About Us

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavor to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons.

The ultimate aim of the OPCW is 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. Under the OPCW’s oversight 96% of the chemical weapons stockpiles declared by possessor States have been verifably destroyed.

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

Our mission for a world free of chemical weapons makes people’s lives better. Apply to be a part of our team to make the world a better place for all.

General Information

• Contract Type
  Fixed-term General Service
• Grade
  GS5
• Estimated monthly remuneration: Euro
  4,184
• Closing Date
  18/09/2024

Responsibilities

Job Summary

The Office of Internal Oversight (OIO) is in search of a well-qualified and experienced Senior Oversight Assistant to join the team. The main objectives of this position are: provision of secretarial and administrative support to the Director, Office of Internal Oversight, management of the secretariat of the Office of Internal Oversight, supporting administrative, fieldwork research, and analytics tasks related to Internal Audits, advisory projects and Internal Investigations and acting as the main Procurement, Gender, Diversity, Inclusion and Data Privacy focal point of the Office of Internal Oversight, among others.

Main Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Director, Internal Oversight, the incumbent performs the following duties;

Processing & Prioritising of Communications, Drafting Documents and Presentations

• Send, receive, log and review all incoming and outgoing correspondence
• Research and attach necessary background information; maintain a follow-up system on documentation under Director’s signature, and main documents issued from the OIO
• Copy information to the relevant parties both internal and external; prepare documents for filing and maintain systems record following policies and knowledge management concepts
• Highlight matters of particular importance or urgency for the Director promptly
• Prioritise correspondence and draft replies for the Director’s signature, or own
• Draft presentations and documents on various issues, including highly sensitive or confidential matters
• Collect relevant data, format and prepare complex annual reports to Members States
• Prepare OIO internal and outgoing correspondence according to established procedures
• Maintain all files in coordination with the professional staff of the OIO, keeping updated contact data lists for delegates and business contacts
• As Document Control Officer for the office, receives logs and is responsible for files of classified documents, ensuring strict adherence to the policy on classified documents and information classification.

To view the complete job outline, please click here.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

Essential:

High School Diploma or equivalent Diploma of higher secondary education.

Desirable:

Additional training in Auditing, Business Administration, IT.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential:

At least 4 years of progressively responsible and related experience in providing administrative support to a variety of teams at the same time (including but not exclusively finance, administration, auditing or similar). Have shown flexibility to work simultaneously in a variety of tasks related to organization and communication.

Desirable:

Previous secretarial/administrative experience within an international organisation would be a strong asset.

Skills and Competencies

• Self-motivated with strong time management skills;
• Flexible, determined, and persistent;
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient in MS Office tools, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, MS Teams, and Outlook.
• Tact, accuracy, discretion, and respect for confidentiality;
• Team-oriented with a collaborative approach;
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment independently;
• Other Skills: Interest in gender, diversity and inclusion matters.

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

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

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 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.

Fixed-term staff members participate in the OPCW Provident Fund. A monthly staff contribution is met with a doubled amount by the OPCW under the provisions for social security. As the OPCW is exploring membership of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF), staff participation in the Provident Fund may be replaced by participation in the UNJSPF effective 1 January 2025.

Applications from qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged.

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’.