United Nations Secretariat
Last updated 2 August 2026
All organisations · Secretariat entity · The UN Secretariat and its entities
Where it posts vacancies
What it hires
- Political affairs and peacebuilding officers (DPPA, DPO missions)
- Human rights officers (OHCHR) and humanitarian affairs officers (OCHA)
- Legal officers (Office of Legal Affairs and mission rule-of-law functions)
- Programme management, administration, finance and budget officers
- Public information and communications professionals
- Field Service category staff (logistics, security, mission support) for peace operations
Contract types
FTA (fixed-term, 1 to 5 years, renewable; the standard international staff contract), TA (temporary, up to 364 days, fewer entitlements), Continuing Appointment (open-ended, after sustained service). Internships and consultancies also run through the Secretariat but on separate terms.
Headquarters and footprint
New York HQ; major hubs in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi; regional commissions and peace operations give it a presence on every continent.
Before you apply
Portals, contract names and recruitment routes change. Verify against the organisation’s own pages before relying on anything here: careers.un.org · hr.un.org. This entry was last verified 2026-06.
What the full directory adds
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Also in the un secretariat and its entities
- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)