Travel Assistant

Organizational Setting

The cooperation between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Ukraine has been designed to reinforce national capacities and to contribute to the broader development of agriculture, sustainable management of forests and fisheries, and animal and plant disease control. FAO is also contributing to building resilience and supporting early recovery in conflict-affected regions by supporting the economic recovery of farmers and rural communities. FAO's presence in Ukraine has been scaled up across its three offices located in Kyiv, Lviv; Kharkiv and Dnipro under the overall responsibility of the Head of the FAO Office/Designated Responsible Officer in Ukraine.

The recent and large-scale escalation in hostilities in Ukraine is exacerbating the already dire food security situation of the most vulnerable rural households and small farmers. In response to the evolving situation, FAO Ukraine is scaling up its emergency humanitarian and resilience programming in conflict-affected areas of Ukraine, including previous areas of focus such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson; Lviv and Zakarpattia in the West; and newly affected and newly accessible areas. In order to address the rapidly deteriorating situation, FAO us guided by its Rapid Response Plan (RRP) that is aligned with the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and the UN's Transitional Framework for Ukraine land focuses on responding to immediate needs by providing life and livelihood-saving assistance to the most vulnerable smallholder farming households impacted by the conflict as well as to providing urgent support to the country's agrifood sector which contributes to both national and international food security. Supporting the capacity of the Government of Ukraine to sustain critical food system services is also a key pillar of the Plan.

The role is in-office, based in Kyiv.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Project Office and the direct supervision of the Head of Travel and with close coordination with the administrative staff, programmatic units, and personnel across FAO Ukraine.

Technical Focus

The Travel Assistant will coordinate and execute travel-related administrative tasks, including organizing and prioritizing travel requests, arranging travel services in line with FAO rules, maintaining accurate travel records, processing travel claims and refunds, supporting budget preparation and monitoring, maintaining corporate travel files, and providing data and operational support to ensure timely, compliant, and efficient travel operations.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Travel Assistant is responsible for acting in accordance with FAO rules and regulations through the coordination and timely execution of administrative tasks related to the travel of relevant FAO personnel based in Ukraine, incoming visitors, and specific government requests undertaken in partnership with FAO. The Travel Assistant performs the following functions: 

•    Effectively organize and prioritize cases, utilizing a systematic approach with corporate tools available to manage requests and categorize them by urgency and complexity, providing excellent customer service to internal and external clients

•    Provide travel assistance on a day-to-day basis ensuring the timely delivery of travel arrangements and services, including the application of the organization's rules and policies to personnel receive relevant entitlements, and that the organization obtains the best service and price for all travel 

•    Extract, input, maintain and verify correctness of travel records in the organization's corporate travel systems to ensure proper accounting transactions related to travel costs and staff travel, inquiring about and recording any discrepancies  

•    Process travel expense claims, in accordance with the organization's rules and policies, verifying the travel performed against appropriate entitlements and ensuring that any discrepancies are recorded and rectified 

•    Identify, review and claim refunds of travel costs from travel agents and travellers, proactively acting and tracking the post-travel claiming process to comply with policy and reasonable payment timelines 

•    Process authorized lump sum payments, travel advances and post-factum travel claims and verify their correctness 

•    Assist in the preparation of budgets on travel costs and maintain travel budgetary and statistical control records 

•    Liaise with the Communications Assistant on relevant documentation necessary to support the travel request  

•    Track expenses made on assigned travel requests within the Travel Unit shared files to monitor the use of v-card  

•    Support management in preparing, reviewing, and interpreting travel-related data to support management decision-making, ensuring timely and accurate reporting on travel trends, costs, and compliance across the unit.  

•    Maintain updated files within the established online corporate records tools, like Sharepoint, including collaborating on the entry, tracking, follow up, and backstopping of all travel support services delivered by the office  

•    Facilitate knowledge exchange and best practices within the office, promoting collaboration, continuous learning, change management, and innovation 

•    Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.  

•    Perform other tasks as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•    University degree in Business Administration, Management, Hospitality, Tourism, Event Management, or a related field.

•    At least two (2) years of relevant experience in travel administration, financial or administrative support, processing travel claims, managing travel records, or related operational functions within international or similarly structured environments.

•    Working knowledge (Level C or native) of English 

•    Working knowledge (Level C or native) of Ukrainian 

•    National of Ukraine

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus

•    Teamwork

•    Communication

•    Building Effective Relationships

•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Confident user of office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.).

•    Ability to work effectively under pressure, adapt to evolving and complex humanitarian contexts, and operate within multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.

•    Strong interpersonal and analytical skills, and attention to detail, with a proven ability to work as part of a team.

•    Capacity to meet tight deadlines and work independently with minimal supervision.

•    Good records management and organizational skills

•    Strong written communication skills to deliver effective, positive customer service 

•    Good knowledge of humanitarian principles.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at   
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website:  
•  Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.