Traineeship in the Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments

General Information

Type of contract: Traineeship 

Who can apply?  EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme 

Grant:  The trainee grant is €1,170 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section) 

Working time:  Full time 

Place of work:  Frankfurt am Main, Germany 

Closing date: 21.02.2025

Your team

You will join the ECB’s Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments. We are responsible for the euro’s payment, securities settlement and collateral management systems – referred to collectively as “TARGET Services”. The tasks we perform include overseeing financial market infrastructure and payment instruments in the euro area, helping financial markets to operate smoothly. We also work with the financial industry to promote innovation and harmonisation in business practices across Europe. For example, in today’s digital world, we are helping foster innovation in the fields of retail payments, instant payment solutions, securities settlement, collateral management applications and cyber resilience.

We are looking for trainees to join the Market Infrastructure Development Division and the Market Infrastructure Management Division, which are both part of the ECB’s Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments. The Market Infrastructure Development Division is responsible for business development, project delivery and the development of services in the fields of high-value payments and retail payments, securities settlement, collateral management and onboarding for TARGET Services. The Market Infrastructure Management Division oversees operations relating to securities settlement, high-value payments and collateral management. It also coordinates and supports steering and technical groups composed of external stakeholders with a view to addressing their needs in those fields of operation. 

The ECB is an inclusive employer, and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Your role

As a trainee in the Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments, you will be involved in:

• project management (including planning, monitoring, reporting and risk management), change management and onboarding for TARGET Services;
• tasks related to policy and regulatory issues, system functionalities and the design and development of financial market infrastructure services;
• establishing incident and crisis management procedures, supporting day-to-day operations and planning activities related to deploying TARGET Services;
• stakeholder engagement (including coordinating meetings, documenting outcomes and drafting briefings), supporting the governance of TARGET Services and collaborating with a variety of stakeholders, including financial institutions, central banks, Eurosystem committees and EU institutions.

This position offers you excellent opportunities to learn about financial market infrastructure and contribute to the Eurosystem’s role in this field, gaining exposure to a wide range of tasks in one of the most exciting areas of the ECB. During the traineeship, you will gain hands-on experience in the delivery and operation of large and complex pan-European IT platforms. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.

Qualifications, experience and skills

Essential:

• a bachelor’s degree or higher in economics, business administration, econometrics, programming, computer science, engineering, finance, mathematics, physics or a related field;
• advanced knowledge of the MS Office package, in particular Excel and Power Point;
• an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

 

Desired:

• a master’s degree in economics, business administration, econometrics, programming, computer science, engineering, finance, mathematics, physics or a related field;
• experience in drafting and presenting complex subject matter in a clear and concise manner for different audiences;
• knowledge of change and/or risk management methodologies, principles and practices;
• a general understanding of financial market infrastructure (i.e. payment, securities settlement and collateral management systems);
• a general understanding of central banking and the ECB’s mission, tasks and responsibilities.

You are curious and eager to learn, and want to further develop your ability to analyse complex information. You are keen to collaborate with others, pursue team goals and learn from other people’s diverse perspectives. You strive to know and anticipate stakeholder needs, and will signal any need for change and propose alternative solutions.

You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are keen to be part of our team and to use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Further information

Initial traineeship of six months, with a possible extension to up to 12 months in total. The traineeships will have different start dates, with the earliest being in July 2025.

Other details on the conditions applicable to traineeships at the ECB can be found on our website.

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/what-we-offer/traineeship/html/index.e...

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include a pre-recorded video interview in the pre selection phase and – if you are invited to participate in the subsequent selection phase – an online interview and a remote written exercise.

Further information on how to apply is available on our website.

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/before-you-apply/how-to-apply/html/ind...

If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months from the closing date for applications, from which you might be considered for other traineeship positions within the ECB.

 

Traineeship in computer science - Information Systems

General Information

Type of contract:  Traineeship 

Who can apply?  EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme 

Grant:  The trainee grant is €1,170 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section) 

Working time:  Full time 

Place of work:  Frankfurt am Main, Germany 

Closing date: 24.02.2025

Your team

You will be part of the Alliance of DevOps Product Teams Division in the Directorate General Information Systems. Our Division has around 30 members of staff providing support to various business areas under the digitalisation and transformation initiative. We establish, develop and maintain a portfolio of IT services provided by product teams working in DevOps mode. 

