UN Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Program

Open Positions

Overview

Through USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), the United States sponsors qualified U.S. citizens for employment across five United Nations (UN) agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Working both in UN headquarters and the field, USAID/BHA-sponsored JPOs have delivered important contributions to the humanitarian community—advancing priority technical and thematic areas—while cultivating their own professional growth and career development. After completing their JPO assignments, many USAID/BHA-sponsored JPOs have often successfully competed for positions within the UN and other international organizations.

USAID/BHA sponsored JPOs are employees of the UN agency, not of the U.S. Government.

Please see a one-page snapshot to learn more about USAID/BHA’s support to the JPO program.

Eligibility

Qualifications for JPO positions vary, depending on the assignment and UN agency’s selection criteria. The following criteria are most commonly used by UN agencies.

• Education: An advanced university degree.
• Experience: Three to five or more years of work experience in humanitarian assistance or disaster relief with an academic background in fields related to human rights, disaster management, international relations, international development or public policy. Prior work experience in or familiarity with the UN system is also helpful.
• Languages: Proficiency in at least one U.N. working language in addition to English is preferred.

Additional USAID/BHA criteria include:

• Citizenship: Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• Age: Applicants must be no older than 32 years of age as of December 31 of the year of application.

Application Instructions

The JPO selection process is carried out jointly by USAID/BHA and the UN. To apply, please send a completed UN Personal History Statement (P11) (see link below), a cover letter/letter of interest, and a general resume to bha.jpocoordinator@usaid.gov.

Please state which position you are applying for in the subject line of your email. If you wish to apply for more than one position, please complete a Personal History Statement (P11) for each position and submit these to bha.jpocoordinator@usaid.gov in separate emails with the appropriate subject heading.

Applicants will receive an initial email acknowledgement of their submitted application if it is submitted before the specified deadline, and will be contacted by USAID/BHA if selected for an interview.

Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

Application Details

Please complete the UN Personal History Statement (P11) Form. The P11 provides the opportunity to include all required information in one document, including your professional work experience and references. Please attach a cover letter to explain your interest in the position and interest in working with the UN, along with a general resume.

• The P11 form must be completed in English only.
• You may leave the signature/date sections blank at this time. If selected for one of the positions, you will then need to submit a signed version.
• Do NOT submit a photograph.
• Please submit your application documents in PDF format when possible.