Director-General and Assistant Director-General of FAO and WHO respectively, while administratively under the supervision of the FAO Deputy Director-General of the Natural Resources and Sustainable Production Stream.
The Secretariat is administered in accordance with the rules and regulations of FAO. It services the sessions of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies and acts as liaison between the Commission and interested sectors of FAO and WHO as well as the World Trade Organization (WTO), United Nations and other international governmental and non-governmental organizations concerned with the safety, quality and trade aspects of food standards.
The position is located in the Joint FAO/WHO Centre (CJWC) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy and provides support to 15 to 20 intergovernmental multilingual meetings per year including the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), and its Executive Committee convened either in FAO Headquarters or in WHO, Geneva, and Codex subsidiary bodies convened in CAC designated host countries, or co-host countries, and in different formats (in-person, virtual, hybrid).
Main Purpose
The Meetings Associate acts as contact person and coordinator for all administrative, logistics and documentation support activities of international meetings and conferences held at FAO. He/she ensures the smooth preparation and organization of meetings and the registration and accreditation of meeting participants in compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
Supervision Received/Exercised
The Meetings Associate reports to the Secretary, Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Work is performed autonomously, showing a high degree of initiative and independent judgment. Supervision received is focused on facilitating service delivery. The incumbent provides guidance, training and supervision to meetings support staff in the Division.
Working Relationships
The Meetings Associate maintains a wide range of contacts with colleagues within the Team, and with managers, staff, meeting participants and business partners inside and outside the Organization, while coordinating the preparation and organization of meetings at FAO.
Key Functions/Results
• Manage arrangements and administrative support for meetings and conferences held at FAO; act as contact person for all meetings support issues and activities;
• Receive, screen and draft a variety of correspondence related to the preparation and organization of meetings and conferences held at FAO; follow-up on deadlines and necessary actions to be taken;
• Supervise the preparation of pre- and in-session meeting documents, using the appropriate templates and liaising with relevant units; proofread and check working documents ensuring consistency of format and translations; ensure the timely translation, printing, dispatch and storage of meeting documents;
• Assist in the financial planning and management of meetings and maintain financial records and running balances; draft Letters of Agreement with host governments or other organizations involved in hosting meetings;
• Supervise logistics arrangements for meetings held at FAO; ensure the provision of meeting rooms, facilities, and equipment as required;
• Supervise administrative and personnel matters; prepare draft requests for conference staff and for recruitment of temporary staff; initiate a variety of administrative transactions in FAO's computerized financial/personnel systems; maintain detailed records for each meeting;
• Receive and route communications and visitors; respond to specific and complex queries from both within and outside the Organization by applying a thorough knowledge of meeting activities, policies and established procedures;
• Distribute work and supervise meetings support staff and temporary staff recruited during meetings;
• Manage and improve the filing and storage of relevant meetings information (lists of participants, correspondence lists, mailing lists, etc.), as well as meeting statistics; compile reports as required;
• Find adequate solutions to problems and issues arising and recommend improvements to current work processes;
• Perform other duties as required.
Impact Of Work
The incumbent's work directly affects the smooth and efficient administration and organization of meetings held at FAO. He/she plays a lead role in the coordination and provision of the meetings support services for the successful achievement of the Division/Office's mandate.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
Education: Secondary School Education.
Experience: Five years of experience in administrative and logistics support of meetings and conferences.
Languages:
Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English;
Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) OR Intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of at least one of the other working languages of the Organization (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or 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 valid visa to work or valid 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
• Thorough knowledge of meetings procedures and conference registration systems
• Thorough knowledge of meeting cycle, planning, organization, procedures and classification
• Good knowledge of corporate computerized financial / travel / personnel systems
• Very good knowledge of the communication and documentation standards and related systems
• Good knowledge of virtual meeting platforms (Zoom, MS Teams, WebEx) and digital information systems
Desirable Qualifications And Skills
• Knowledge of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and subsidiary body meetings
• Training and experience in administration, conference management, or event coordination
• Experience in supporting international, multilingual meetings and conferences, including knowledge of UN intergovernmental meeting protocols, accreditation and workflows
• Extent of knowledge on different meeting registration systems such as: Codex ORS, FAO Event Registration, INDICO-UN and Cvent
• Experience in planning and supporting webcasting, hybrid meetings and virtual participation for a global audience
• Extent of experience in web editing and desktop publishing (e.g. Adobe Suite) to support availability of meeting documentation and related information
• Demonstrated capacity to multitask, supporting multiple meetings in different phases of preparation
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills and ability to liaise effectively with high level delegates and government and IGO/NGO personnel