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, working with international experts towards the OPCW mission to achieve a world permanently free of chemical weapons.
As part of the team, working directly with outstanding and inspiring career professionals, you will be exposed to high-profile conferences, participate in meetings, and contribute to analytical work as well as the organisational policy of the OPCW.
🏛️ About the Budget and Finance Branch
The Budget and Finance Branch (BFB) applies best practice budgetary and financial support services to the OPCW. The Branch is responsible for developing and managing the OPCW Programme and Budget, supporting the management and reporting of extra-budgetary funding, preparation of the OPCW Financial Statements, collecting assessed State Party contributions and other income, and administering all payments for the organization. The Branch carries out its functions in accordance with the financial regulations and rules and decisions of the OPCW policy-making organs, and serves as a key interlocutor with the Organization's External Auditor and the Advisory Body on Administrative and Financial Matters. The Budget and Finance Branch consists of four Sections: Budget, Disbursements, Treasury, and Accounts and Reporting.
🎯 Purpose of the Internship
🤝 Support in coordination with the International Cooperation and Assistance Division (ICA), reviewing Disbursements reports
🧾 Support in registration of incoming invoices
📚 These tasks will help the intern familiarise themselves with OPCW outreach activities and provide a broad overview of the invoice payment process
✈️ The selected intern will also learn how OPCW handles seminar activities and how travel is organised and paid for delegates and participants of ICA events
🌱 A different Dutch opportunity, focused on youth work practice rather than finance: Erasmus+ Training Course in the 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🎨 Playfulness as a Professional Attitude in Youth Work 🌱 → https://youthworkshub.org/20683
📋 Terms of Reference for the Internship
🎪 Multiple events are organised by ICA every year
🔍 Assist the Disbursements Team in reviewing financial reports submitted by the event organiser
🧾 Ensure that all necessary invoices and proofs of payment along with the receipts from the participants are submitted by them
💳 Once reviewed, prepare expense claims
📞 Liaise with ICA programme staff if incomplete reports are submitted
✈️ Assist in liaising with the Travel Unit to ensure that travel authorisation and subsequent revisions are being processed in a timely manner
🌍 The incumbent can be exposed to familiarising with events related to international activities
⚙️ Registering invoices received by the OPCW in the ERP system
💶 Preparing invoices for payments
✅ Education and Eligibility
🎓 Enrolled in and have completed at least one year of an economics, accounting, finance, business administration or related degree programme in a university or equivalent tertiary institution, or in a graduate school programme meaning a 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
📊 Good knowledge of Excel
🗣️ Fluency in English is essential and a good working knowledge of one of the other official languages, meaning Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish, is desirable
🏗️ A technical placement in another country, if you would rather be on site than in the ledger: Internship in 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🪨 Geotechnical Site Investigation at an Engineering Office 🏗️ (CHF 2,500/month + allowance) → https://youthworkshub.org/20447
⚠️ Internship Conditions
💶 Participants in the Internship Programme receive no financial remuneration from the OPCW for expenses that they incur in relation to the programme, and costs and arrangements for travel, visas, taxes, accommodation, living expenses and repatriation are the responsibility of the intern, who has to enter and exit the country in accordance with the applicable immigration procedures in the Netherlands
📄 Participants will be asked to provide proof that they have sufficient financial means for living expenses for the period of their internship
🕐 Interns will work with the normal working pattern of the OPCW, which will amount to no more than 40 hours a week
🚫 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
📌 Acceptance for the programme does not carry with it any expectation of employment with the OPCW, and 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 Details
📍 Location: the Netherlands
📄 Contract type: Intern
💶 Remuneration: 540 EUR as listed in the vacancy
🗓️ Proposed internship start date: 1 October 2026
⏳ The programme normally provides work placements for a three to six month period
🕐 All vacancies close at 22:00 Netherlands local time on their respective closing day
📩 How to Apply
Only fully completed applications submitted before the closing date and through the OPCW CandidateSpace portal will be considered, and only applicants under serious consideration will be contacted. The organisers recommend applying well in advance of the deadline.
⏰ Deadline
07 August 2026, at 22:00 Netherlands local time.
🔗 Link
📝 Job opening and application: https://opcw-career.talent-soft.com/job/job-internship-disbursement-section-budget-and-finance-branch-bfb-_575.aspx
