UNHCR

Global refugee protection and assistance
Last updated:
January 5, 2026
Company details
HQ
Geneva, Switzerland
HEADCOUNT
10000+
ORG TYPE
Government
SECTOR
Impact and NGOs
About the company
UNHCR is a UN agency mandated to protect refugees, support forcibly displaced communities, and address statelessness. UNHCR works with governments, NGOs, and other UN agencies on protection, humanitarian assistance, and longer-term solutions like resettlement and local integration. UNHCR runs emergency response as well as long-running country operations, which means roles range from field protection and programme delivery to data, policy, procurement, communications, and tech.
Locations and presence
UNHCR is headquartered in Geneva and operates across more than 130 countries, with a large share of staff based in field duty stations. Many roles are tied to specific duty stations and require on-site delivery, while some functions and internships can be structured with remote or hybrid arrangements depending on team needs.
Palpable Score
68.5
/ 100
UNHCR offers credible early-career entry points through paid internships and donor-funded early-professional routes, plus a steady stream of junior support roles across country offices. Hiring is fairly structured, but the candidate experience can feel variable across teams, and recent funding-driven restructuring adds uncertainty for early-career stability. Outcomes are hard to score higher because UNHCR does not publish consistent cohort metrics such as internship conversion rates, promotion timelines, or retention by early-career intake.
Pillar 1: Early-career access

Score

15.6
/ 20
  • The company runs an Internship Programme open to current students and recent graduates, with internships tied to “meaningful projects” and supervision capacity rather than informal shadowing.
  • UNHCR uses the Junior Professional Officer route as an early-professional pathway (typically donor-funded) that targets candidates with a postgraduate degree and a small number of years of experience.
  • The company’s broader vacancy mix still skews toward experienced profiles, so “first job out of university” access is strongest via internships and a smaller set of junior local roles rather than high-volume graduate intake.

Pillar 2: Hiring fairness and transparency

Score

13.0
/ 20
  • The company describes a staged selection flow that includes screening followed by assessments and competency-based interviews, which gives applicants a reasonable sense of what “good” looks like.
  • UNHCR job adverts commonly warn candidates about scam risks by stating that no fees are charged at any stage of recruitment, and postings often flag that shortlisted candidates may sit tests.
  • The company still has uneven candidate-reported experiences on timelines and follow-up, especially for competitive roles where written tests and panels can stretch processes out.

Pillar 3: Learning and support

Score

13.8
/ 20
  • The company supports learning through a large self-paced training ecosystem, including internal e-learning modules and role-relevant training referenced directly in job requirements.
  • UNHCR internship role descriptions often include a drafted work plan based on the intern’s background and real involvement in ongoing projects, which supports structured learning rather than ad hoc tasks.
  • The company does not publish a single, consistent mentorship or onboarding standard that applies across all duty stations and contract types, so early-career support can depend heavily on the manager and location.

Pillar 4: Pay fairness and stability

Score

13.4
/ 20
  • The company pays interns an allowance in cases where interns are not supported by an outside party, and internship postings are explicit that the allowance is partial and that travel and visa costs sit with the intern.
  • UNHCR uses the UN common system compensation framework for many staff categories, and some vacancies publish duty-station net salary ranges alongside benefits like annual leave accrual and participation in the UN pension fund for fixed-term staff.
  • The company’s stability picture is mixed because UNHCR uses a wide range of appointment types, and funding volatility has recently driven announced reductions in positions and office footprints.

Pillar 5: Early-career outcomes

Score

12.7
/ 20
  • The company has a large volume of public employee feedback that points to high mission alignment and strong learning exposure, alongside frequent mentions of workload intensity and bureaucracy that can affect retention.
  • UNHCR shows a visible pathway from internships and junior local roles into longer contracts for some people, but many early-career routes are time-bound or donor-funded, so continuity is not guaranteed.
  • The company has announced significant position reductions linked to humanitarian funding shortfalls, and UNHCR does not publish early-career outcomes like internship-to-offer rates, time-to-promotion, or retention by cohort, which limits confidence in long-run outcomes for new starters.

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