2026-590 - Senior Chemical Demilitarisation Officer (P-4)

Category : Chemical Demilitarisation Branch - (0906)/Senior Chemical Demilitarisation Officer - (F0205)

Contract Type : Fixed-term Professional

Job Details :

The Chemical Demilitarisation Branch/Verification Division provides the OPCW with a means to assess and facilitate compliance of the State Parties in relation to their obligations related to chemical weapons as stated in the Convention by implementing the verification regime for Chemical Weapons (CW) and CW related facilities under Articles IV,V and Parts IV (A), IV (B) and V of the Verification Annex, as well as supporting the verification regime for challenge inspections and investigation of alleged use of CW under Articles IX and X. The Senior Chemical Demilitarisation Officer works under the guidance of the Head, Chemical Demilitarisation and leads the planning, managing and delivery (in partnership with relevant Divisions and Offices within the Technical Secretariat) of all verification activities related to Old / Abandoned Chemical Weapons. Responsibilities: Planning and managing inspection related matters: Evaluate declared Old and Abandoned Chemical Weapons sites (OACW sites) with respect to the object and purpose of the Chemical Weapons Convention (the Convention) for initial on-site inspections/visits, and determine the frequency of further on-site inspections, inspection timing, number of inspectors, specialities, duration etc; Draft inspection mandates for inspections, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and Facility Agreements, if applicable, and the site-specific information provided by the State Parties or collected during previous on-site inspections; Monitor and support the conduct of inspections by reviewing the daily Situation Reports or via official communications with the team; review Preliminary Findings Reports and provide advice to inspection team leaders for the completion of the Final Inspection Reports; Debrief the Inspection Teams (ITs) based on the review of the Preliminary Findings Report produced during inspections, signed by the inspection team leaders and countersigned by the representative of the Inspected State Party, the Inspection Mandate and the inspection conduct observed during the course of inspection; and, at the same time, provide advice to the inspection teams for preparing and finalising the Final Inspection Reports; Draft correspondence both to the inspected State Parties (ISP) to present the Final Inspection Report within the timeline specified in the Convention, and to the Director-General (DG) to report the conduct of the inspection according to the Mandate, elaborating on the pending issues or uncertainties and providing suggestions to resolve those pending issues or uncertainties.

Follow up verification related issues: Study unresolved issues which have arisen from inspections at OACW sites and, if requested, from CW sites, and seek possible solutions, which include, but not exhaustive to, drafting correspondence to the ISP and/or discussion with ISP representatives; Provide Technical Secretariat’s comments or position in DG’s closure letter addressing those issues raised either by the inspection team or by the ISP; Develop technical assessments, guidelines or Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) in relation to issues related to the inspections at OACW sites and, if requested, CW sites; Provide status reports on inspections for Technical Secretariat’s internal and external reporting purposes. Knowledge Management: Contribute to the design, modification and content of the structure of the Chemical Demilitarisation knowledge databases; Support and contribute to the development of knowledge management initiatives within CDB through knowledge creation, sharing and retention practices. Other: If necessary, provide the necessary technical support and assist the members of the Scientific Advisory Board and cluster groups in the resolution of unresolved issues by rendering the necessary advice in areas of science and technology relevant to the Convention; Participate, as an HQ inspector during inspections or bilateral technical visits; Provide technical support to Executive Council discussions in relation to CW and OACW related issues; Represent OPCW at conferences, seminars or workshops. Perform other duties as required.