EP#7 | Meet Laura Londén, HR Director at UNRWA

After her first job after university, resettling Vietnamese refugees in Finland, she’s done four different UN entities, nine field duty stations, and three headquarters including the UN Secretariat in New York. Laura Londén just hit her 25th anniversary in the UN system and has worked in every single aspect of operational support. “That makes me a UN veteran and it also makes me a UN gypsy. I’m also what they call a UN brat, which basically makes me a second generation UN”, says Laura Londén, Director of Human Resources at UNWRA. Listen to her many great stories, like how she contributed to the building of a new country in East Timor and worked with the transition from peace keeping to peace building in Sierra Leone. It might be one of the lesser-known UN-agencies but UNRWA has 32,000 staff in areas where many other organizations no longer operate. Here are some of the other highlights from this episode with Laura Londén: · The essence of a UN career and how it makes a difference · Her favorite UN-accomplishments that she’s been part of · The challenges of operating in conflicts or high-risk zones like Syria · What UNRWA does and why people should come and join · Why UNRWA have some of the best jobs you can have in the UN system · The most important skills needed for an international career · Career advice on the recruitment process and how to prepare as a candidate