Jobs and internships
In line with its mission to provide global leadership in public health, WHO employs health specialists, medical doctors, scientists, epidemiologists and people with expertise in administration and finance, information systems, economics, health statistics as well as emergency preparedness and response.
Employment profiles at WHO
WHO recruits staff on fixed-term or temporary contracts. Staff are grouped in two broad streams: professional (P) or general service (G) staff. Directors (D) are part of the professional category.
Professional staff are hired internationally and have leadership functions or positions that require a significant level of technical expertise. They are mobile and are expected to work across the globe.
General service staff are hired locally at individual duty stations. Their main role is to work with and support professional staff in their roles and to assure the smooth functioning of all administrative matters.
National professional officers are nationals of the country in which they serve and perform functions of a professional nature requiring the local knowledge, expertise and experience of a national.
Internship programme
WHO's internship programme offers a wide range of opportunities for students to gain insight into the technical and administrative programmes of WHO. The duration of WHO internships is for not less than six (6) weeks and up to a maximum of six (6) months. Depending on the requirements of the programme at regional and country level, regional offices may decide to apply three (3) months as the maximum duration of internships.
As of January 2020, WHO provides a subsistence allowance to interns in need of financial support. All interns must complete a legal Declaration of Interests form. This form requires intern candidates to declare any relevant financial disclosures, including any financial support in the form of e.g. grants, bursaries, scholarships. Based on the information provided in this form, the intern candidates’ eligibility to receive financial support from WHO will be assessed.
Junior professional officer programme
The junior professional officer (JPO) programme provides young professionals at an early stage in their career with practical experience in multilateral technical cooperation. JPOs are sponsored by their governments: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
