The Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme, administered by UNDP’s JPO Service Centre, gives young development professionals an entry-level post at UNDP or a partner UN agency, at duty stations worldwide.
Each post is paid for by a sponsoring government, which normally recruits only its own nationals; Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden also fund posts for nationals of developing countries. A Specialist Development Programme (SDP) runs alongside for more experienced candidates.
Benefits & funding
- A UN staff contract with salary and standard entitlements — dependency allowances, lump-sum travel and relocation, home leave, health insurance, UN pension — paid by the sponsoring government.
- A one-year Letter of Appointment, normally extended to two years on good performance and donor funding; a third or fourth year depends on the sponsor’s policy.
- Learning and career support through the Service Centre’s “Formation Journey”.
Eligibility
- Nationality — two routes; each vacancy names who may apply:
- Nationals of a current sponsoring country, for posts their own government funds: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
- Sweden-funded posts are also open to holders of a Swedish residence permit who are not nationals of an OECD country. Taken together, the routes leave out only nationals of Chile, Costa Rica, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States.
- Nationals of developing countries, for posts Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands or Sweden open to them; each of those sponsors sets which countries qualify. Developing countries here means the OECD DAC list of ODA recipients: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
- No country-of-residence requirement is stated.
- A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a development-related discipline.
- At least two years of paid, relevant work experience (five for SDP).
- Age: usually under 32 (38 for SDP); check your own government’s rules.
- Written and spoken English; French and/or Spanish is a strong asset.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Canada · Guatemala · Nicaragua · Honduras · El Salvador · Panama · Belize · Cuba · Haiti · Jamaica · Bahamas · Barbados
+ 200 more
Dominican Republic · Dominica · Grenada · Antigua and Barbuda · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago · Anguilla · Aruba · Bermuda · Bonaire · Saba · Sint Eustatius · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Curaçao · Montserrat · Guadeloupe · Sint Maarten · Turks and Caicos Islands · Greenland · Brazil · Argentina · Colombia · Peru · Ecuador · Paraguay · Bolivia · Uruguay · Venezuela · Guyana · Suriname · Falkland Islands · UK · France · Germany · Italy · Spain · Portugal · Netherlands · Belgium · Luxembourg · Switzerland · Austria · Sweden · Norway · Denmark · Finland · Iceland · Faroe Islands · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Jersey · Isle of Man · Åland Islands · Svalbard and Jan Mayen · Romania · Serbia · Bulgaria · Ukraine · Russia · Albania · Andorra · Belarus · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Croatia · Cyprus · Kosovo · Liechtenstein · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · North Macedonia · San Marino · Vatican City · China · Hong Kong · Macau · Taiwan · Japan · South Korea · North Korea · Singapore · Malaysia · Thailand · Vietnam · Indonesia · Philippines · India · Nepal · Brunei · Pakistan · Bangladesh · UAE · Palestine · Türkiye · Mongolia · Cambodia · Laos · Myanmar · Timor-Leste · Sri Lanka · Bhutan · Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bahrain · Georgia · Iran · Iraq · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Lebanon · Maldives · Oman · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Syria · Tajikistan · Turkmenistan · Uzbekistan · Yemen · South Africa · Kenya · Nigeria · Egypt · Morocco · Ghana · Uganda · Cameroon · Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Côte d'Ivoire · DR Congo · Republic of the Congo · Djibouti · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Zambia · Zimbabwe · Saint Helena · Australia · Fiji · Papua New Guinea · Samoa · Solomon Islands · Tonga · Vanuatu · Kiribati · Marshall Islands · Micronesia · Nauru · Palau · Tuvalu · French Polynesia · New Caledonia · Pitcairn Islands · Niue · Tokelau · Wallis and Futuna
Education required
Master
Experience required
≥ 2 yrs
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Application process
- 1Find a post on the Service Centre’s vacancies page or your own government’s JPO page, and check its eligible nationalities.
- 2Apply online through the UNDP job site before the post’s deadline, with a P11 Personal History Form, a CV and a cover letter written for that post.
- 3Shortlisted candidates have a competency-based interview; references are checked before selection.
Program timeline
Year-round
the Service Centre and partner countries advertise posts, each with its own deadline.
deadline for the current Belgium-sponsored post (Belgian nationals only).
15 October 2026
deadline for the current Norway-sponsored post (Norwegian nationals only).
25 October 2026