ADB Young Professionals Program

Benefits & funding

• A salaried appointment at international staff grade YP1; ADB benchmarks base pay to relevant markets, denominates international staff salary in US dollars, and reviews it annually.
• A three-year fixed-term contract; afterward, ADB may extend it once, end it, or convert it to a regular appointment at its discretion.
• An initial 18-month placement at Manila headquarters followed by a rotational assignment in another ADB area.
• Mentoring, professional development, cross-functional experience, and participation in missions, policy studies, and project work.
• ADB staff benefits include medical coverage, leave, retirement support, and, where applicable, relocation, housing, education, and home-country travel assistance.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be nationals of an ADB member: Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Georgia, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taipei,China, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, or United States.
• Applicants must be 32 years old or younger.
• Applicants must hold at least a first-level university degree with a strong academic record in a field relevant to the vacancy.
• At least three years of work experience relevant to ADB is required; internships count toward this minimum.
• Applicants must demonstrate commitment to development work, learning agility, interpersonal ability, and excellent written and spoken English.
• ADB generally excludes close relatives of current staff, except spouses of international staff.

Application process

1. 1
   Check the program’s Current Opportunities section in early September and select a posted Young Professional vacancy.
2. 2
   Create or use an ADB Career and Employment System account, complete the vacancy application in English, and submit it by the stated closing date.
3. 3
   If shortlisted, complete an online assessment and an asynchronous video interview with recorded answers.
4. 4
   Candidates who advance attend panel interviews scheduled between December and February.
5. 5
   Track the application in ADB Career and Employment System and monitor email for updates.

Program timeline

1. Applications open through posted Young Professional vacancies.

   Early September

2. Panel interviews for candidates who pass earlier assessment stages.

   December to February

3. First 18 months

   Initial assignment in an operations or operations-support area at Manila headquarters.

4. After 18 months

   Rotational assignment in another ADB area.

5. End of year 3

   ADB decides whether to extend, end, or regularize the appointment.