Job FAQs and resources

For more information on requirements for various staff categories and contract types, please see Job contract types.

We welcome applications from anyone and do not apply a quota system for geographical distribution. However, we try to make the composition of our staff reflective of the vast diversity of the community we serve. We also encourage women to apply to all vacancies, and we are proud to have achieved gender balance.

UNFPA is not able to hire persons who are 65 years of age or older, which is the mandatory age of separation or retirement.

An excellent command of English is required to work at UNFPA. In rare cases, a working knowledge of English and fluency in the language of the duty station is sufficient. Language requirements will always be indicated in the job description for a position.

The official languages of the United Nations are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Knowing these or other languages beyond the job description requirements is considered an asset.

In a family duty station, internationally recruited staff members are allowed to have their families residing with them at the duty station.

In the case of a non-family duty station, families of internationally recruited staff members are not permitted to reside there due to the prevailing security situation. Additional benefits are provided to staff members to compensate for having to establish two separate households to enable their families to live outside the duty station in a safe location.

Rotational posts are subject to managed geographic rotation. During UNFPA’s annual rotation exercise, staff who hold rotational posts may be reassigned from one UNFPA duty station to another. The length of the tour of duty in a particular duty station for a staff member in a rotational post depends on the conditions within the duty station and ranges from 2 to 5 years.

Non-rotational posts are not included in the rotation exercise, and staff who hold such posts remain in the same duty station. Non-rotational posts may be designated as rotational posts as determined appropriate by UNFPA.

The vacancy announcement for a post indicates if the post is currently rotational or non-rotational.

Please see the ‘Why UNFPA?’ section for information on salaries and the range of other benefits offered as part of UNFPA’s comprehensive rewards package for staff.

No. Individual consultants on special service agreements (SSAs) are hired on a short-term or intermittent basis to meet a particular requirement. These are not staff positions, and therefore are not eligible for benefits.

Consultants must have their own medical insurance for the duration of their contract, and submit proof of insurance before the contract begins.

Yes, interns receive a stipend from UNFPA to support covering basic expenses. This amount is reduced for those who are in receipt of financial support from a government, institution or a third party.

The United Nations system consists of the UN Secretariat, the UN’s programmes and funds, and specialized agencies.

UNFPA is a UN fund. It is a signatory to an inter-organization agreement intended to facilitate mobility, allowing transfers, secondments and loans of staff between different organizations in the UN system. That means that as a UNFPA staff member, you may have opportunities to hold positions with other UN entities over the course of your career.

We are not able to consider unsolicited applications. Please keep an eye on the positions advertised on our site and apply for advertised vacancies that match your interests and qualifications.

For vacancies advertised on our site, UNFPA can only accept applications received via the Quantum system, UNFPA’s electronic platform for recruitment. Click on the ‘Apply Now’ link on the job description on the UNFPA website jobs page, which will take you to the Quantum system. Here is a step by step guide for applying through.

Unfortunately, UNFPA is unable to accept any applications received after the closing date.

You may apply for as many vacancies as you like. However, we recommend being selective and applying only for posts that match your qualifications and skills. Remember to tailor your application and motivational statement to each post.

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fees in connection with the application or recruitment process.

Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. It does not come from UNFPA, regardless of any emblems, logos, names or addresses on the solicitation (note that these are easily copied). You are advised to take particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

You can use your existing application data. However, you should write a new motivational statement and fill in the application questionnaire for each new application. We recommend that you review your application and tailor it to the new post you are applying for.

We encourage you to complete all sections and to be as thorough as possible. Incomplete applications with missing information may not be considered.

You can save the information you entered and return at a later time to finish your online application by logging in and using your login credentials, which you created when you registered.

Make sure to save your work often – and always click ‘Save’ before exiting the application! Click the ‘Submit’ button once your application is complete.

Yes, it indicates other nationalities/citizenships you have acquired since birth. There is a separate “nationality at birth” field to record your citizenship at birth. What order should I use to enter my work experience into the system?

It does not matter. Whatever order you enter your work experiences in, the system will sort them chronologically for review by the recruiting team.

Yes. Provide your supervisor’s phone number if available. If not, provide the company’s or organization’s phone number.

You can attach CV and cover letter files to the application. You can insert any relevant links in the “publications” section.

You should include at least one and no more than three references in your application.

No. The application you submit to a vacancy is not changed by subsequent changes you make to your data.

However, you can keep your name, address, phone, email, marital status and nationality information current by updating your ‘Personal Information’; these changes will apply to all of your existing applications.

After you have submitted an application, the only changes you can make are to your personal information (e.g. name, address, email address etc).

After you have saved your application data, exit the application and then click the ‘Personal Information’ link. In the ‘Personal Information’ section you can change your address, e-mail, phone number, etc.

Applicants should only create one login for themselves. In other words, you should register only once. Using a different application login will not allow you to access information from previous applications made under your original login.

Any formatting, such as bullets or underlining, will be omitted.

Red fields indicate missing information. Please complete your application by filling in the missing information and clicking ‘Save’ or ‘Submit’ again. Your application will not be saved and information could be lost if you do not provide the missing information and then click ‘Save’ or ‘Submit’.

These issues may be browser-related. Please update your browser to the most current version, clear the browser cache, and continue the application process.

First, clear the value in the language code field. Second, use the magnifying glass to find and select a valid value for the language code.

You will receive an email confirmation with the address you registered with. Be aware of spam filters that might block or re-route the confirmation email.

You can also check that your application status says ‘Applied’ on your personal profile.

You can check the status of your application by logging into your candidate profile here.

The selection process normally takes between 2 to 6 months. Shortlisted candidates are normally contacted for interview or further assessment 4 to 6 weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

For applications made via Quantum, the system will acknowledge safe receipt of your application.

Only candidates who are shortlisted will subsequently be contacted (normally 4 to 6 weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement). Due to the large volume of applications received, UNFPA regrets it is unable to contact all other applicants personally.

You can determine the status of your application at any time by logging into the Quantum and navigating to your personal profile.

Candidates who participate in the evaluation process (testing or interview) will be notified by UNFPA about whether or not they are finally selected for a position.