Working at the UNCCD secretariat

The UNCCD secretariat supports the Convention to Combat Desertification and its work on land degradation, drought and sustainable land management. Like the UNFCCC secretariat, it is institutionally linked to the United Nations. For recruitment, however, UNCCD currently advertises staff vacancies through UN Careers and uses Inspira.

Its staff posts follow the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules. Consultants and individual contractors are not staff, even when their assignments support the same Convention bodies.

Staff categories and appointments

Internationally recruited Professional and Director posts use P and D grades. General Service positions use G grades and are locally recruited. UNCCD’s workforce is based largely in Bonn, with some roles linked to regional or project activity.

The grade describes the level of responsibility. Appointment type determines duration. UNCCD’s official application guidelines say that fixed-term contracts are usually granted initially for one year and may be extended according to business needs and individual performance.

Temporary contracts can run for up to 364 days and may be extended to a cumulative total of 729 days under the published guidance. They remain temporary and do not create an expectation of a fixed-term post.

Recent UNCCD staff notices also explain whether a fixed-term appointment is limited to the entity and whether an initial probationary period applies. The special notice in the job opening is authoritative. Applicants should not assume that the general one-year description overrides the terms of a particular offer.

There is no separate “UNCCD grade” for land or drought experts. P-3, P-4 and General Service grades are official UN categories.

Consultants and individual contractors

UNCCD hires consultants for specialist advisory work and individual contractors for defined tasks. Consultants may prepare policy analysis, facilitate meetings, develop technical guidance or evaluate programmes. Contractors can provide operational or project support for a limited period.

The UNCCD guidelines state that both are non-staff personnel. They do not receive staff benefits such as paid leave or medical insurance, and their conditions are governed by the contract and the general conditions for consultants and individual contractors. They are responsible for their own tax obligations.

A consultancy can be advertised through UN Careers or through an official UNCCD notice with a submission method specified in the terms of reference. Candidates must follow that notice. Sending an application to individual staff members is not a substitute.

Procurement opportunities for companies are separate from individual employment. A firm bidding to deliver a study or event service is a vendor, not a consultant applying for a personal contract.

Internships and other routes

UNCCD offers internships under its own published programme conditions. Interns are not junior Professional staff. The vacancy or internship page states eligibility, duration and support.

Secondments, JPOs and other sponsored personnel may also work with the secretariat. Their legal status comes from the relevant agreement. A government-sponsored expert is not automatically a UNCCD fixed-term staff member.

The Global Mechanism is part of the Convention’s institutional work and focuses on mobilisation of financial resources. Applicants should still rely on the employing entity and contract type shown in the notice.

Career fields

UNCCD recruits policy and programme specialists in land degradation neutrality, drought resilience, sustainable land management, restoration, rangelands and food systems. Science and data roles support monitoring, indicators, reporting and knowledge platforms.

Finance specialists work on investment, resource mobilisation and implementation. Other positions cover gender, youth, civil society, partnerships and regional coordination. Conference affairs, legal services and intergovernmental support are important because the secretariat services the Conference of the Parties and subsidiary bodies.

Communications, information technology, finance, human resources, procurement and administration support the organisation. A broad environmental background may not be sufficient for a vacancy requiring soil science, drought policy, geospatial data or negotiation support.

Applying

Staff vacancies are listed on the UNCCD vacancies page and linked to UN Careers for application through Inspira. Some consultancy notices give a different official route; follow the individual instructions exactly.

Before applying, note the category, grade, appointment type, duration, duty station and whether the post is limited to the entity. For a non-staff role, review deliverables, fees, insurance, tax and equipment requirements.

UNCCD does not charge recruitment fees. Its name describes the treaty and mandate. The notice tells you whether the legal relationship is a UN staff appointment, temporary service, consultancy, individual contract or another arrangement.