Insider tips on applying for roles at UN Women

Working with UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, is an aspiration for many professionals looking to make an impact on gender equality within the U.N. However, navigating a career with the agency can also be challenging. The organization's work includes addressing deep-rooted cultural and societal barriers to gender equality, often requiring nuanced diplomacy and strategic advocacy. For those aspiring to join UN Women, understanding the root causes of these dynamics and demonstrating a commitment to the organization's core mandate is essential, Lyudmila Anderson, a recruitment human resources specialist at the organization, told Devex. The agency is consistently looking to fill a wide range of roles in locations across the globe. Over the past 12 months, Devex’s job board has seen 1,744 UN Women roles posted. While the United States is home to the most roles of any country (115), there were also several listed as global or remote roles (88). Several other countries had a large number of opportunities as well, including Turkey (71), Afghanistan (61), Thailand (61), and Egypt (52). Practical experience, such as internships with relevant NGOs or fieldwork in developing regions, is highly valued, Anderson highlighted. Additionally, showcasing skills in project management, policy analysis, and cross-cultural communication can set candidates apart in the competitive hiring process, said Epucia Mpanga, a human resources business partner with UN Women. Here’s what else Anderson and Mpanga shared about how the agency approaches recruitment and what candidates should know. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Which technical skills are always in demand at UN Women? Mpanga: UN Women is the entity that is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, and our organization has a triple mandate. One, to support intergovernmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards, and norms. Two, to help member states implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, and to forge effective partnerships with civil society. Three, to lead and coordinate the U.N. system’s work on gender equality, as well as promote accountability, including through regular monitoring of systemwide progress. Given our mandate, we have different roles from entry-level to senior positions or volunteer and short-term consultants. These require different levels of expertise in gender mainstreaming, policy development, program and project management, monitoring and evaluation, research and data analysis, partnerships and resource mobilization, operations and finance management. It is important to note that UN Women works across a number of thematic areas, such as women’s economic empowerment, peace and security, women’s leadership and political participation, ending violence against women and girls, humanitarian action, innovation and technology, women with disabilities, youth, and governance and national planning. Accordingly, strong technical expertise in those areas is always in demand in our organization. Are there emerging areas that UN Women plans to focus on, and how might this impact the skills you seek in potential candidates? Anderson: In accordance with the UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025 we focus on integrated approaches with seven systemic outcomes to address the root causes of inequality and affect broader systems change, across its thematic focus areas: Governance and participation in public life to ensure women have full and equal involvement in leadership and decision-making processes. This includes fostering gender-responsive governance. Women’s economic empowerment to enable equal participation of women in decent work and access to social protection. Ending violence against women and girls by advocating for and supporting women’s access to quality, multisectoral services essential for safety, protection, and recovery. This effort particularly targets those facing multiple forms of discrimination. UN Women collaborates with governments, U.N. agencies, civil society organizations, and other institutions to prevent such violence, enhance data collection and analysis, and understand its nature, magnitude, and consequences. Women, peace and security, humanitarian action, and disaster risk reduction to ensure that women and girls actively contribute to and influence the building of sustainable peace and resilience. Accordingly, the experts in the above areas will continue to be in demand in our organization. “We anticipate a rising demand for experts in climate change and gender, digitalization, green and blue economies, as well as climate-resilient agriculture and other related fields.” --— Lyudmila Anderson, recruitment human resources specialist, UN Women Can you describe the recruitment process at UN Women? Mpanga: The recruitment process at UN Women is based on the established U.N. rules and regulations. While the process may vary based on the contract modality, generally, the recruitment process includes technical and written assessments, asynchronous interviews, and competency-based interviews, reference and background checks, compliance reviews, and management approvals. Besides technical expertise, what experiences do you find to make an application stand out during the initial screening process? Anderson: UN Women is a global organization that has presence in over 90 countries. Therefore, experience working internationally, as well as work experience in development, multilateral, and nongovernmental organizations may be required or considered an asset for some of the positions. Regardless of the role that potential candidates may be interested in applying for, our hiring managers always pay attention to the candidates’ passion and commitment to our organization’s mandate. Therefore, it is always good to highlight how they can contribute to the work of our organization, as well as describe experiences related to gender equality issues in the application. What types of roles have been a priority for UN Women this past year, and what roles will be a focus moving forward? Mpanga: Given UN Women’s mandate, in the past year, our priority remained to identify experts in the above areas and professionals who are passionate about the UN Women’s mandate. This remained our priority in the past year and will continue to be our focus going forward. With the ongoing global humanitarian, environmental, and conflict challenges, the world is concurrently witnessing a rapid expansion of digitalization. We anticipate a rising demand for experts in climate change and gender, digitalization, green and blue economies, as well as climate-resilient agriculture and other related fields. Adjusting to this fast-changing environment will enable us to meet emerging needs and deliver impactful outcomes. What can consultants do to stand out and land shorter-term roles? Anderson: We always recommend to the candidates who are interested in applying with UN Women to study the job description and the requirements very carefully before applying and to tailor their applications based on those requirements. We do have a number of short-term opportunities and we encourage to visit our employment page for updated information on opportunities, including short-term roles. We also encourage candidates to particularly consider U.N. volunteer opportunities as these provide a good entry point into gaining that U.N.-context experience that could help candidates stand out in subsequent selection processes for longer-term staff positions. Ready to stand out from the crowd and get noticed by the recruiters who matter most? Update your Devex profile and start connecting with top global development recruiters now.