UN Temporary Job Opening (TJO) explained: how it differs from a regular vacancy

Scroll a UN Secretariat careers portal for long enough and two different kinds of posting start to blur together: a standard vacancy for a fixed-term post, and a Temporary Job Opening (TJO) — sometimes just labelled a temporary vacancy. They look similar on the listing page, but they run on different tracks with different speed, different eligibility rules in places, and a different contract at the end. This guide explains what a TJO actually is, why it exists alongside the regular vacancy process, and what accepting one means for your career.

What a Temporary Job Opening actually is

A TJO fills a post for a defined, short period rather than through the full competitive process used for a fixed-term or continuing appointment. It exists to cover genuinely time-limited needs — another staff member’s parental or extended leave, a post awaiting the outcome of a regular recruitment already underway, a short-term operational surge — without leaving the function unstaffed while a longer process runs its course. Selection through a TJO results in a temporary appointment, the shortest and least secure of the staff contract types, not a fixed-term or continuing one.

Why a TJO moves faster than a regular vacancy

The defining practical difference is speed. A TJO is generally built to be filled in weeks, not the months a full fixed-term recruitment typically takes, because the process behind it is deliberately lighter. TJOs commonly skip or shorten steps that add real time to a regular process — the full advertising period, and in many cases the independent check performed by a Central Review Body before a fixed-term recommendation becomes an offer. The trade-off for that speed is the contract itself: a TJO placement is explicitly time-limited and does not carry the same procedural weight, or the same job security, as a fixed-term selection.

Who actually gets considered for a TJO

Eligibility varies by organization and by the specific posting, but TJOs commonly draw first from candidates already inside the system — staff on an active roster for a similar function and grade, staff in the same department looking for a short-term move, or candidates from a recently closed regular competition for a comparable post. Some TJOs are genuinely open to external candidates too, and the vacancy notice will state that explicitly if so — never assume a TJO is closed to you without reading the specific eligibility line, the same way you would check whether a posting is restricted to internal candidates.

What accepting a TJO actually gets you

A TJO is a real UN job with real pay on the applicable salary scale, but it is worth being precise about what it is not: not a guarantee of renewal, not automatically a path onto a fixed-term contract, and not the same procedural protection a fixed-term appointment carries if the assignment ends. What it reliably does provide is UN system experience at the grade and function you want, a genuine reference from a UN supervisor, and — often the most valuable part — first-hand visibility when a fixed-term version of a similar post is advertised later, since being the proven incumbent is real evidence in a competitive process even though it guarantees nothing.

TJO vs a roster call vs a secondment

It is worth separating three mechanisms candidates sometimes conflate. A TJO is a specific, time-limited post being filled quickly through a lighter process. A roster call, covered in the rosters guide, is a manager selecting an already-endorsed candidate for a fixed-term or continuing post without running a new competition. A secondment or loan, covered in the staff contract types guide, moves a staff member from one employer into a UN entity on terms agreed between the two. A single candidate can be reachable through all three channels at once — they are independent mechanisms serving different staffing needs, not stages of one pipeline.

How to use this when you apply

• Don’t dismiss a TJO as a lesser opportunity. It is often the fastest real way into the system, and genuine performance in a temporary post is a strong basis for a later fixed-term application.
• Read the contract type before you apply. A TJO leads to a temporary appointment, not a fixed-term one — go in with realistic expectations about duration and renewal rather than assuming it converts automatically.
• Check the eligibility line on the specific notice. Some TJOs are internal-only, some are open to everyone; the posting states it directly rather than following a fixed rule across the whole system.
• Keep applying to the regular track in parallel. A TJO and a standard fixed-term competition are not mutually exclusive routes — pursue both rather than treating a TJO offer as a reason to stop applying elsewhere.

Both temporary and fixed-term postings sit side by side on the board, and a free changemaker profile keeps your applications to both organized as you work whichever route opens first.