Applying for Peace Operations
On behalf of the German Foreign Office, ZIF is responsible for the recruitment, training and secondment ("Sekundierung") of civilian personnel to international organizations and their peace operations. We currently second specialists and executives to the EU, OSCE, UN, OAS and NATO, the International Criminal Court and the Council of Europe, among others.
Who we are looking for
Are you an expert in one of the fields of activity described below and do you have work experience abroad, possibly even in crisis areas? Then we might be looking for you!
We "second" - i.e. send - civilian experts to international organizations and their peace operations, humanitarian missions and headquarters. In order to second civilian experts at short notice, we have established and expanded the ZIF Expert Pool since 2002 and are constantly on the lookout for experienced specialists and managers as well as promising young professionals.
See our Mission and Mandates page for more information on the tasks of international peace operations.
What you should bring to the table
We review your application documents on the basis of standardized criteria. In doing so, we are guided by the specifications, needs and personnel requirements of the host organizations.
We base our selection on the following general profile requirements:
- Completed university studies (degree) or equivalent professional training
- Several years of relevant professional experience (national/international)
- Very good oral and written knowledge of German and English (C1 or higher)
- Interest in working in different countries and regions
- Excellent social, communication and intercultural skills as well as outstanding strength of character (especially reliability)
- Strong health: physical health as well as above-average mental resilience
- Ability, motivation and willingness to work in an international team, even under difficult external conditions
- Ability to travel, and, if applicable, fitness for tropical conditions
- Availability, flexibility and mobility at short notice
- Adherence to the free democratic constitutional order in the context of the German constitution (Grundgesetz)
- Good computer skills (MS Office)
- Driving license class B (formerly class 3) and driving experience
Additional valuable skills:
- Work experience in conflict/crisis regions
- Good knowledge of other languages relevant to the mission (in particular Russian, French, Arabic; proficiency B2 or higher)
- Methodological competence in relevant areas e.g. project management or consulting, willingness to learn new things
Your way into Peace Operations
Your way into peace operations is through the ZIF Expert Pool and our job postings. They are primarily aimed at members of the ZIF Expert Pool, but for certain vacancies they are also open to experts from outside the pool. For more information, please refer to the respective job advertisement.
Step 1: Become a member of the ZIF Expert Pool
Are you looking for an interesting, challenging job in an international assignment? Apply for the Expert Pool! We regularly recruit for the ZIF Expert Pool in order to quickly second pre-selected and trained personnel to international organizations and their peace operations.
Before you apply: Please find out more about our application requirements here.
Online application ZIF Expert Pool
Once or twice a year, we open our Expert Pool for applications. You will find the call in our overview of open vacancies and on ventus. Create yourself an alert on ventus not to miss a new pool opening.
Here are some of the advantages of being a member of the ZIF Expert Pool for Peace Operations:
- Priority in the selection process over comparable direct applicants without pool membership
- Direct and immediate access to job postings of international organizations and their peace operations
- Nomination for seconded positions that are filled exclusively by ZIF and the German Foreign Office
- High chances of success in application procedures due to limited pool of applicants
- Competent support throughout the selection process
- Advice and information on selection procedures, criteria, and chances of success
- Centralized and personal support staff at ZIF
- Further training opportunities through discounted participation in courses offered by ZIF and its national and international partners
- Access to our ZIF networks
All further information on our service package can be found here.
Competency-based interview
After we evaluate all applications, we invite suitable candidates to a Competency-Based Interview (CBI). After a successful interview, we ask you to submit a current police clearance certificate.
Preparatory courses
By successfully passing the CBI, you will have completed an essential selection step on your way to the ZIF Expert Pool. You can be accepted into the ZIF Expert Pool as soon as you have participated in ZIF's deployment preparation training.
Deployment preparation includes the Comprehensive Core Course (CCC).
The 5 ½ day training aims to:
- Explain mandates, functions, and the challenges of peace operations
- Describe the different roles and perspectives of military, police, and civilian personnel in peace operations, and
- Raise awareness of the professional, personal, social and methodological skills required to work in peace operations.
- In order to achieve this, both the participants and the team of trainers are made up of civilian, police and military persons.
