About Us

The OPCW internship programme is aimed at motivated students with an interest in gaining experience in international organisations. The programme normally provides work placements in the Technical Secretariat for a three to six month period. The objective of the internship is to provide you with first-hand experience in the day-to-day working environment of an international organisation. You will work with our international experts towards the OPCW mission to achieve a world permanently free of chemical weapons.

As part of our team, working directly with outstanding and inspiring career professionals, you will be exposed to high-profile conferences, participate in meetings, and contribute to our analytical work as well as the organisational policy of the OPCW.

General Information

• Contract Type
  Intern
• Remuneration
  540 EUR
• Closing Date
  15/02/2025

Responsibilities

Job Summary

The Inspectorate Division is dedicated to implementing the Technical Secretariat’s on-site verification activities -, following the destruction of declared stockpiles of chemical weapons in July 2023, and in line with the strategic objectives of the OPCW. The Division has been centering its efforts around the continuous improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of the activities for verification of compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) through, inter alia, the incremental modernization of the Organization’s approved equipment pool, and broadened portfolio of capacity building activities to be offered to relevant stakeholders. In alignment with the strategic objectives, the Technology Hub of the Centre for Chemistry and Technology is devoting much effort towards the development of an in-house test and validation capability. This will serve as a centralized, structured, and formalized platform for the identification, testing, and validation of current and emerging technologies of relevance to the Convention, which empowers the Technical Secretariat to proactively address threats within the science and technology landscape, and to capitalize on their potential for supporting the enhancement of chemical security internationally.

The Internship position at the Technology Hub presents a valuable opportunity for the incumbent to actively engage in the Project “Development of Test and Validation Capabilities for Technologies”. In a supportive capacity, the Intern will contribute to research and analytical efforts aimed at monitoring emerging trends in science and technology, their progressing stages of maturity, their usability, security, and interoperability, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the Organization’s technological foresight and operational effectiveness, while gaining valuable experience at the intersection between technology and chemical security.

Main Responsibilities

Project “Development of Test and Validation Capabilities for Technologies” support:

• Assist in monitoring trends and developments of current and emerging technologies of interest and of relevance to the Chemical Weapons Convention, by performing comprehensive research and summarizing relevant findings.
• Collaborate with team members in developing frameworks supporting the operationalization of the strategic technology foresight platform.
• Contribute to performing desktop-based market research on assigned technologies, gathering detailed insights about technologies’ features, specifications, and pricing, and identifying key manufacturers and suppliers.
• Assist in the creation of a thesaurus of specialized terms to optimize the formulation of search queries for scanning the technology landscape.
• Support the documentation of test and validation processes, helping to build and maintain knowledge repositories for future reference.

General administrative and operational support:

• Support the assessment of existing workflows and operational procedures to identify opportunities for the optimization thereof, by participating in data collection and visualization efforts.
• Participate in meetings with internal and external stakeholders to record detailed minutes, document action items, and track progress on tasks as assigned.
• Proactively undertake ad-hoc tasks as assigned by Head of Branch, contributing to ongoing projects and operational needs.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Enrolled in and have completed at least one year of a degree programme in a university (or equivalent tertiary institution) or; in a graduate school programme (second university degree or higher) in International Relations, Security Studies, or Political Science (with a focus on arms control or non-proliferation), Engineering, Technology Management or a related technical discipline, Information Technology or Data Science, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or Business Administration, or;
• Have graduated from a university or a graduate school within a year prior to the commencement of the internship and;
• Be a citizen of an OPCW Member State and fluent in both written and spoken English.

Skills and Competencies

Desired skills:

• Effective time management skills to prioritize and organize assigned tasks efficiently.
• Proficiency with Office365 tools, particularly MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint; experience with MS SharePoint is an asset.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, including the preparation of clear, concise reports.
• Basic knowledge of data visualization tools (such as Excel, Power BI, or Tableau) is an asset for presenting data insights.
• Interest in technology trends and their applications within international security and compliance frameworks is a plus.

Languages

Fluency in English is essential and a good working knowledge of one of the other official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is desirable.

Additional Information

Acceptance for the programme shall not carry with it any expectation of employment with the OPCW. Interns may not apply for, or be appointed to, any posts or positions at the OPCW within six months of the internship agreement end date. The internship programme is run in accordance with the applicable internal rules and where applicable the OPCW Staff Regulations and Interim Staff Rules.

1. Participants in the Internship Programme receive no financial remuneration from the OPCW for expenses that they incur in relation to the programme. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, taxes, accommodation, living expenses and repatriation, etc. are the responsibility of the intern. The intern has to enter and exit the country in accordance with the applicable immigration procedures in The Netherlands.
2. Participants will be asked to provide proof that they have sufficient financial means for living expenses for the period of their internship.
3. Interns will work with the normal working pattern of the OPCW which will amount to no more than 40 hours a week.
4. Participants who are citizens of non-EU countries should agree not to undertake other work in the Netherlands during their internship other than as an intern at the OPCW, notwithstanding whether such other work is compatible with the discharge of their functions with the OPCW.

Only fully completed applications submitted before the closing date and through OPCW CandidateSpace will be considered.

Only applicants under serious consideration for a post will be contacted.

According to article 8 paragraph 44 of the Chemical Weapons Convention the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

OPCW is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. OPCW recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

OPCW General Terms and Conditions