The ITU workforce is made up of different categories of staff. Within each category, there are different levels, which reflect increasing levels of responsibilities and requirements. The information in this section will help you decide which staff category, and at what level, you fit in. This will be useful when you start searching and applying for jobs.

These are the different categories of staff at the United Nations:

• Professional and higher categories (P1 to P5 and D1 to D2)
• General Service (G1 to G7)
• National Professional Officers (NOA to NOE)

Professional and Higher Categories

Staff in the International professionals and higher categories are recruited internationally. There is a wide range of jobs in this category requiring a high degree of educational, substantive expertise, analytical and communication skills, and/or managerial leadership ability.

Work in the Professional category generally demands a high degree of analytical and communication skills, substantive expertise and/or managerial leadership ability. Typically, these positions require judgment in analyzing and evaluating problems as well as in decision-making involving discretionary choices between alternative courses of action. They also require the understanding of an organized body of theoretical knowledge at a level equivalent to that represented by a university degree.

Positions in the Higher category (D-1 and D-2 levels) represent the highest level on the career staffing structure of the Organization. They manage a programme of the Organization. They are also expected to provide leadership in formulating and implementing the substantive work programme of a department, determine priorities, and allocate resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.

National Professional Officer (NPO)

National Professionals Officers (NPOs) are locally recruited staff members and perform functions at a professional level. The qualifications for National Professional Officers are the same as for the International Professional and higher categories. NPOs are expected to bring national experience and knowledge to the work of the Organization in their country. Jobs for National Professional Officers can only be found in non-headquarters duty stations.

National Professional Officers are nationals of the country in which they are serving, and their functions must have a national context, i.e., functions that require national experience or knowledge of the national language, culture, institutions, and systems.

General Service category (HQ and Field)

Our programmes and professional staff are supported by local residents or nationals, employed in the general service staff category. They are essential for our success, have a wide range of skills, and are valued by our teams across the Organization. The functions in the General Service include administrative, secretarial and clerical support as well as specialized technical functions such as printing, security, and buildings maintenance.

The work carried out by General Service staff supports the functioning of the Organization and is typically procedural, operational, or technical in nature. The work in these categories’ ranges from routine duties to varied and complex assignments. The knowledge of the subject matter and higher-level skills are generally developed through long experience and familiarity with applicable procedures, regulations and precedents or projects of the Organization in a narrow technical field or in an administrative support activity. The higher the level of the job, the more complex the functions become along with higher levels of responsibility.