We are seeking to recruit two trainees who will join either the Cloud FinOps team or the enterprise resource planning (ERP) product team and work closely with the IT project managers and the product teams.

The ECB is an inclusive employer and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Your role

As a trainee in the Cloud FinOps team you will:

• build reporting dashboards and aggregate data sources;
• support the product teams in cloud cost optimisation;
• assist with the follow-up on implementation of cloud cost optimisation solutions, including savings plans, reservations and spot instances;
• update documentation in Confluence.

As a trainee in the ERP product team you will:

• assist the product team in sprint planning and execution;
• work closely with the product managers in introducing a new travel management system;
• help develop and improve the SAP Financial Accounting (FI) component to drive financial process innovation;
• update documentation in Confluence.

Our traineeship programme gives you the opportunity to:

• immerse yourself in the ECB’s IT systems and infrastructure and gain first-hand experience of a team delivering high-quality IT services and projects;
• attend courses and interactive information sessions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the ECB’s role;
• complete tailored assignments that take your development needs into account;
• perform challenging tasks in which you can hone your analytical, technical and business skills;
• gain experience with SAP technologies such as ABAP, CDS, SAP Fiori and SAP S/4HANA;
• work with mentors and leaders willing to share their experience with you.

The position offers you excellent opportunities to develop your skills as part of a dynamic international organisation undergoing a major digital transformation. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens. 

Qualifications, experience and skills

Essential: 

• a bachelor’s degree or higher in science, computer science, engineering, business informatics or another technology-related field;
• a good knowledge of the MS Office package;
• an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages...

Desired: 

• experience of working with communication or collaboration solutions (e.g. Confluence, MS Teams, Miro or wikis);
• software development skills and the ability to learn new programming languages (e.g. Python or ABAP);
• knowledge of cloud infrastructure and architecture, analysing data using database management systems (e.g. Cloudera, Databricks or AWS RDS) and visualisation tools (e.g. Tableau or Power BI), and running CI/CD pipelines;
• knowledge of ERP systems and concepts, particularly SAP S/4HANA and its FI component, as well as familiarity with agile methodologies and sprint planning.

You are curious and eager to learn, and want to further develop your ability to analyse complex information. You are keen to collaborate with others, pursue team goals and learn from other people’s diverse perspectives. You strive to know and anticipate stakeholder needs, and will signal any need for change and propose alternative solutions.

You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are keen to be part of our team and to use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Further information

Initial traineeship of between three and six months, with a possible extension to up to 12 months in total.

Other details on the conditions applicable to traineeships at the ECB can be found on our website.

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/what-we-offer/traineeship/html/index.e...

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include a pre-recorded video interview in the pre-selection phase and – if you are invited to participate in the subsequent selection phase – an online interview. 

Further information on how to apply is available on our website.

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/before-you-apply/how-to-apply/html/ind...

If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months from the closing date for applications, from which you might be considered for other traineeship positions within the ECB.

 

PhD traineeship in the Market-based Finance Division

General Information

Type of contract:  PhD traineeship 

Who can apply?  EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme 

Grant:  The trainee grant is €2,120 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section) 

Working time:  Full time 

Place of work:  Frankfurt am Main, Germany 

Closing date:  25.02.2025

Your team

You will be part of the Directorate General Macroprudential Policy and Financial Stability of the ECB. Our Directorate General has more than 100 staff members providing analysis and policy advice on issues relating to financial stability, non-bank financial intermediation, financial regulation and macroprudential policy. In particular, we identify and measure systemic risks for banks and non-banks, as well as developing and assessing financial regulation and macroprudential measures. 

We are looking for PhD trainees to work in the Market-based Finance Division of our Directorate General. The Division is responsible for assessing and mitigating systemic risk stemming from the activities and behaviour of non-bank financial intermediaries. We also assess financial stability risk in financial markets and coordinate the Directorate General’s market intelligence activities, while working to enhance understanding of how market-based finance interacts with monetary policy.

