working at UNHCR in a developed country - External Relations Officer UNHCR Employee Review

3.0
May 22, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compelling cause and highly reputed UN organisation putting you at the core of some of the most challenging issues of the 21st century, namely humanitarian aid and forced migration. Very good salarial conditions.

Cons

very bureaucratic, hierarchical and un-social employment system. There are a lot of constraints with long working hours and poor work-life balance. Also lots of frustrated senior managers who then out their frustration on lower positioned or national staff. Extremely slow if not impossible development perspectives in-house.

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5.0
Mar 17, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

multicultural work experience open to telework from home some days better benefits for international positions and more opportunities for career growth

Cons

not easy to always have work balance, depending on the position not many opportunities for career growth for local positions

3.0
Apr 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits, you really do help people

Cons

Human Resources takes a highly specialized approach to talent management. In that you cannot really change functions easily in UNHCR. You have to hyper-specialize in one area. So if you are a protection staff, you tend to burn out from trauma without an internal mechanism to alleviate the burnout. The higher you go in UNHCR, the crazier you become.

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