Working at ICAO: staff appointments, grades and aviation job families

ICAO’s Secretariat develops global civil aviation standards and supports their implementation. Its workforce includes staff members and non-staff personnel, with each group governed by different terms.

ICAO’s formal categories and appointments are set out in the ICAO Service Code. A technical title such as Aviation Security Officer does not indicate the contract on its own.

Staff categories and grades

The current ICAO Service Code classifies staff into Professional and higher categories and the General Service category.

Professional and higher posts use the common P and D structure. They are normally internationally recruited and include specialist, managerial and leadership work at headquarters in Montreal and ICAO regional offices. General Service posts provide local administrative, conference, technical and operational support.

ICAO’s formal public classification does not establish a general National Professional Officer ladder alongside those two categories. Applicants should not invent an NO equivalent for a locally focused technical vacancy. Use the category and grade printed in the official notice.

Types of staff appointment

A temporary appointment is for less than one year. In exceptional operational circumstances it may be extended, but the initial appointment and extensions remain below a total of 24 months at any given time. It carries no expectation of renewal and cannot be converted to another appointment type.

A fixed-term appointment is for one year or more, up to five years at a time. It has a stated expiry date and no legal expectation of renewal or conversion, regardless of service length.

A continuing appointment is open-ended. Under the Service Code, it can be granted after at least five years of continuous service on fixed-term appointments, subject to competence, integrity, efficiency and the detailed criteria in the Code. Five years of service is therefore an eligibility condition, not an automatic conversion.

ICAO also retains transitional permanent or former appointment categories for existing staff. Their appearance in workforce reports does not make them a normal external vacancy option.

Non-staff personnel

ICAO engages consultants and contractors for temporary expertise or services. It also receives seconded personnel financed as gratis or trust-funded personnel. ICAO’s 2024 workforce report lists these separately from staff.

A consultant or contractor does not acquire a P grade because the work is professional. The statement of work, fee, duration, insurance and travel clauses govern the engagement. Secondment depends on an agreement among ICAO, the releasing government or organization and the individual.

Gratis personnel, trust-funded personnel and consultants should not be grouped as one contract type. They enter through different agreements.

Aviation and support job families

ICAO technical posts cover aviation safety, air navigation, flight operations, airworthiness, airports, air traffic management and accident investigation. Aviation security and facilitation roles work on security standards, border processes and related implementation assistance.

Environmental posts address aircraft noise, emissions, sustainable aviation fuels and climate policy. Air transport and economic development work covers data, forecasting, competition and policy. Technical cooperation and implementation support creates programme, project and field roles.

Legal officers work on international air law and treaty matters. Language and conference services recruit translators, interpreters, editors and meeting staff across ICAO’s official languages. Finance, procurement, human resources, information technology, communications, audit and administration support the Secretariat.

Aviation licences and operational experience can be mandatory for some roles. Academic policy experience alone may not meet a notice seeking current civil aviation authority, airline or air navigation experience.

International and local recruitment

Professional and higher staff are internationally recruited, with geographical representation considered under ICAO’s rules. General Service recruitment is local to the duty station and normally requires the right to work there.

Regional-office vacancies can still be internationally recruited Professional posts. Location outside Montreal does not establish local status.

Temporary vacancies may exist in either category. The word temporary addresses appointment duration; the category addresses recruitment and job level.

Applying

Current opportunities are published through ICAO Careers. Create an applicant profile and apply to the specific notice before its deadline. Some calls establish rosters or pools, which do not themselves constitute an appointment.

Use the application to distinguish regulatory, operational and policy experience. Name the standards, systems, aircraft operations or State implementation work relevant to the post. Language ability should match the level requested rather than being described vaguely.

ICAO charges no recruitment fee. Before accepting, verify category, grade, appointment type, duty station and whether the offer is staff, consultancy or secondment.