About Us

The OPCW’s mission is to implement the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention to achieve our vision of a world free of chemical weapons in which chemistry is used for peace, progress, and prosperity, and to contribute to international security and stability, general and complete disarmament, and global economic development.

The OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.

General Information

• Contract Type
  Fixed-term Professional
• Grade
  P3
• Total Estimated monthly remuneration depending on post adjustment and family status: USD
  8,722
• Closing Date
  23/08/2026

Responsibilities

Job Summary

The Office of Special Missions (OSM) organises, coordinates, and conducts all OPCW special missions in the Syrian Arab Republic, drawing on resources from across the Secretariat and contributions from States Parties. The OSM also has other, longer-term vocations not related to the Syrian Arab Republic, such as supporting technical assistance visits, possible challenge inspections, and other special mission activities, one of its primary current projects is expected to be implementing OPCW activities in fulfilment of the Secretariat’s pending mandates in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The OSM coordinates with other divisions/offices for all contingency operations extending beyond the Syrian chemical weapons dossier, and coordinates with other such divisions/offices with the aim of ensuring the adequate transfer, sharing, and development of core knowledge, in support of the Organisation’s key aim of providing assistance and protection support against the use of chemical weapons, in an integrated and cost-efficient manner.

The Analyst works as a part of the Office of Special Missions under the supervision of the OSM Head of Investigations and the Director of OSM and is responsible for the collection, processing, and analysis of information and evidence from a wide range of sources to support OSM activities, including inter alia investigations into the use, development, production, or storage of chemical weapons, Challenge Inspections, technical assistance visits and any other special missions.

The Hague is the duty station of this post, but the incumbent is expected to deploy and carry out activities under the Office of Special Mission (OSM) mandate(s), starting with the ongoing OPCW Mission in Syria, or any other place, as per evolving OSM mandates requirements

Main Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the OSM Head of Investigations and the Director of OSM, the incumbent shall perform the following duties:

Analytical and Investigative Support

• Collect, collate, and analyse information from multiple sources;
• Apply structured analytical techniques to identify patterns, inconsistencies, and evidentiary gaps;
• Support the development of investigative hypotheses and lines of inquiry;
• Contribute to assessments and evidentiary packages.

Legal and Evidentiary Analysis

• Apply legal reasoning to the assessment of evidence, including relevance, reliability, and admissibility;
• Support chain-of-custody documentation and evidentiary integrity processes;
• Ensure analytical outputs are aligned with international law, including the Chemical Weapons Convention and relevant international legal standards;
• Assist in drafting sections of reports.

Field Mission Support

• Deploy as part of OSM missions when required;
• Support on-site information collection, interviews, and preliminary analysis;
• Provide real-time analytical support to investigative teams.

Reporting and Documentation

• Draft analytical reports, briefing notes, and contributions to OSM reports;
• Prepare visual and written analytical products, including timelines, link analyses, and structured datasets;
• Maintain accurate and auditable records of analytical processes and findings.

Information Management

• Organise structured and unstructured data within OSM information systems;
• Adheres to proper classification, storage, and handling of confidential information;
• Contribute to the development and improvement of analytical databases and workflows.

Coordination and Collaboration

• Liaise with investigators, forensic experts, legal officers, and external stakeholders;
• Contribute to multidisciplinary team efforts within OSM;
• Support coordination with other OPCW divisions and relevant international partners.

Training and Capacity Building

• Provides guidance and training to OSM personnel on analytical techniques and methodologies, information handling procedures, chain-of-custody requirements, and best practices in analytical work and documentation;
• Contributes to the development of policies, guidelines, practices, and procedures for the conduct of the analytical work of the team and for further investigations.

Any other duties as required.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

Essential:

• Advanced university degree in Investigation, Law, Forensic Science, Science and Technology, or other related fields;
• A first level university degree, combined with 7 years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
• Diploma in advanced investigation from a national police academy or law enforcement agency together with significant analytical experience and/or certifications in investigations (military, police, judicial/prosecutorial, federal/national intelligence agencies) together with significant experience (11 years) may be accepted in lieu of the university degree.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential:

• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in analysis, investigations, intelligence analysis, or a related field;
• Experience in international investigations and field operations, including within the OPCW, UN common system or other international organisations;
• Demonstrated experience in handling and analysing complex datasets and multi-source information.

 Desirable:

• Knowledge and understanding of multilateral disarmament issues, including understanding of the Chemical Weapons Convention and related disarmament/non-proliferation frameworks; 
• Experience in analytical work involving investigations into the use, development, production, or storage of chemical weapons is highly desirable; 
• Experience in forensic institutes or law enforcement/security/intelligence organisations;
• Field experience in conflict or post-conflict zones; 
• Experience working in multidisciplinary investigative teams; 
• Experience handling sensitive and potentially distressing material, with demonstrated emotional resilience and the ability to maintain professional objectivity;
• Familiarity with cognitive disassociation mechanisms and strategies to reduce vulnerability factors.

Skills and Competencies

• Analytical thinking, conceptual skills, critical reasoning and strategic thinking;
• Attention to detail and data integrity;
• Knowledge of evidentiary standards and legal frameworks;
• Knowledge of analytical methodologies and tools;
• Ability to work under pressure in sensitive and multicultural environments;
• Proven interpersonal and diplomatic skills;
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and with conflicting priorities;
• Ability to coordinate the work of others and handle multiple concurrent activities;
• Ability to establish effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
• High level of integrity, discretion, and respect for confidentiality;
• Strong drafting skills, including the ability to produce clear, concise, and legally sound analytical reports.

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.

This fixed-term appointment is for the duration of two years with a six-month probationary period, and is subject to the OPCW Staff Regulations and Interim Staff Rules.

The OPCW is a non-career organisation with limited staff tenure. The total length of service for Professional staff shall not exceed 7 years.

The mandatory age of separation at the OPCW is 65 years.

The Director-General retains the discretion to not make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description. Several vacancies may be filled.

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

Important notice for applicants who are currently insured under the Dutch Social Security system

Although headquartered in the Netherlands, the OPCW is not a regular Dutch employer but a public international organisation with its own special status. Please be advised that if you are currently insured under the Dutch Social Security system, you will be excluded from this system as a staff member of the OPCW. You will consequently be insured under the organisation’s system. The above also applies to your dependents unless they are employed by a regular Dutch employer, they are self-employed in the Netherlands, or are receiving Dutch social security payments.

Please refer to the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment for more information about the possible consequences for you and your dependents, such as exclusion from ‘AWBZ’ and ‘Zorgverzekeringswet’ coverage: ‘Werken bij een internationale organisatie’.