One of the first challenges of landing a job with the United Nations can be understanding the organization’s job categories and levels. These are indicated by a combination of letters and numbers, which reflect the responsibilities and requirements of the position.
Jobs are organized into five categories: professional and higher categories; general service and related categories; national professional officers; field officers; and senior appointments.
There are also eight job networks within the U.N., which are flexible groupings of job families with common, related, and interrelated fields of work and functions. These are management and operations support; economic and social development; political, peace, and security; information systems and communication technology; legal; public information and external relations; conference management; and safety and security.
About the author
Emma Smith
For four years, Emma Smith covered careers and recruitment, among other topics, for Devex. She now freelances for Devex and has a special interest in mental health, immigration, and sexual and reproductive health. She holds a degree in journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University and a master’s in media and international conflict.
