The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) is in charge of implementing the Italian Junior Professional Officers Programme, also referred to as the JPO Programme, a multilateral development cooperation project funded by the Italian government.
It enables qualified Italian nationals with a Master’s degree from an advanced university who are under 30 years old (31 or 33 for graduates in medicine and surgery) and who have excellent English and Italian language skills to gain work experience with international organizations for two years, with the option of an additional one-year extension.
The Program serves two purposes: it helps international organizations carry out their operations by providing them with skilled personnel; and it gives qualified young professionals looking for an international career the opportunity to gain relevant experience that may increase their chances of being hired by international organizations or in the international field.
Eligibility
Candidates must meet all the following requirements to be considered eligible for the 2022/2023 edition:
- born on or after 1 January 1992 (1 January 1991 for graduates in Medicine; 1 January 1989 for graduates in Medicine who have already been awarded a post-graduate medical specialization degree)
- Italian nationality
- Fluency in English and Italian
- Advanced university degree awarded before the application deadline, such as:
- Laurea Magistrale/Specialistica
- Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico
- Laurea/Laurea Triennale plus university Master’s degree
- Bachelor’s degree plus university Master’s degree.
For the 2022/2023 edition, a limited number of positions will be assigned to candidates from developing countries (Least Developed Countries and priority countries for the Italian Development Cooperation).
Evaluation Criteria
Given the highly competitive nature of the Italian JPO Programme, as well as the increasingly demanding skillsets and level of experience sought by International Organizations, the following qualifications are considered important elements during the evaluation phase:
- Knowledge of other UN official languages/languages spoken in developing countries
- Additional academic qualifications and/or training courses
- Solid professional work experience
- Key competencies such as client orientation, teamwork, communication, accountability, planning and organizing
Application
The deadline for submitting applications to the 2022/2023 round of the Italian JPO Programme is December 15, 2022 at 3 p.m. (Italy local time).
