Types of contracts and appointments

International Professional Staff (fixed-term appointments) work in a range of functional profiles in field locations, at Headquarters in Geneva, or in one of the Global Service Centres –⁠ Amman, Budapest and Copenhagen. These positions are subject to rotation, with staff required to change duty stations from time to time.

UNHCR does its best to fill vacant International Professional positions internally. If no suitable internal candidate is identified, the organization will advertise these positions externally.

In response to displacement emergencies, UNHCR may need to deploy staff quickly to respond to the needs of people forced to flee. We recruit candidates on Temporary Appointment contracts to cover short-term emergency staffing needs (up to 729 days).

Temporary Appointment opportunities are offered in field locations, at our Headquarters in Geneva, or in one of the Global Service Centres.

Please note that a Temporary Appointment does not carry any expectancy, legal or otherwise, of renewal and cannot be converted to any other type of appointment.

A Temporary Appointment carries reduced allowances and entitlements compared to a fixed-term appointment.

UNHCR Consultants are highly trained professionals who are recruited on a temporary basis. They provide high-level technical knowledge that is not available within UNHCR.

The flexibility of these roles enables UNHCR to rapidly adapt the skill set of the workforce and respond to new challenges and crises.

Consultants do not work under any type of partnership agreement or any other entity (e.g. company or firm) and will not perform the regular day-to-day functions of staff.

Types of consultancies:

• International consultants hired directly by UNHCR from outside the country where they will perform the services (place of work).
• Locally hired international consultants directly hired by UNHCR who are not nationals of the country in which they serve but have been hired at the place of work.
• National consultants directly hired by UNHCR who are nationals of the country and have been hired at the place of work.

The above consultancy contracts cannot exceed 11 consecutive months and so include a mandatory break-in-service of one month. Consultants can only be engaged for a period up to a maximum of 24 months of full-time work in a 36-month period. After this, a minimum six-month break-in-service is required.

• Consultants recruited through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS): These posts can be both nationally and internationally recruited roles. Unlike other consultancy contracts, they do not require a mandatory break-in-service. Contracts are usually offered up until 31 December each year regardless of the start date of the contract, with renewal dependent on performance and the needs of the organization.

General Service Staff are recruited locally and the individual is required to be legally present in the country where the post they are applying for is situated. They do not have a requirement to rotate.

Please see General Service Salary Scales for an indication of remuneration. 

General Service Staff positions may be advertised on the UNHCR recruitment platform, and internally and externally within the country of the duty station where the vacancy exists.

Vacancy notices are shared with all UNHCR staff in the country. They are also issued in the local press, posted on national employment websites, and with all UN agencies, local missions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country.

Please contact the relevant country offices to learn more about current General Staff opportunities. Browse UNHCR country pages.

National Professional Officers must be nationals of the country in which they serve, and they should have substantial knowledge of local conditions. They are not required to rotate.

Their recruitment should enhance the national capacity building and contribute to the quality of the nation’s professional workforce. 

Please see the Local Staff Salary Calculator for an indication of remuneration.

National Professional Officer positions may be advertised on the UNHCR recruitment platform, and internally and externally within the country of the duty station where the vacancy exists.

Vacancy notices are shared with all UNHCR staff in the country. They are also issued in the local press, posted on national employment websites, and with all UN agencies, local missions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country.

Please contact the relevant country offices to learn more about current National Staff opportunities. Browse UNHCR country pages.

UNHCR’s Internship Programme offers eligible students and recent graduates the opportunity to gain experience in the humanitarian sector in an international environment.

See our Internships page to learn more.

UNHCR maintains Evergreen talent pipelines for common functional profiles (formally referred to as talent pools). 

They are used as rosters, in order to have a balanced number of ready-to-hire professional candidates for the most common or sought-after job profiles at various levels and grades, who can be deployed at short notice to a vacancy that best matches their skills. Talent Pools are primarily used to fill Temporary Appointments.

Selected candidates may work in field locations as well as the Headquarters (Geneva) or in one of the Global Service Centres (Amman, Budapest and Copenhagen).

Evergreen talent pipelines are advertised by functional areas and grade levels based on actual needs.

Please note, Talent Pools are advertised at the end of each year and remain open for applications for 12 months.

Interested in learning more about international professional opportunities (P2-P4) to support our efforts across the globe?

We held a live webinar on Wednesday, 29 March 2023 and you can register to receive the recording.

UNHCR also recruits Junior Professional Officers (JPOs).

Most JPOs are required to be citizens of the donor country funding the position. They are often aged between 25 and 35 years, and are usually recruited as Professional Staff members at the P2 level. 

These positions and the application process are managed separately from the main recruitment platform.

See the Junior Professional Officers page for more information on the JPO programme and how to apply. 

UNHCR works with UNV to recruit United Nations Volunteers.

UN Volunteers are qualified and highly motivated individuals who undertake volunteer assignments with UN agencies. These assignments may be online, in an individual's own country or abroad.

Depending on the category of assignment, different minimum age requirements apply: from 18 years for UN Youth Volunteers up to a minimum of 35 years for UN Expert Volunteers. 

These positions and the application process are managed separately from the main recruitment platform.

See the United Nations Volunteers site for more information and to apply. 

UNHCR recruits Field Service Staff, however, these positions are only advertised internally and are primarily targeted at current General Service Staff looking to gain international experience. They are temporary international assignments, often located in hardship and non-family duty stations.