- Together, we will reflect on and develop various skills, competencies and methods for working as a peacekeeper, based on a scenario.
In addition, where required, we will organize for you to participate in a security training (Hostile Environment Awareness Training, HEAT).
Congratulations: You are now a member of the ZIF Expert Pool
You have mastered the selection process and are now a member of the ZIF Expert Pool in the field of competence Peace Operations. You will receive access to the ZIF member area and can apply to and with us for advertised positions in an international peace operation.
Do you have questions about our selection process for peace operations? Our application management team will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
For questions about the application process hr@zif-berlin.org
Step 2: Apply for positions in Peace Operations
Are you a member of the ZIF Expert Pool or are you seeking membership and would like to go on assignment with us?
On our website and on ventus, we publish job postings of international organizations and their peace operations for which we recruit exclusively on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office. These advertisements are primarily addressed to pre-selected and trained members of the ZIF Expert Pool, but for certain advertisements also to experts from outside the pool. Information on this can be found in the respective call for proposals.
In order not to miss any pool openings or calls for applications, we recommend you set up a customized job and training alert on ventus.
Generally speaking, international organizations offer two different types of recruitment or contracts; for "seconded" and for "contracted" positions.
Please note that you will only receive an employment contract with ZIF for seconded positions
©OSCE/Evgeniy Maloletka
Seconded positions: A typical application process includes the following steps
- Job advertisement is posted on the ZIF website or in ventus.
- Online application via the homepage of the international organization and/or via ZIF. Information on how to apply can be found in the respective advertisement.
- Screening and nomination as well as interviews, as necessary, by ZIF, in coordination with the German Foreign Office
- Screening of the applications by the respective hosting international organization
- Interviews and, if necessary, tests with the international organization
- Selection by the international organization
- Onboarding and employment contract with ZIF
Contracted positions in a UN peacekeeping operation
Are you interested in a contracted position in a UN peace operation? ZIF can provide you with general information on the application process as well as offer concrete support for your written application and interview preparation.
Please contact our Human Resources team with your Personal History Profile (PHP), online CV from the UN E-Recruitment System and the job description of the position you are interested in: hr@zif-berlin.org.
Seconded Positions
Candidates can only apply for secondary positions via a member or participating state, in Germany via ZIF. The German Foreign Office has commissioned us to advertise and recruit for these positions. In case of successful selection by the international organization, you will receive an employment contract from us and ZIF will make you available to the international organization on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Contracted Positions
For contracted positions, any interested person can apply directly to the respective international organization and, if successful, will be contracted by the organization. The applicant's home country is not involved in the selection process. The majority of positions in UN peace operations are such contracted positions; in EU and OSCE operations, the ratio is about 30%.
Important information on how to apply
Please note the following information:
The ZIF Expert Pool includes pre-selected and pre-qualified personnel who can be seconded into different areas of assignment and tasks. We accept experts for three different areas of competence in the Expert Pool: for peace operations, for humanitarian operations and for election observation operations. Different application procedures, selection processes and application deadlines apply for these three areas of expertise. It is also possible to apply for several fields of competence.
We provide information on the respective application process and application deadlines on our website and directly on ventus.
More information on
- our application page for election observation missions.
- our application page for humanitarian missions.
Next application deadline is from 01.08.2024 to 31.08.2024.
You can easily apply for the next opening of the ZIF Expert Pool for the competence field peace operations via your ventus profile. You will find the call for applications for the pool opening here in due course.
What we offer
As the employer of German seconded personnel in peace operations of international organizations worldwide, we offer you a comprehensive support and service package before, during and after your deployment. This includes an employment contract with full coverage by German labor and social security laws.
Support before, during and after the assignment
Support before, during and after the assignment
Legal and social security
Legal and social security
Contact
Please feel free to contact the Team Human Resources if you are interested. .
On Your Way to a Peace Operation
If you have relevant expertise, ZIF can offer you the chance to deploy to a peace operation, as well as
- Professional pre-deployment preparation
- Comprehensive support before, during and after deployment and
- An employment contract with ZIF in accordance with German labour law and with an attractive salary.