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Who are our staff?
Employment Profiles at WHO
WHO recruits staff on fixed-term or temporary contracts. Staff are grouped into two broad streams – Professional or General Service staff.
Professional Staff
Applicants are normally required to have a university degree as well as a relevant postgraduate specialization, experience at national and/or international level in the required field of public health and development issues.
Generally, we seek applications from candidates in the following fields:
- Health related : medical officers; epidemiologists; public health specialists; related paramedical fields; environmental health specialists; health scientists; statisticians; health economists; policy analysts.
- Non health-related: finance; human resources; informatics; legal; general administration.
Often, the professional technical staff act as advisers in public health to Member states. Candidates should therefore normally have substantial training and experience in this field before they can be considered for an assignment. Because of WHO's particular needs and the keen competition, we are able to offer appointments only to very few applicants. Applications are carefully considered against current and projected vacancies.
| Grade |
Experience |
N° of years / relevant experience |
Minimum qualifications |
| P1 |
Limited |
1 year |
First university degree of equivalent professional training or self-study/work experience (see below) |
| P2 |
Some |
2 years |
First university degree of equivalent professional training or self-study/work experience (see below) |
| P3 |
Some |
5 years |
Advanced university degree or equivalent professional training of self study/work experience (see below) |
| P4 |
Several |
7 years |
Advanced university degree |
| P5/P6/D1/D2 |
Considerable |
10 years |
Advanced university degree |
Additional years of education over and above five years of post-secondary education at the post-graduate level (i.e., master’s level) may be credited towards years of experience to a maximum of two years and once only (i.e. if a person has multiple master’s level degrees then these cannot be credited multiple times in lieu of experience).
General Service Staff
Candidates are required to have graduated from secondary school (or have equivalent work experience), have secretarial/business/commercial qualifications and have the necessary language and computer skills. In addition, high levels of adaptability and good communication skills are desirable. Such openings are filled by recruiting in the area of the duty station. Candidates normally reside in the area in which the office is located.
| Level |
Experience |
Education |
Language |
|
|
| Usually 10-15 years |
| Usually 8 years |
| Usually 5-7 years |
| Usually 2-4 years |
| Usually 2 years |
|
Secondary, technical or commercial school |
Usually require a very good command of one official language and a working knowledge of a second. Knowledge of a third would be an advantage. The language requirements depend on the duty station. |
Others Supporting the Work of the WHO
Junior Professional Officers (JPOs)
The Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme within WHO is a starting point for young professionals who wish to pursue a career in public health. JPOs are sponsored by their respective governments and some governments also sponsor developing country candidates. The donor governments sponsoring JPOs for the World Health Organization (WHO) are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Norway, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
At WHO JPOs serve at country offices, regional offices and at headquarters. Under the supervision of a senior staff member, JPOs work with international and national staff and are involved in the identification, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of WHO programmes. The purposes of assignments vary and may have a country-specific, regional, sector-based or thematic focus.
Qualifications
Candidates for the JPO Programme are selected following a highly competitive process. In order to be considered for the programme, the following qualifications are required:
- Usually be under 32 years of age;
- Academic qualifications: Master's degree (or equivalent) in a discipline related to public health or management and administration;
- Language skills: written and spoken proficiency in English. Knowledge of another of the following languages is desirable: French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian or Chinese;
- Excellent information technology skills, including word-processing, database applications, presentation software and internet;
- Evidence of ability to think strategically; to express ideas clearly; to work independently and in teams; to demonstrate a sense of self-assuredness combined with cultural and gender sensitivity;
- A strong commitment to public health; an interest in adapting to varied physical and professional environments; and a desire to work with people with different language, national and cultural backgrounds;
- Respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and the participating UN agencies' Mission Statements;
- Minimum of one to two years of relevant professional working experience. Working experience in a developing country desirable.
Contract
JPOs are offered one-year fixed term contracts which are normally renewed for a second year (two years being the usual length of assignment), subject to satisfactory performance. Salaries correspond with those of entry-level UN professional staff (P1 - P2).
How can I find out more about the programme?
Detailed information on how to apply to become a JPO, and the conditions of employment of this UN-wide programme can be found on the dedicated webpage.
Junior Professional Officers' webpage
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