United Nations Jobs 2026-2027

Job Openings at the United Nations

Updated on 2 November 2026

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The United Nations recruits continuously across its offices and agencies, and nationals of all 193 member states can apply. Vacancies are published on a rolling basis on the official portal, each with its own deadline and its own requirements.

Organisation	United Nations and its agencies
Location	UN offices worldwide, headquarters and country offices
Who can apply	Nationals of the 193 member states
Categories	General Service (G), Professional (P), National Professional Officers, Field Service, internships and volunteering
Deadlines	Specific to each vacancy, stated on the announcement
Application cost	Free
Official portal	careers.un.org

Contents

• What to know before you apply
• Fields that recruit
• Requirements
• Benefits for UN staff
• How to apply
• Entry routes for early-career applicants
• Mistakes to avoid

What to know before you apply

Many articles present UN jobs as an opportunity with no conditions attached, with travel and accommodation paid. The reality is more nuanced, and it is better to know it before you invest time in an application.

Professional posts require work experience. Depending on the grade, that means two years for a P-2 post and ten years or more for a P-5. Claims that no experience is needed apply only to internships and certain programmes for young graduates, not to regular posts.

Travel and shipping expenses apply to recruited staff, not to applicants. If you are appointed to an international post, the UN covers your relocation. But nothing is covered during the application phase: no travel, no visa, no fees of any kind.

There is no free accommodation either. International staff may receive a rental subsidy under certain conditions, at some duty stations, but this is a partial contribution.

Fields that recruit

Vacancies cover almost every professional field of a large international organisation:

• Management and administration
• Economic, social and development affairs
• Public information and conference management
• Security and safety
• Logistics, transportation and supply chain
• Science
• Political, peace and humanitarian affairs
• Information and telecommunication technology
• Legal

Requirements

Languages	English and French are the two working languages of the Secretariat. Many vacancies require fluency in one and knowledge of the other. Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and Russian are the four other official languages.
Education	A bachelor's degree at minimum for Professional posts, often a master's for senior grades. General Service posts are open with a secondary school diploma.
Experience	Stated in each vacancy announcement, and strictly applied. A file that falls short is screened out at the first stage.
Application	One application per vacancy, on the official portal. There is no general application valid for all posts.

For an African applicant, language is a real advantage. With both English and French as working languages, many vacancies, especially in country offices and missions across Africa, require fluency in one and working knowledge of the other. Being comfortable in both opens almost every post.

Benefits for UN staff

Once recruited, staff receive a package of benefits that varies by contract type and duty station:

• health insurance for the staff member and family;
• a pension scheme;
• annual, maternity, paternity and adoption leave;
• an education grant for eligible children in school, under certain conditions;
• a rental subsidy at some duty stations;
• an assignment grant covering initial costs on taking up a post or relocating;
• travel and shipping expenses when moving from one duty station to another.

UN salaries are also subject to a particular tax regime. The exact terms depend on your nationality and country of residence: check them when you take up the post.

How to apply

• Step 1: create your account on the official portal careers.un.org. It is the only entry point for Secretariat posts.
• Step 2: complete your full personal profile. It forms the basis of every application you submit, and an incomplete profile blocks submission.
• Step 3: search for vacancies matching your field and your level of experience, reading the requirements section carefully.
• Step 4: write a cover letter for each vacancy that uses the exact wording of the announcement. The first screening is largely automated.
• Step 5: submit before the vacancy's own deadline, then track your application from your account.

Applying is entirely free.

See the vacancies on careers.un.org

Specialised agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO, UNHCR, WFP and others) each run their own recruitment portal, separate from the Secretariat's. If you are targeting one of them, that is where you apply.

Entry routes for early-career applicants

If you are leaving university and the required experience closes Professional posts to you, three routes remain open:

• Internships, open to students and recent graduates. Note that UN internships are unpaid: plan your own funding.
• The United Nations Volunteers programme, which pays a living allowance and is often the most realistic entry point from Africa.
• Young professional programmes, open to nationals of certain countries depending on the year.

Mistakes to avoid

• Paying anyone for a UN job: applying is always free.
• Responding to a vacancy received by private message or found on an unofficial site.
• Sending the same cover letter to every vacancy, without reflecting the wording of the announcement.
• Applying for a post whose minimum experience you do not meet: screening is automated.
• Leaving your personal profile incomplete on the portal.
• Confusing the Secretariat portal with those of the specialised agencies.

For other routes, see the VIA e.V. volunteering programme in Germany, the UNICEF internship programme and the free United Nations online courses, useful for strengthening an application.

Read also

• UNICEF internship programme
• United Nations free online courses with certificates
• VIA e.V. volunteering programme in Germany

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