How you land your Senior Executive dream job at the UN - the do's and dont's

You may be qualified, but did you know that your excellent skills are likely not what eventually brings you the job. Read the advice from our Executive recruiters, and learn about the hidden (but most important) selection requirements of the United Nations.

When you understand how the system works from the inside and you make strategic moves, then your chances to land your Executive dream job increase dramatically. It is up to you to make smart and strategic career moves.

In this article, our Executive recruiters will list some do's and don't's to make your application case stronger next time you apply for a Senior Level or Senior Executive Level career role.  These tips are equally relevant for both you who already work in the UN and for those of you who are looking for a way in.

Do's and don’ts for you as a senior leader

Don’t use the UN as your shortcut for an individual thematic career change! UN always searches for the most suitable leader, both from a leadership/managerial perspective and from a thematic perspective. A thematic career change could be when a Senior Executive in the area of Finance applies for a Director’s position in the area of Elections. These executives lack relevant thematic skills, lack a relevant background, and probably lack the right education. We encourage you not to try the UN or any other development agencies as your shortcut to a ‘thematic’ career change. All careers must be built over time.

  

Don’t ignore the importance of geographic quotas when applying for top Executive jobs!

When applying for Senior Executive positions geographic quota is strictly applied in all organizations. Quota is a hidden selection criterion, but probably one of the most important. It would hardly happen that two Senior leaders from the same country would hold top executive roles at the same time in the same organization. In this context, when we talk about top executive roles we are referring to Bureau Directors (ASG) and Higher. (Remark: In some organizations, the bureau directors are (D2), but the same logic applies).

It is absolutely imperative that you gain knowledge about how your country is represented at a higher level. If you find that your country holds several Senior Executive roles, the chances for your application to succeed will decrease.

Don’t underestimate the importance of seeking support from your government!

When applying to Senior Executive positions at UN it may be a piece of good advice to seek support from your Government. In most cases, country representatives would gladly support your application as long as you have the profile and experience that is transferable and relevant for a leadership role. 

Sometimes the Government has a good picture of what UN jobs their nationals are applying for, in that case, you can ask if they are supporting anyone for a specific role. They may respond that they cannot support your application as they already support someone else for that job. 

In some areas it appears that certain governments are better than others to secure high-level representation, one example tends to be procurement where Anglo-Saxon countries are very well represented on managerial positions in all credible organizations. This focus may be related to the financial impact these roles can have.

However, in most cases, Governments lack knowledge about the national composition of UN applicants. This is an area where Impactpool has a lot of expertise and technical abilities to support them. If you are a Governmental representative reading this article don't hesitate to contact us for more information.

Do your homework 1: understand what leadership positions are available for you!

It appears to be an unofficial split between the most senior executive positions of UN organizations. We have touched upon this subject in an earlier article (10 myths about the UN and The Political game behind the selections at UNDP). The UN may never confirm our standpoint in this area, but we have seen a clear pattern. 

If you study more closely the Funds and Programmes, you will in more or less all cases find that if a Leader of an organization comes from a Developed country, it is very likely that the Deputy also comes from a Developing country. And vice versa in case the leader is from a Developing country. Also if the Leader is a male, it is most likely that the deputy is a female and vice versa.

Often senior leadership positions are divided between regional leaders and managerial leaders. For example, in larger UN Programme and Funds the Regional Bureau Director for Africa will most likely origin from Africa, the same would apply for the Regional Bureau Director for Asia, s/he will most likely origin from Asia, etc.

In these larger organizations, you will find that the Management Director is often from Developed countries, also the External Relations, Communications, Policy, and Legal Director is also most likely from Developed countries.

The gender perspective is also playing into the selection decision. UN strives to achieve a better balance. If there is gender inequality at the senior level, it is very likely that the next upcoming opportunity will balance that out.

Do your homework 2: study and understand different grade levels!

The UN has different senior executive grade levels. In some cases, it is the Bureau Director that has the authority to decide on recruitment selections, but for other levels, it is the Head of the Organization or even the Secretary-General. This is important to know as an applicant, as the higher up the selection decision happens the more important are the diversity considerations and a balance within the whole UN system.

A Bureau Director (often at the level of Assistant Secretary-General, ASG) can normally decide the selection for all positions at D1 and below. If you are not familiar with the different grades of the UN, it may be a good idea to cross-read this article together with another article we have published focusing on contract types. However, it is worth knowing that even a D1 position can be decided above the ASG level in an organization, and often this has to do with what responsibility the D1 has. If it is a D1 that is head of an office (Ombudsman, Audit, etc), the Head of Organization may want to be deciding on the selection, as the reporting lines will be direct to her/him.

When it comes to leadership positions in country offices, so called Resident Representatives/Coordinators (RR/RC) or Deputy Special Representatives of the Secretary-General (DSRSG), these appointments are delegated by the Secretary-General to the Head of UNDP (Administrator of UNDP).

For Resident Representatives/Resident Coordinators (RR/RC), also sometimes referred to as to the United Nations ambassadors in the field, it can be good to know that these positions are decided based on a "nomination scheme".

All agencies within the UN Common system can nominate candidates, who often are senior leaders already working in the nominating organizations. Sometimes external candidates are proposed; these are often senior leaders from under-represented donor countries or significant political leaders. 

This order of decision authority is key to understand when applying for a Senior role.

The Secretary-General (SG) of the United Nations always appoints Assistant Secretary-General (ASG), Under-Secretary-General (USG) and Special Representatives of the Secretary-General (SRSG).

Don’t disregard, but neither worry too much about the requirements in the advertisement!

In earlier articles we have written about the importance of fulfilling all requirements before applying; however, when it comes to recruitments at the D2 level and above, this is no longer equally important, as a much higher level of flexibility is applied. However, if you are not close to the required years or have relevant experience when applying you will hardly be considered.