UNDP is launching a new and exciting 2-year Graduate Programme that will equip outstanding young graduates with the skills and experience required to kick-start their career in international development, and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), build better futures and make a positive difference in the world!

Assignment

The Graduate Programme offers a unique opportunity to contribute to UNDP’s mandate.  It is a 2-year assignment with one or more of our country, regional or headquarter offices. Assignments are in areas related to the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on two streams: 

- Programme and Policy: In this stream you will contribute to UNDP’s programmes and project activities..

- Corporate Operations:  In this stream you will contribute to management services that support effective implementation of UNDP programmes, or work in the area of organisational policies, processes, and oversight.

Successful applicants will be assigned to one or more locations around the world, including: Bangladesh (Dhaka); Denmark (Copenhagen), Laos (Vientiane), Maldives (Male), Mongolia (Ulaan Baator), Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby), Samoa (Apia), Thailand (Bangkok), Timor-Leste (Dili), Turkey (Istanbul), United States (New York).

Personal Growth

We offer participants a customised learning journey. This provides an opportunity to enhance your knowledge, stretch your capabilities and give you real-world experience alongside some of the brightest minds in the development world.

As a pathway into the world of development, the programme offers talented graduates excellent exposure to multilateral cooperation and sustainable development, while providing a valuable entry point into UNDP and the wider UN system.

Benefits

- A one-year international professional entry-level contract (renewable for a second year on demonstrating good performance).

- A competitive salary.

- Ticket for travel between your location and the duty station.

- Paid annual leave.

- Paid sick leave.

- Health and disability insurance.

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Who are we looking for?

We are looking for candidates who are available to join UNDP from October 2021 onwards and who meet the following requirements:

Education

Master’s degree in a relevant field (with not more than 1 year of relevant work experience acquired after this degree).

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (with a minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience and not more than 3 years acquired after this degree).

One of your degrees (Master's or Bachelor's degree) should be from one of the countries where UNDP works to promote the Sustainable Development Goals.

We encourage applications from a wide range of relevant degree courses:

- To be eligible for the programme and policy stream, you will likely have graduated in one or more of the following areas: political science, public administration, international relations, development studies, economics, statistics, data management, environmental science or a related field.

- For the corporate operations stream, you will likely have graduated in one or more of the following areas: business or public administration, finance, law, procurement or supply chain management, economics, data management, or a related field.

Experience

We are looking for engaged young individuals who match UNDP’s values:

- Integrity

- Accountability

- Transparency

- Professionalism

- Mutual Respect

- Results Orientation (Through Principled Performance)

You may also have worked to make an impact at community, provincial or national level (including in civil society, government, NGOs, IGOs or individually).

Language ability

You must be able to demonstrate that you are able to work effectively in English in a professional context.

For some positions, a working knowledge of French, Arabic or Spanish may be a strong asset. 

Please note that for this 2021 cohort, the application and selection process will be conducted in English. You are required to complete your application in English.

Other

You must be a national of one of the countries where UNDP works to support the Sustainable Development Goals. Nationals from the countries listed below are particularly encouraged to apply:

Eligibility: 

Education

Master’s degree in a relevant field (with not more than 1 year of relevant work experience acquired after this degree).

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (with a minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience and not more than 3 years acquired after this degree).

One of your degrees (Master's or Bachelor's degree) should be from one of the countries where UNDP works to promote the Sustainable Development Goals.

We encourage applications from a wide range of relevant degree courses:

- To be eligible for the programme and policy stream, you will likely have graduated in one or more of the following areas: political science, public administration, international relations, development studies, economics, statistics, data management, environmental science or a related field.

- For the corporate operations stream, you will likely have graduated in one or more of the following areas: business or public administration, finance, law, procurement or supply chain management, economics, data management, or a related field.

Experience

We are looking for engaged young individuals who match UNDP’s values:

- Integrity

- Accountability

- Transparency

- Professionalism

- Mutual Respect

- Results Orientation (Through Principled Performance)

You may also have worked to make an impact at community, provincial or national level (including in civil society, government, NGOs, IGOs or individually).

Language ability

You must be able to demonstrate that you are able to work effectively in English in a professional context.

For some positions, a working knowledge of French, Arabic or Spanish may be a strong asset. 

Please note that for this 2021 cohort, the application and selection process will be conducted in English. You are required to complete your application in English.

Other

You must be a national of one of the countries where UNDP works to support the Sustainable Development Goals. Nationals from the countries listed below are particularly encouraged to apply:

Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Botswana, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chad, Central African Republic, Comoros, Cook Islands, Congo (Rep. of), Djibouti, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Lao (PDR), Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Palau, Samoa, Sao Tome & Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Yemen.