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Circular Letter No.4795Rev8 31 October 2025
Subject: Positions in the IMO Junior Professional Officer programme
1 The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization has the honour to announce positions for Junior Professional Officers (JPOs).
2 The IMO Junior Professional Officer (JPO) programme is a voluntary programme under which Member States sponsor the secondment of young professionals from their country to work at IMO. The secondment is for a period of up to three years. JPOs are engaged at the P.2 level and are assigned substantive work while serving at IMO, in addition to receiving on-the-job training and familiarization.
3 Selection of candidates for a place on the programme is on a competitive basis. Selected JPOs would be expected to take up their assignment following a successful recruitment process.
4 Member States willing to participate in the programme are encouraged to nominate a maximum of three applicants per JPO position (see annex for details). Applications received directly from candidates will not be accepted: only nominations submitted through the respective sponsoring Member State will be considered. Nominations from sponsoring Member States should be accompanied by a nomination letter and contain a covering letter from the candidate as well as an IMO Personal History form. Nominations from sponsoring Member States should reach the Organization no later than 31 December 2026.
5 Nominated candidates participating in the programme should note that there is no expectation of conversion to, or engagement in, a permanent position in the Organization after completion of the period of the JPO assignment.
6 In nominating candidates for a position in the programme, the sponsoring Member State or the co-sponsoring Member States agree to bear the responsibility of all costs related to the JPO. The JPO programme is independent from, and JPO posts are additional to, the posts financed by the Organization’s regular budget. The terms of engagement of nominated JPOs are agreed through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding confirming, inter alia, the sponsoring Member State’s commitment to cover all JPO related costs directly or through IMO. All costs must be paid in advance to IMO, before the JPO joins the Organization, so that it is not compromised financially.
7 In accordance with a standard Memorandum of Understanding, salaries, benefits, travel costs, etc., of a JPO may be paid using one of two modalities: directly to the JPO by the sponsoring Member State under the modality of “Gratis Personnel”, or through the Organization on the basis of a yearly reimbursement by the sponsoring Member State as “Reimbursement through IMO”
8 Under the modality of “Reimbursement through IMO” a yearly contribution from the sponsoring Member State to offset the Organization’s administrative support costs (normally 12% on the sum expended) will be levied.
9 Under the modality of “Gratis Personnel”, a target annual support cost charge of US$10,000 will be sought, however an alternative contribution to the Organization’s costs may be made, in cash or in kind, on the basis of an agreement between the Organization and the nominating Member State.
10 In the case of a nomination of “Gratis Personnel” by a developing country, the administrative support cost of US$10,000 per annum may be charged to an appropriate technical cooperation regional capacity-building budget.
11 All nominations should be sent by email by the sponsoring Member State(s) quoting in the subject line the specific JPO position number. All nominations should be sent to: rsd@imo.org.
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POST NUMBER SECTION DIVISION JPO 23-05 Translation Sections (Arabic, Chinese English, French, Russian and Spanish) Conference Division
JUNIOR PROFESSIONAL OFFICER (JPO) PROGRAMME GENERAL INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL JPO POSITIONS
Date of issue: 31 October 2025 Deadline for nominations: 31 December 2026 Recruitment information: Appointments are subject to funding by the Member State for a period of one year with the possibility of extension up to a total of three years, subject to requirements and satisfactory performance. All JPO positions are subject and limited to funding by the nominating Member State. IMO does not guarantee employment beyond the JPO appointment period. Required competencies: The successful candidate will have:
University degree, or equivalent professional qualification in relation to the requirements of the post.
Excellent command of spoken and written English is required; knowledge of other official languages of the Organization will be an advantage.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office. How to apply: Since this is a position financed by a nominating Member State, only nominations submitted directly by a sponsoring Member State will be accepted. Member State nominations should include (1) a cover letter and (2) an up-to-date Personal History Form (PHF) from the nominee. The nominee's cover letter should state the reasons for applying and relevant experience to the role. Member State nominations must be submitted to the following email address: rsd@imo.org.
Please quote the relevant JPO position number in the subject line of the nomination
Kindly do not submit nominations via multiple routes * * *
IMO encourages the nominations from Member States of qualified women. IMO will make every effort to facilitate the employment of persons with disabilities
TRANSLATION OFFICER ARABIC, CHINESE, ENGLISH, FRENCH, RUSSIAN OR SPANISH
Position number: JPO 23-05 Admin number: ADMIN/23/60
At least 2 years of professional experience in the translation of technical documents into any of the IMO official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish).
Translation experience in an international setting or administration is desirable.
University degree in translation, languages, naval architecture, law, physics, chemistry, environmental sciences, telecommunications, nautical studies or marine science is essential. Knowledge of maritime terminology would be an advantage.
Under the direct supervision and guidance of the relevant Head of the Translation Section (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish), the incumbent will:
1 Translate texts covering a wide range of technical, legal and administrative subjects, intended for use in meeting documents or for publication, into any of the six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish.
2 Research on specific subjects, including terminological research for incorporation into the Organization's terminology database.
3 Participation in night shifts during meetings, as required, and travel on mission as necessary.
4 Undertake other related duties, as may be assigned by Head of the Translation sections and the Director, Conference Division.
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