Organizational Setting

The Governing Bodies Servicing Division (CSG) provides support to the Secretariat of the Conference and the Council and supports all Governing and Statutory Bodies of FAO. It houses the Multilingualism expertise of the Organization, delivering corporate language goods and services. CSG also provides Protocol and Meetings services to the Organization.
The post is located at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, in the Secretariat Services branch (CSGS), which oversees the Secretariat functions of the FAO Conference and the Council, including on agenda-setting, documentation, correspondence and working methods. It also supports the Secretariats of other Governing and Statutory Bodies, including the Regional Conferences, Council Committees and the Technical Committees. CSGS is responsible for the continuous delivery of information for Members through integrated communication platforms such as the Members Gateway, Official Correspondence and the Rome-based Agencies (RBA) Calendar. The branch supports the office of the Independent Chairperson of the Council.

Reporting Lines

The Conference Officer reports to the Senior Conference Officer/Head of the Secretariat Services branch, CSGS.

Technical Focus

Smooth planning and scheduling of all meeting activities.

Key Results

Delivery of operations directly related to the conferences/sessions, including non-FAO meetings.

Key Functions

•    Supports and provides conference related services in accordance with FAO policies and regulatory framework.
•    Supports processes for smooth functioning of Governing Body meetings, in particular Conference and Council.
•    Collaborates in the development of improved/updated tools, systems, processes, and databases relative to Governing and Statutory Bodies.
•    Supports ongoing liaison between FAO secretariat and Members, in particular Rome based Permanent Representations.
•    Participates on multidisciplinary teams, and/or leads working groups/teams collaborates with other Divisions/Offices/Centres and agencies on work groups and committees, participates in the development of training and promotes knowledge sharing and best practices.

Specific Functions

•    Provides information and guidance to internal partners on procedures to follow regarding the preparation of, and documentation required for, the conduct of Statutory and Governing Body meetings.
•    Collects and analyses information for inclusion in statutory and/or management reports, statements and/or reports to donors, as well as specific reports for Governing Bodies, donors and other partners.
•    Contributes to the preparation of formal correspondence between FAO and its Members.
•    Supports ongoing liaison between FAO Secretariat and Member Nations, in particular Rome-based Permanent Representations.
•    Provides support to the Independent Chairperson of Council for effective discharge of his/her duties.
•    Participates in CSG teams, leads working groups and/or collaborates with other Divisions, Offices and Centers on ad-hoc assignments.
•    Reviews and analyses reports, procedures, conference-related and administrative rules and policies.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advanced university degree in political science, law, business or public administration, international relations, social sciences.
•     Five years of relevant experience in conference management or governance activities in an inter-governmental or international environment.
•     Working knowledge (full proficiency – level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Extent and relevance of experience in conference management activities in an inter-governmental environment of managing Governing Body sessions of a major international organization.
•     Demonstrated ability to draft and edit documents.
•     Knowledge and understanding of rules, regulations, statutory and legal instruments of FAO, in particular those pertaining to the establishment, functioning and procedures of Governing Body meetings, is considered an asset.
•     Understanding of the functioning of UN Agencies and the UN System is considered a strong asset.