UNEP recruiters share what they look for in top candidates

Nearly 200 countries globally have acknowledged the imperative to transition away from fossil fuels at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference. Amid this recognition, the United Nations Environment Programme’s Adaptation Gap report suggests that we are currently falling short in both adapting to the consequences of the climate crisis and curbing emissions. Functioning as the environmental authority within the U.N. system, UNEP plays a pivotal role in addressing critical issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and chemical and waste pollution. To address the complex environmental challenges facing humanity, UNEP calls for a global and diverse workforce. “We need to ensure that we have a diverse group of staff who can share their expertise, experience, and perspectives with a variety of stakeholders. The more diverse our staff are, the better work UNEP can do,” said Carlos Barragan, chief of human resources at UNEP. Speaking to Devex, Barragan also underscores a growing demand for candidates skilled in data analysis and digital transformation amid the evolving landscape. As a science-based organization, UNEP requires professionals capable of processing intricate data for informed policy decision-making and implementation, Barragan explained. To understand what sets successful applicants apart at the agency, Devex spoke with Barragan, along with other UNEP officers Monica Otemba, administrative officer; Edwin Onyach, administrative assistant; and Nosipho Sakhile Nsingwane, communications specialist. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Beyond technical skills, what makes a candidate a great employee at UNEP? Otemba: We in the United Nations, in particular the secretariat entities, have a U.N. Values and Behaviours Framework, which is the basis of our organizational culture. This allows potential candidates to see if they will be a good fit for our organization. This guides how we perform our tasks, build relationships in our roles, and work with our beneficiaries and partners. We value humility, humanity, integrity, and inclusion. The best staff members are those who can adapt to this type of environment and work well with all their colleagues, partners, beneficiaries, and stakeholders. Can you describe the recruitment process at UNEP? Onyach: The first stage is the application stage. To find a UNEP job opening, all openings are published on careers.un.org, which is the portal for all U.N. Secretariat jobs for all staff categories, consultancies, and internships. Staff vacancies are open for a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 45 days. This is when the applicant can apply through our Inspira application portal. The second stage is screening. The first screening happens when the applicant applies. An artificial intelligence tool screens the application to see whether the applicant meets the minimum requirements. The second stage of screening is done by the hiring manager. This may take some time as we receive many applications per opening, and each application must be reviewed closely. This manual screening is to review for relevant experience. The third stage is assessments. The hiring manager may reach out to the applicants that have passed the screening process to invite them to a technical assessment; this is optional, depending on the role. The final assessment is a competency-based interview. For regular staff recruitments, every selection decision is reviewed by independent panels, called the Central Review Bodies, to ensure the process is fair and transparent. Once this is endorsed, only then may the selected candidate be notified. This whole process from the first day of the job opening until the candidate is selected may take up to four months. Are there emerging areas within environmental sustainability that UNEP plans to focus on, and how might this impact the skills you seek in potential candidates? Barragan: We are looking for candidates with data analysis backgrounds, whether this is experience in formal or informal education and through work experience. UNEP is a science-based organization, so it is important to have colleagues who can process all the data and translate this into a format that our member states and beneficiaries are able to use for data-driven policy decision-making and implementation. Another important trend in international, sustainable development and environmental sustainability is the increasing importance of digital transformation. One of UNEP’s enabling programs is Digital Transformations. This expertise and know-how is not an area where international development organizations traditionally recruit, so we need experts in that topic discipline. These two I mention are aspects of the future of the U.N. that are important to ensure we continue to be fit for the mandates that member states give to us. What types of roles have been a priority for UNEP this past year, and what roles will be a focus moving forward? Otemba: We don’t have trends in recruitment in the traditional sense, we recruit based on the organization’s medium-term strategy, the program of work priorities, and the mandates that we are given. However, as Carlos mentioned, we are particularly seeing an increase in requests to recruit data analysis roles throughout the organization. There are also some divisions that are quite large and for which we are always recruiting as there are so many emerging trends and solutions in environmental sustainability work. Some highlights from 2022 and 2023, the organization has been appointed by our member states as the secretariat for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution. We are also happy to announce that we will be opening a climate division. Going forward, we will be focusing on recruitment of candidates in these disciplines, and we encourage all interested and qualified candidates to apply to fill these positions. Something worth noting that is unique to the U.N. system is that the U.N. Secretariat has generic job profiles and titles. You may notice that UNEP recruits a lot of program management specialists. We encourage you to please read what the job description entails because even with the same job title, they are different roles in different units and divisions and require very different skill sets, technical knowledge, and work backgrounds. If you’re not familiar with the U.N. system, you may overlook exciting new roles because the job title is not creatively described. How would you describe the company culture at UNEP, and what qualities do you look for in candidates to ensure they align with this culture? Nsingwane: UNEP can only deliver on our mandates with the most diverse, agile, and fit-for-purpose personnel, including young professionals. Human resources are the organization’s greatest asset. Monica already mentioned the organizational culture and the soft skills required. To reiterate, we are always looking for people who have the technical skills and knowledge to support the organization’s work, but equally important for us is to recruit people who are also open to working with colleagues from all over the world, in many different duty stations, with different mother tongues, beliefs, work experience, education and socioeconomic backgrounds. We also need a workforce that has diverse experiences from a technical perspective. 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.