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 from six weeks to three months. Exceptionally, internships may be extended to a maximum of six months depending on the needs of the WHO technical unit and the intern’s availability. WHO internships are not paid and all costs of travel and accommodation are the responsibility of the intern.
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, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.