Applications are now open for THE UNITED NATIONS JUNIOR PROFESSIONAL OFFICER (UN JPO) PROGRAMME 2024. The UN JPO Programme recruits Junior Professional Officers (formerly known as Associate Experts) for the UN Secretariat and associated entities. JPOs are recruited under bilateral agreements between the UN and donor countries. JPOs are generally nationals of donor countries, however some donors also finance nationals of developing countries. Candidates are young professionals, usually with an advanced university degree and minimum two years of professional experience. JPO positions are generally at the P2 level.
Application Deadline: 31 March 2024
The quantity of sponsored positions varies by donor nation and year. The task is meant to take at least two years to complete. JPOs are initially appointed for a year, with the possibility of renewal for a second year contingent upon satisfactory performance and approval by the donor nation. It is not anticipated that JPOs will be chosen for a normal staff role; instead, they can apply for these roles like any other external applicant and will face the UN’s standard competitive selection procedure.
Developing Countries Candidates (DCC) Trust Fund
Despite the JPO Programme’s importance, only a small percentage of JPOs come from developing countries, limiting the diversity of perspectives the UN needs to address global challenges. Over the last decade, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), together with other UN organizations and sponsoring Member States, have taken important steps to address this situation.
The following two positions are open in the context of the Developing Country Candidates (DCC) Trust Fund:
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JPO in Investigations
International Criminal Court (ICC) Unified Teams, Prosecution Pillars, Office of the Prosecutor, The Hague, Netherlands.
ICC JPO in Investigations, The Hague
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JPO in Policy Analysis
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bureau for Programme and Policy Support (BPPS), Governance Team,
New York, USA
UNDP JPO in Policy Analysis, New York
Candidates must hold the nationality of one of the following eligible countries:
Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia
Candidates must but be born on or after 01/01/1991 to be eligible for the position.
Education:
- An advanced university degree (e.g. Master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in in Law, Criminology or other related fields, for example in Human Rights, Psychology, or Journalism, is required. A firstlevel university degree (e.g. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience gained after the first-level university degree is accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- A diploma in criminal investigation from a law enforcement academy and/or relevant training in crime investigation techniques combined with eight years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a university degree.
Working experience:
- A minimum of one year (three years with a first level university degree) of professional experience gained after the first qualifying university degree in either criminal investigations, investigations of serious human rights violations, financial investigations or investigative analysis, with a special focus on complex, large-scale cases, is required; Or same level of professional experience working with NGO’s/IGO’s/International Commissions of Enquiry, with a special focus on complex, large-scale cases, is required;
Languages:
- Proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court, English or French, is required. Working knowledge of the other is considered a strong asset. Knowledge of another official language the Court (Russian, Arabic, Chinese and Spanish) would be considered an asset. Proficiency in Ukrainian or Hebrew is highly desirable.
Selection Criteria for THE UNITED NATIONS JUNIOR PROFESSIONAL OFFICER (UN JPO) PROGRAMME 2024
- Only short-listed candidates will be contacted thereafter. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a competency-based interview.
