JPO 25-02 Junior Professional Officer, Maritime Safety Division

ALBERT EMBANKMENT LONDON SE1 7SR Telephone: +44 (0)20 7735 7611 Fax: +44 (0)20 7587 3210

Circular Letter No. CL.5033Rev5 31 October 2025

To: IMO Member States

Subject: Position in the IMO Junior Professional Officer programme

1 The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization has the honour to announce a position for a Junior Professional Officer (JPO).

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 States agrees 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 quoting in the subject line the specific JPO position number. All nominations should be sent to: rsd@imo.org.

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ANNEX

POST NUMBER SECTION DIVISION JPO 25-02 Maritime Security Section Maritime Safety Division

JUNIOR PROFESSIONAL OFFICER (JPO) PROGRAMME

GENERAL INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL JPO POSITIONS

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:

1. Ability to draft a range of documents (reports, briefing notes) combined with excellent research and analytical skills.
   1. Proven ability to think strategically; work independently and in teams.
   2. Organizational skills and a high degree of initiative together with the ability to work under pressure and manage high volumes of work.
   3. Proven ability to adapt to varied environments and maintain effective working relations at all levels with people with different languages, nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
   4. Integrity, discretion, accuracy and meticulous attention to detail. Professional experience: Minimum two years’ professional experience in relation to the requirements of the post. Work experience in an international context would be desirable. Academic qualifications: University degree, or equivalent professional qualification in relation to the requirements of the post. Language skills: Excellent command of written and spoken English is required; knowledge of other official languages of the Organization will be an advantage. Other skills: Competent in the use of 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.
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Please quote the relevant JPO position number in the subject line of the nomination

Kindly do not submit nominations via multiple routes

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IMO encourages the nominations from Member States of qualified women. IMO will make every effort to facilitate the employment of persons with disabilities.

MARITIME SECURITY SECTION

MARITIME SAFETY DIVISION

Position number: JPO 25–02 Admin number: ADMIN/25/57

Specific professional experience:

Minimum two years of relevant experience. Basic understanding of piracy and armed robbery and related measures adopted by IMO and would preferably have experience in this field. Experience in related professional activities e.g. security or technical co-operation projects will be considered.

Specific professional qualifications:

University degree in maritime or port disciplines or equivalent qualification.

Language Skills:

Excellent command of written and spoken English is required; knowledge of one or more of the official languages of the Organization will be an advantage.

Other Skills:

Excellent research, analytical, organizational and drafting skills. Competent in the use of relevant IT applications, including spreadsheets, databases, and word processing applications.

Main duties and responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Head, Maritime Security Section:

1. oversight of piracy and armed robbery statistics in the Piracy module of the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS);
   1. assist with the updating of information on piracy and armed robbery incidents and the preparation of monthly and annual reports;
   2. provision of statistics on Piracy and Armed Robbery for Secretariat documents for the Maritime Safety Committee;
   3. preparation of draft incident reports for the Secretary General on Piracy and Armed Robbery and other maritime security threats;
   4. assist in the development of submissions, lectures, presentations and technical papers on Piracy and Armed Robbery;
   5. assist in the research, development, organization and execution of technical co- operation projects related to piracy and armed robbery;
   6. assist the Secretary at the meetings of working/drafting groups; and
2. perform any other duties which may be assigned.

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