UNICEF job categories
Diverse types of employees reflecting various levels of responsibility, expertise and duties
UNICEF job profiles fall into six distinct categories. From our international professionals and national officers, to general service staff and consultants, as well as to interns and volunteers, everyone makes unique contributions to achieving our mandate.
International Professional (IP) | National Officer (NO) | General Service (GS)
Consultants and Individual Contractors | United Nations Volunteers (UNV) | Internship
International Professional
International Professional (IP) staff are recruited internationally and serve in all duty stations globally. They hold leadership, managerial or specialist functions which require technical expertise. Senior staff or Director-level positions are also part of this category.
International professionals are normally required to have an advanced university degree in a field relevant to UNICEF’s work. Within the IP category there are different levels, each with a required minimum number of years of relevant professional work experience:
- P-1: One year of relevant professional work experience
- P-2: Two years of relevant professional work experience
- P-3: Five years of relevant professional work experience
- P-4: Eight years of relevant professional work experience
- P-5: Ten years of relevant professional work experience
- D-1: Twelve to thirteen years of relevant professional work experience
- D-2: Over fifteen years of relevant professional work experience
IP staff are issued fixed-term or temporary appointments, complete with competitive salaries and a range of benefits. They are international civil servants expected to rotate frequently and work in various regions and settings, including in humanitarian emergencies.
Read more about IP staff requirements and visit our Compensation, Benefits and Wellbeing page to learn more about the overall benefits attached to IP positions. Visit our vacancies page to access the latest IP opportunities.
National Officer
National Officer (NO) staff are nationals of the country where their duty station is located, and they perform functions of a technical and professional nature. Broadly speaking, the requirements for the NO staff category are similar to those of International Professional (IP) staff, with a more pronounced emphasis on in-depth knowledge of the local setting, institutions and partners.
National Officers are normally required to have an advanced university degree in a field relevant to UNICEF’s work. Within the NO category there are different levels, each with a required minimum number of years of relevant professional work experience:
- NO-1 (NO-A) One year of relevant professional work experience
- NO-2 (NO-B) Two years of relevant professional work experience
- NO-3 (NO-C) Five years of relevant professional work experience
- NO-4 (NO-D) Eight years of relevant professional work experience
- NO-5 (NO-E) Ten years of relevant professional work experience
NO staff are issued fixed-term or temporary appointments, complete with competitive salaries and a range of benefits.
Read more about NO staff requirements and visit our Compensation, Benefits and Wellbeing page to learn more about the overall benefits attached to NO positions. Visit our vacancies page to access the latest NO opportunities.
General Service
General Service (GS) staff are locally recruited and provide administrative and support services across all areas of the organization in both headquarters and field duty stations.
Completion of a secondary education is required while a first level university degree is an asset. Within the GS category there are different levels, each with a required minimum number of years of relevant professional work experience:
- G-1 to G-4 (entry level): One to four years of relevant professional work experience
- G-5 to G-6 (mid-level): Five to six years of relevant professional work experience
- G-7 (senior level): Seven or more years of relevant professional work experience
GS staff are issued fixed-term or temporary appointments, complete with competitive salaries and a range of benefits.
Read more about GS staff requirements and visit our Compensation, Benefits and Wellbeing page to learn more about the overall benefits attached to GS positions. Visit our vacancies page to access the latest GS opportunities.
Consultants
Consultants are engaged by UNICEF for their expertise in a specific field. They provide specialized services for a range of time-bound projects and initiatives.
Consultants are recognized as an authority or specialist in a specific field, engaged by UNICEF in an advisory or consultative capacity.
The qualifications, competencies, expertise and experience required for these roles are based on the Terms of Reference of the specific vacancy and are indicated in the vacancy announcement.
When applying for consultancy position, you are required to provide your daily or monthly rate, as indicated in the announcement. Rates are expected to be all-inclusive, covering your fee for the assignment and additional employment-related costs such as travel and medical insurance.
Contracts are limited to a maximum cumulative duration of 11.5 months in a 12-month period and up to a maximum cumulative duration of 46 months in a 48-month period. Once the maximum cumulative contract duration of 46 months has been reached, a mandatory 12-month break must be observed.
Visit our vacancies page to access the latest opportunities for consultants.
United Nations Volunteers
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme works with United Nations partners and non-governmental organizations to integrate qualified, highly motivated and well-supported UN Volunteers into development programming and promote the value and global recognition of volunteerism. UN Volunteers are not considered UNICEF staff members. UN Volunteers are administratively managed by UNV and are subject to their code of conduct and conditions of service, which shall be shared with the UN Volunteer prior the deployment.
Interns
UNICEF's internship programme assigns current eligible undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds to UNICEF offices and provides practical work assignments to qualified students specialized in various professional fields.
Internships can be part-time, fulltime, remote or onsite. The duration of an internship is normally between six and twenty-six weeks. The internship can be on a full-time or a part-time basis. The duration of a part-time internship cannot exceed the equivalent of twenty-six weeks on a full-time basis.