Internship – Office of Strategy and Policy

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
  12/11/2024

Responsibilities

Job Summary

The Office of Strategy and Policy develops the Technical Secretariat’s strategic planning and provides policy advice to the Director-General and the Secretariat’s management, particularly relating to cross-cutting issues such as incidents of chemical weapons use, non-routine missions, chemical security, engagement with international organisations and chemical industry, education and outreach, counter-terrorism, and science and technology. In addition, the Office contributes to programme and budget planning and the organisational governance of the Secretariat in areas such as knowledge management, results-based management, and risk management.

Deliverable for the branch:

• Supporting the programmatic coordination of the Centre for Chemistry and Technology, including aspects of donor management and resource mobilisation.
• Supporting the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Terrorism and the strategic and conceptual work of OSP in counter-terrorism, including conducting research and other activities.
• Supporting policy development in the area of chemical terrorism.
• Supporting other policy-related work as required, such as preparations for the Advisory Board on Education and Outreach, and on occasion, the work of the Scientific Advisory Board, as well as efforts to enhance cooperation and coordination with relevant international and regional organisations.

The internship within the Office of Strategy and Policy will provide a number of learning objectives for the intern, such as:

• Intern will learn to identify effective ways to engage internal and external stakeholders as well as how to manage multi-stakeholder projects. Interns will learn how to prepare statements and presentations, as well as note-taking and formal report-writing skills.
• Intern will learn to consider the multiple and diverse dimensions that inputs required for decision-making come from.  This will give the intern a perspective on how policy in areas such as counter-terrorism and chemical safety and security is formed.
• Intern will learn to recognize and evaluate the relationship between science, technology and policy, particularly in the area of countering chemical terrorism.  This will be complimented by learning to implement and make use of electronic tools for communication and information sharing.

The internship will commence as soon as possible. Additional candidates will be considered for positions starting in 2025.

Main Responsibilities

The intern will work on some or all of the following projects and tasks:

• Support for the programmatic coordination and scheduling of events and activities at the Centre for Chemistry and Technology, including overseeing the implementation of voluntary contributions for such activities.

• Support to the Secretary of the Open-Ended Working Group on Terrorism. This includes support for meeting planning and follow-up, as well as the strategic and conceptual work of OSP in counter-terrorism, including conducting research and other activities, and follow-up from the Table Top Exercise on counter-terrorism held under the auspices of the OEWG-T.

• Support for efforts to enhance cooperation and coordination with relevant international organisations, including through the development of cooperation agreements such as memoranda of understanding.

• Support for the Advisory Board on Education and Outreach, and on occasion, the work of the Scientific Advisory Board.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

Essential:

• 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) 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.

A university-level education in international relations, public policy, law, or any field of science or engineering is preferred. 

Intern candidates with experience in multistakeholder activities and project management programming should also be considered.  

Skills and Competencies

Language requirements – Be fluent in both written and spoken English.

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.

Applications from qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged.

OPCW General Terms and Conditions