Internship - Office of Confidentiality and Security (OCS)

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
    A monthly stipend of 540 Euros
  • Closing Date
    19/07/2026

Responsibilities

Job Summary

The Office of Confidentiality and Security is located within the Office of the Director-General.

The Operations Security Section is responsible for the provision of safe workplaces and the protection of OPCW assets.

The Confidentiality and Information Security Section is responsible for the protection of information and communications systems and assists States Parties and the Secretariat with the implementation of the confidentiality regime.

 

Main Responsibilities

1) Purpose of Internship: 

  1. Assisting in the security risk management processes of the OPCW carried out by OCS, carrying out supporting administrative and research tasks. Specific focus on travel security risks and supporting procedures.
  2. Supporting research into security topics of interest and preparation of briefing and presentation materials.
  3. The intern will have the opportunity to learn about the United Nations Security Management System approaches to managing threat and risk information and working within a professional environment to monitor and report on the security environment in areas of interest.

 

2) Terms of Reference for the Internship:

The intern will be provided an opportunity to learn in the following areas by;

  1. Providing administrative and research support for security risk management procedures.
  2. Providing administrative and research support for travel security risk management procedures.
  3. Carrying out checks in established systems in relation to areas of interest and conduct further open-source research on topics of interest.
  4. Supporting data capture processes for security threat information for areas and topics of interest.
  5. Assisting in collection, collation and dissemination of security threat information.
  6. Supporting the preparation of security briefing and presentation materials in relation to topics of interest both for travel and for general security awareness.
  7. Conducting and coordinating research on specific threats under the direction of the Supervisor and supporting analysis of identified factors of insecurity.

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.
  • Be a citizen of an OPCW Member State and fluent in both written and spoken English.

Skills and Competencies

Desirable:

  1. International security, strategic or intelligence studies background;
  2. Knowledge and understanding of methodologies for information collection, collation and analysis;
  3. Knowledge of OSINT methods and python or other programming to support automation of OSINT;
  4. Ability to develop research projects and perform studies on practical security matters;
  5. Knowledge of security management, combined with solid background in security information management.

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

Please note that all vacancies will close at 22:00 The Netherlands local time on their respective closing day. Thereafter, the vacancy announcements will no longer appear in the Candidate Portal and you will no longer be able to submit your application. We recommend that you apply well in advance of the deadline.


Staff members in the General Services category are normally recruited and paid on a local basis.


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 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