In your role as a PhD trainee, you will be part of a team of approximately 20 members of staff responsible for policy-relevant analysis, model development and coordinating the ECB’s views on the aforementioned issues.

The ECB is an inclusive employer and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Your role

As a PhD trainee you will:

• assess systemic risk in the non-bank financial sector, including risk from asset management and insurance activities;
• analyse the role of the non-bank financial sector in funding the real economy;
• work empirically with large granular datasets, such as data reports on derivatives or securities financing transactions, portfolio holdings data or commercial data on investment funds and financial markets;
• provide analytical input in the wider policy debate on non-bank financial intermediation and systemic risk.

The position offers you an excellent opportunity to work closely with our experts on different tasks and research projects in the area to which you are assigned. You will be able to develop your potential and gain an overview of the activities performed by the Directorate General. You may also have the chance to contribute to its regular work. You will have an assigned supervisor, but will be expected to use your own initiative and work autonomously.

You will be able to attend a wide range of seminars and have access the ECB’s library, as well as to our computing, programming and statistical resources. The role will also give you the possibility to network and engage with other employees, while building self-awareness and expanding your business knowledge. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.

Qualifications, experience and skills

Essential: 

• a master’s degree and at least two years of PhD studies in the field of finance, economics, statistics, mathematics, physics, engineering, computer science or a related discipline;
• a sound background in one or more of the following fields: asset pricing and derivatives, institutions and markets, financial sector analysis, corporate finance, policy and/or regulation, macro-finance, panel data and/or time series econometrics, numerical techniques, mathematical optimisation models, computational economics, network analysis and data science; 
• a good knowledge of one or more programming languages and/or econometric software packages (e.g. Python, R, SQL, PySpark, MATLAB or Stata);
• a sound knowledge of the MS Office package;
• an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages...

Desired: 

• experience in working with large granular datasets, combining different data sources and drawing information from complex financial and real sector data;
• a good knowledge of at least one of the areas listed in the “Your role” section above.

You are curious and eager to learn, and want to further develop your ability to analyse complex information. You are keen to collaborate with others, pursue team goals and learn from other people’s diverse perspectives. You strive to know and anticipate stakeholder needs, and will signal any need for change and propose alternative solutions.

You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are keen to be part of our team and to use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Further information

Initial PhD traineeship of between three and six months, with a possible extension to up to 12 months in total.

The earliest starting date will be May 2025, and additional dates will be available throughout the year.

Other details on the conditions applicable to traineeships at the ECB can be found on our website. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/what-we-offer/traineeship/html/index.e...

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include an online interview.

Further information on how to apply is available on our website. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/before-you-apply/how-to-apply/html/ind...

If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months from the closing date for applications, from which you might be considered for other traineeship positions within the ECB.

 

Traineeship in the Macroprudential Policy Division and the Market-based Finance Division

General Information

Type of contract:  Traineeship 

Who can apply?  EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme 

Grant:  The trainee grant is €1,170 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section) 

Working time:  Full time 

Place of work:  Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Closing date:  13.02.2025

Your team

You will be part of the Macroprudential Policy Division or the Market-based Finance Division in the Directorate General Macroprudential Policy and Financial Stability. Our Directorate General provides analysis and policy advice on issues relating to financial stability, non-bank financial intermediation, financial regulation and macroprudential policy. 

In the Macroprudential Policy Division, we assess country-specific systemic risks within the financial sector and beyond, including the household, corporate and real estate sectors. We assess national macroprudential policy measures that address identified risks, and carry out analyses that support the ECB’s implementation of the macroprudential measures envisaged by Article 5 of the SSM Regulation.

In the Market-based Finance Division, we assess and mitigate systemic risks arising from the activities and behaviour of non-bank financial intermediaries. We also assess financial stability risks in financial markets and coordinate the Directorate General’s market intelligence activities. Moreover, we enable the ECB to better understand how market-based finance interacts with monetary policy.

In your role as a trainee, you will be part of a Division of approximately 20-30 staff responsible for analysing macroprudential risk and policy, developing models and coordinating the ECB’s views on these issues. You will work closely with our experts, contributing to regular tasks and key analytical projects. The precise nature of the traineeship will depend on the team you join and your personal skill set.

