Junior policy officer, Administrative Unit, Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF)

  •  Starting date: 15 August 2025 
  • Location: The Hague, the Netherlands, Brussels, Belgium 
  • Appointment: 1 FTE = 38 hours for 1 year 
  • Salary: In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (Scale 10), dependent on education and relevant working experience. 

Position Summary

We are seeking a junior policy officer who will be involved in the delivery of multiple activities of differing levels of complexity for mainly international stakeholders. The individual will be highly proficient in written and spoken English and has excellent intercultural and interpersonal skills, as well as being capable of multitasking and working under pressure. 

The junior policy officer reports to the Head of the GCTF Administrative Unit and works closely with the co-chairs of the GCTF. The individual will act as liaison with the EU as GCTF co-chair and will work on initiatives and working group activities to deliver on the co-chairs’ strategic vision. The individual must be able to work independently and proactively on certain policy-related tasks, while on other tasks act as an active and flexible team member. The junior policy officer is willing and able to work irregular hours, including weekend days, when required, and to undertake travel abroad. 

Tasks and Responsibilities 

  • Preparing, planning, writing, coordinating, delivering and following up on GCTF policy documents and meetings 
  • Information management—creating, maintaining, and updating relevant files and documents, including guidelines and other policy documents. 
  • Serve as the Point of contact in support of the co-chairs and the Head of Unit. 
  • Building and maintaining relationships with colleagues across the GCTF community and at all levels. 
  • Supporting the work of one or more initiatives and/or working group work streams. 
  • Represent the GCTF co-chairs and Administrative Unit when appropriate. 

Requirements 

Experience 

  • A relevant Master’s Degree or equivalent in an area relevant to Countering Terrorism 
  • At least two (2) years of recent, demonstrable working experience in an international environment – experience with the GCTF and/or the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy are a distinct advantage 
  • Experience in working in a multi-cultural and multilateral environment 
  • Competent working in a deadline-driven, fast-paced environment 

Skills/Competencies 

  • Critical thinking, active listening, sound judgement, a problem solver 
  • Interpersonal skills 
  • Good written and verbal communication skills (English). Proficiency in other languages (particularly French and/or Arabic) is a distinct advantage 
  • Drafting, writing, editing, and proofreading skills 
  • Collaborative and supportive approach to teamwork as well as an ability to work independently with minimal supervision 
  • Intercultural effectiveness 
  • Flexible, ability to multitask 
  • Ability to keep calm under pressure 
  • Capacity to find creative solutions to challenges that may arise 
  • High level of integrity 
  • Able to travel internationally 
  • Candidates must have extensive practical experience with computer applications such as Microsoft Office365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, etc.) as well as of various on-line platforms (Zoom, WebEx, etc.) 
  • A good sense of humour 

The position will be for one (1) year, remunerated according to scale 10 of the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. The University of Amsterdam/T.M.C. Asser Instituut is the formal employer of all GCTF Administrative Unit staff. The salary and benefits are in accordance with the employment conditions of the Collective Labour agreement for Dutch Universities and the Institute. 

Contact details 

For more information about this vacancy, please contact us via e-mail headofunit@theGCTF.org.  Interested candidates who are eligible to live and work in the Netherlands are invited to submit their curriculum vitae and motivation letter in English (by email only) to the T.M.C. Asser Instituut, att. Julien Simon (Head of Operations & special Projects), po@asser.nl, mentioning “GCTF Junior policy officer” in the subject line. All genders are encouraged to apply.  

The deadline for submitting applications is 31 July 2025 (23:59 CET). Interviews will follow shortly thereafter. The successful candidate will ideally begin no later than 15 August 2025. 

While we appreciate all expressions of interest, only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Employment agencies should not submit applications. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once we have received enough applications and before the advertised closing date.