UN agency vacancies almost always show a grade: G-6, NO-B, P-3… That code tells you who can apply, how much experience is expected and what kind of contract is offered. Here is how to read it.
The main job categories
| Category | Grades | Who can apply |
|---|---|---|
| General Service | G-1 to G-7 | Local recruitment: you usually need to be a national or have the right to work in the country. Assistants, drivers, secretaries, accountants, logisticians. |
| National Officers | NO-A to NO-D | Nationals of the duty station country only. Professional roles: programme officers, specialists. |
| International Professional | P-1 to P-5 | All nationalities. International mobility expected. |
| Directors | D-1, D-2 | Senior leadership roles. |
| Field Service | FS-4 to FS-7 | Support roles in peacekeeping missions (logistics, security, IT). |
How many years of experience?
In the UN Secretariat, with a master's degree, the usual benchmarks are: P-2 at least 2 years of experience, P-3 5 years, P-4 7 years, P-5 10 years. For national posts, expect about 1 to 2 years for NO-A, 2 to 3 for NO-B, 5 for NO-C and 7 for NO-D. Each agency sets its own rules, so always read the "Experience" section of the posting.
Contracts that are not staff posts
- Consultants and individual contractors (CON, IC): assignments from a few weeks to a few months, paid per day or per deliverable.
- Service contracts at WFP (SC-1 to SC-11) and UNDP (NPSA, IPSA): non-staff personnel contracts, often renewable.
- UN Volunteers (UNV): national or international assignments with a living allowance.
- Internships: usually for students or recent graduates, sometimes unpaid depending on the agency.
Reading a vacancy
Check four things before applying: the grade, the contract type (Fixed Term, Temporary, Consultancy), the duration and the deadline. A posting marked "internal candidates only" is open to agency staff only. On Terrain Jobs, the grade appears on each job whenever the organization publishes it.