The ECB is an inclusive employer and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Your role

As a trainee, you will:

• maintain, update and further develop large and complex data infrastructures used for identifying systemic risk, analysing macroprudential policy and analysing developments in the financial sector and the real economy;
• develop visualisation tools and computer programs for efficient data processing and data analysis, while helping ensure users can access complex datasets;
• participate actively in the general work of the Division, for example by (i) contributing to analyses for inclusion in regular internal reports and external publications such as the ECB’s Macroprudential Bulletin and Financial Stability Review, (ii) contributing – through data collection, research assistance and programming – to analytical projects focused on issues currently of interest to the Directorate General, and (iii) helping to prepare presentations and notes for the Division’s management and staff.

The position offers you excellent opportunities to familiarise yourself with macroprudential policy and financial stability in the euro area and to develop your technical skills by enabling you to participate in a variety of regularly performed tasks and projects. You will be able to develop your potential and will quickly make a real difference to the work of the Division. As a trainee, you will have the opportunity to work in a team alongside committed and highly qualified colleagues and leaders in the field of financial stability and macroprudential policy. 

You will be able to attend a wide range of seminars and will have access to the ECB’s library as well as its computing, programming and statistical resources. You will have the opportunity to network and engage with other employees, grow personally and expand your business knowledge. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.

Qualifications, experience and skills

Essential: 

• a bachelor’s degree or higher in finance, economics, statistics, mathematics, engineering, business administration, physics, computer science or a related discipline;
• a good understanding of and practical experience working with one or more programming languages and econometric software packages (e.g. R, Stata, MATLAB, Python and SQL);
• a sound knowledge of statistical and econometric methods;
• experience in preparing, handling and analysing datasets based on various data sources;
• an advanced knowledge of the MS Office package, in particular Excel and PowerPoint;
• an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages...

Desired: 

• a master’s degree, or studies towards a master’s degree that are close to completion, in finance, economics, statistics, mathematics, engineering, business administration, physics, computer science or a related discipline;
• experience in one or more of the following fields: econometrics (e.g. macroeconometrics, microeconometrics, time series analysis, financial econometrics, panel data econometrics and machine learning), modelling and programming; 
• knowledge of financial sector analysis and financial policy and regulation, and/or knowledge of macroeconomics;
• knowledge of bank balance sheet and bank-specific data analysis; 
• experience of a broad range of standard databases of macroeconomic and financial data (e.g. the ECB Statistical Data Portal, Bloomberg, BankFocus, Orbis and MSCI Real Capital Analytics).

You are curious and eager to learn, and want to further develop your ability to analyse complex information. You are keen to collaborate with others, pursue team goals and learn from other people’s diverse perspectives. You strive to know and anticipate stakeholder needs, and will signal any need for change and propose alternative solutions.

You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are keen to be part of our team and to use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Further information

Initial traineeship of between three and six months, with a possible extension to up 12 months in total. The earliest starting date will be mid-April 2025 and additional starting dates will be available throughout summer and autumn 2025.

Other details on the conditions applicable to traineeships at the ECB can be found on our website. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/what-we-offer/traineeship/html/index.e...

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include an online interview. 

Further information on how to apply is available on our website. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/before-you-apply/how-to-apply/html/ind...

If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months from the closing date for applications, from which you might be considered for other traineeship positions within the ECB.

 

PhD traineeship in Directorate General Economics

General Information

Type of contract: PhD traineeship 

Who can apply?  EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme 

Grant:  The trainee grant is €2,120 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section)

Working time:  Full time 

Place of work:  Frankfurt am Main, Germany 

Closing date:  19.02.2025

Your team

You will be part of the Fiscal Policies Division in the Directorate General Economics. Our team of approximately 25 experts is responsible for assessing the national fiscal policies of EU Member States and the fiscal stance of the whole euro area. We provide fiscal forecasts and analyse the impact of fiscal policy in a variety of areas, such as the energy crisis and high inflation, the macroeconomy, public debt dynamics, climate change, and monetary policy. Our Division is also responsible for analysing issues related to the reform of the EU fiscal framework.

