Junior-level Data Scientist & Software Developer

HCSS Software Engineering, Data Science Posted on Jun 30, 2026 About HCSS The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) is a leading think tank that provides strategic support to public and private organisations. Our goal is to offer fact-based analysis of the challenges that our societies face to inform public discourse, public and private strategic decision-making and contribute to international and national security in accordance with liberal democratic values. We typically conduct our research at the intersection of scientific research and strategic policy for governments, international organisations, and NGOs. We also offer analytical support to inform private sector strategic planning processes. Our work is funded through contract research, through research grants and we also develop our own initiatives. Our fact-based analysis is intended to generate strategy and policy-relevant insights that inform real world decisions. To further this cause, we conduct both basic and applied research, we host public and closed-door events, and we convene and engage with a wide range of stakeholders to further our own thinking and to stimulate debate on the pressing issues of our time. We are not linked to any political party nor beholden to any external corporate or national interests. Within our research portfolio, we specifically look at topics such as international and national security, defence, strategy, social resilience, emerging technologies, climate security, economic security, raw materials, energy transition, cyber policy, organised crime, and the broader geopolitical and geo-economic context. We conduct our research based on deep domain expertise, data-driven research, and innovative analytical methods. Job Description Within our Datalab team, we are looking for a junior-level data scientist & software developer with a strong quantitative background and an affinity for geopolitics and national and international security. Candidates must possess demonstrable programming and analytical skills in addition to the ability to scrape, store, analyse, and visualise complex data. Candidates must be able to function in a dynamic project organisation and have a strong interest in building data-driven tools and applying data analysis for strategic policy advice. We are specifically looking for a data scientist & software developer who has knowledge of methods such as NLP (mostly generative AI), machine learning, and statistical modelling. Candidates must be able to develop future-oriented analyses based on this knowledge and present them within a rapidly changing policy context. Candidate Profile Candidates must meet the following requirements and possess the following competencies: • Education : Strong academic background (MSc) in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Econometrics, or a related field. • Data analysis : Demonstrable experience analysing large datasets and applying quantitative techniques. • Policy : Affinity with topics such as geopolitics and national or international security. • Programming : Excellent command of Python and experience with other languages such as JavaScript and SQL. • Tools & infrastructure : Skills in version control (Git), containerisation (Docker), and deploying code on servers. • Work ethic : Results- and quality-driven; self-motivated and able to work both independently and in teams. Strong sense of integrity and responsibility; flexible and creative in approaching problems and finding innovative solutions. • Language skills : Fluent in English (spoken and written); Dutch is a plus. • Bonus skills : Experience with web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, FastAPI), Databases (SQL, Neo4j), and Generative AI (LLMs, Graph Neural Networks, Generative Agent Based Modelling) is a plus. Salary HCSS offers a competitive salary package. Application Procedure Send your CV, cover letter, and relevant GitHub repositories by August 1, 2026, to