Intern, Assistance and Protection Branch

Job Description

Job Summary

The Assistance and Protection Branch provides States Parties with expert advice and programmes to develop and improve their emergency response capacity against the use or threat of use of chemical weapons.

The Branch supports States Parties to develop chemical emergency response plans, training programmes, procedures and standards, and appropriate dispatching and receiving mechanisms for assistance. It also supports the development of expertise of first responders and emergency management personnel to properly deal with chemical incidents.

The Branch is also responsible for the maintenance of a state of readiness within the Organisation to respond rapidly and effectively to a request of assistance made by a State Party pursuant to Article X and to coordinate and deliver assistance to the requesting State Party. States Parties can request this assistance from the OPCW if chemical weapons are used against them or they are threatened by such use.

Main Responsibilities

1) Purpose of Internship:

(a) deliverable for the branch and

(b) learning objective for the intern

(a) The intern will provide operational, analytical, and administrative support to ongoing projects and programmes under the APB. This position offers practical experience in capacity building, project coordination, and international disarmament mechanisms.

(b) By the end of the internship, the intern will have: Gained practical knowledge of Article X implementation within the CWC framework; Enhanced their skills in project coordination, international documentation, and intergovernmental processes, and developed experience working in an intergovernmental, multicultural, diplomatic environment.

2) Terms of Reference for the Internship:

Under the supervision of the Head of Assistance & Protection Branch, and in collaboration with other APB members, the intern will

• Support analysis and evaluation of state party submissions under Article X
• Contribute to the preparation of APB documents such as backgrounders, certificates, reports, inter alia.
• Assist in the recording, review and reporting of offers of assistance from state parties.
• Supporting the maintenance and update of the Assistance & Protection database, including working with Technical Officers to ensure up-to-date events folders on Sharepoint, and adequate of content of online training materials and documents.
• Drafting relevant internal and external correspondence as communicated with the relevant colleagues.
• Support miscellaneous administrative tasks related to the APB activities such as checking and preparing administrative documents as needed.
• Any other activities assigned by the Head, Assistance and Protection to support the functions of the Branch.
• knowledge transfer within the Branch
• Assist in online proofreading.

Tentative Start Date: 01 September 2025

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 and fluent in both written and spoken English.
  

Desirable:

• Enrolled in and/or have completed or nearing completion of a master’s degree in International Relations, Law, Political Science, Public Policy, International Security, or a related field.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks.
• Team player with good interpersonal and communication skills
• Interest in disarmament, humanitarian work, or international cooperation.
• Ability to work fulltime for the time period of the internship

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.

Closing Date
14/08/2025