Requirements for the National Officer staff category
National Officer (NO) staff are nationals of the country where their duty station is located
Requirements for the National Officer staff category
National Officer (NO) staff are nationals of the country where their duty station is located. They perform functions of a technical and professional nature. Broadly speaking, the requirements for the NO staff category are similar to those of International Professional (IP) staff, with a more pronounced emphasis on in-depth knowledge of the local setting, institutions and partners.
Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and may not be fully updated. *
Education
National Officer (NO) are normally required to have an advanced university degree in a field relevant to the work of UNICEF. In some cases, extensive qualifying work experience may be considered instead. Please be sure to check the academic requirements of the vacancy announcement you are interested in.
Degree Accreditation
For employment consideration, UNICEF will accept only university degrees that satisfy the required level of education and come from bona fide (accredited) academic institutions. Degrees requiring little or no actual course work, degrees awarded for payment of fees only, and degrees granting substantial credits for ”lifetime achievements” or “life/work experience” will not be recognized by UNICEF.
UNICEF’s degree accreditation is guided by the International Association of Universities’ (IAU) listing of higher education institutions recognized or otherwise approved by competent authorities in participating countries. UNICEF will normally recognize only degrees obtained from institutions on the IAU list, however, the validity of other degrees submitted by applicants under consideration may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Incomplete degrees are not accepted as proof of academic qualification, regardless of whether or not they are associated with a recognized higher education institution.
Work Experience
The work experience should be relevant to the position and to the work of UNICEF. Working experience in developing countries, in the field of development work, in an international or emergency setting is important. Each position will have job-specific requirements including technical knowledge and skills. It is important to carefully read the requirements of the vacancy announcement you might be interested in.
Within the NO category there are different levels of staff, each with a required minimum number of years of relevant professional work experience.
- NO-1 One year of relevant professional work experience
- NO-2 Two years of relevant professional work experience
- NO-3 Five years of relevant professional work experience
- NO-4 Eight years of relevant professional work experience
- NO-5 Ten years of relevant professional work experience
Language
Proficiency in English and in another Official UN working language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is required.