National Operations Assistant- SB2

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Syria and the direct supervision of the Head of Operations Unit, the Operations Assistant is responsible for providing day to day operations support to the FAO programmes and project activities in Syria.

The incumbent will perform the following duties and tasks:

Key Functions

• Participate in project teams, collaborates in new project formulation and provide technical and/or administrative support to ongoing operational projects.
• Assist programme personnel in the preparation of project work plans, monitor progress and, where necessary, identify corrective measures to overcome operational constraints.
• Assist with the management of the project budget and preparing revisions as required.
• Support coordination of actions related to timely field project completion/closure, including identification of project follow-up requirements.

Specific Functions

• Provide support in the day-to-day work related to project activities in line with the approved work-plans;

• Assist the Operations Officer to ensure FAO’s Project Cycle Management guidelines are applied in all phases of project management and propose actions and corrective measures if necessary.

• Assist the Operation Officer to ensure the completeness and quality of data and documentation in the Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS) for all field projects in the country, including proposals in the pipeline throughout the project cycle;

• Facilitate procurement, partnerships, recruitment and budget management in line with FAO’s rules and regulations in support of the ongoing projects.

• Monitor the availability of funds under all projects; ensure financial commitments and expenditures are accurate and consistent with established guidelines; monitor/approve field expenditures, verify/approve invoices and ensure projects’ budgets are always up to date.

• Support all concerning the opening/completion/closure of field projects, including raising of PRs/POs in GRMS and identification and follow up of back charges and project follow-up requirements with regards to PO closured and transfer of equipment of equipment to and from partner/counterpart institution

• Follow up on clearance of pending commitments and general clean-up of the commitment tracker to facilitate closure of the project;

• Perform other related duties as required.

Expected Outputs:

a) Day-to-day operations managed;

b) Operation support to projects/programme provided;

c) Operational requests/actions addressed in adequate and timely manner.

FAO Core Competencies:

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building effective relationships
• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement

Minumum Requirements:

• Secondary School Education.
• At least seven years of relevant experience.
• Fluency in English and Arabic.