The ECB is an inclusive employer and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Your role

As a PhD Trainee you will:

• conduct empirical analyses using state-of-the-art economic and econometric models;
• contribute to the enhancement of analytical, econometric and forecasting tools under the supervision of ECB experts – you may have the opportunity to submit papers based on this work for publication in the ECB’s Working Paper Series and academic journals.

You will also work on one of the following projects.

1. Exploring the role of artificial intelligence, for example how we can use machine learning and deep learning and apply neural networks to large datasets to construct “sentiment indicators” for fiscal policy and to forecast fiscal variables (government revenues, expenditures, deficits), as well as to produce debt sustainability analyses.

2. Exploring the impact of fiscal policies, such as fiscal policy multipliers, on the macroeconomy, based on both empirical and theoretical models, and in different phases of the business cycle. This may include contributing to the build-up of heterogeneous agent New Keynesian models.

3. Assessing the role national and aggregate euro area fiscal policies play in climate change mitigation, evaluating debt sustainability risks, and exploring the trade-off between debt sustainability and the stabilisation function of fiscal policies.

4. Assessing the recent reform of EU fiscal rules, options for provision of common public goods in the Economic and Monetary Union and the EU, risk-sharing mechanisms, the interplay between fiscal rules and market discipline, and the implications of introducing a safe asset for the Economic and Monetary Union.

5. Developing time series models for forecasting fiscal variables, including models which combine data sampled at different frequencies, evaluating the impact of revisions in fiscal data and differences between real-time and revised data, and assessing the determinants of forecasting errors by international institutions.

6. Exploring optimality conditions for the interaction between monetary and fiscal policies when the assumption of perfectly functioning financial markets is abandoned.

The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to build on your skills and gain experience as an economist. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.

Qualifications, experience and skills

Essential: 

• a master’s degree and at least two years of PhD studies in the field of economics, finance, statistics, data science, engineering or a related field;
• a sound understanding of and theoretical background in macroeconomics and the economic and institutional context in which the ECB fulfils its mandate, including the role of fiscal policies in the Economic and Monetary Union;
• programming skills in quantitative software such as MATLAB, Stata, Python or R;
• a good knowledge of the MS Office package;
• an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages...

Desired: 

• experience in applying structural, panel, global, Bayesian and non-linear (time-varying parameters, Markov switching) vector autoregressions (VARs) and co-integration analysis;
• experience of factor models and state space/unobserved component models;
• experience in applying macroeconomic models, e.g. dynamic stochastic general equilibrium, backward-looking or agent-based, overlapping generation models, using DYNARE or your own coding;
• experience authoring publications relevant to the Fiscal Policy Division’s work.

You are curious and eager to learn, and want to further develop your ability to analyse complex information. You are keen to collaborate with others, pursue team goals and learn from other people’s diverse perspectives. You strive to know and anticipate stakeholder needs, and will signal any need for change and propose alternative solutions.

You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are keen to be part of our team and to use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Further information

Initial PhD traineeship of between 3 and 6 months, with a possible extension to up to 12 months in total.

Other details on the conditions applicable to traineeships at the ECB can be found on our website. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/what-we-offer/traineeship/html/index.e...

For additional information on this specific vacancy, you can speak to Krzysztof Bankowski on +49 69 1344 8421.

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include an online interview. 

Further information on how to apply is available on our website. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/before-you-apply/how-to-apply/html/ind...

If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months from the closing date for applications, from which you might be considered for other traineeship positions within the ECB.

 

Traineeship in data protection

General Information

Type of contract:  Traineeship 

Who can apply?  EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme 

Grant:  The trainee grant is €1,170 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section) 

Working time:  Full time 

Place of work:  Frankfurt am Main, Germany 

Closing date:  28.02.2025

Your team

You will be part of the ECB’s Data Protection Office. Data protection safeguards the freedoms and fundamental rights of individuals regarding how their personal data are processed. The Data Protection Officer reports directly to the ECB’s Executive Board and is responsible for ensuring that relevant EU data protection law is correctly applied at the ECB. 

We are currently working on data protection issues related to cloud computing, artificial intelligence, the digital euro project and many other innovations. In your role as a Data Protection trainee, you will be part of a dynamic team of enthusiastic professionals. Our team is responsible for providing advice to colleagues across the ECB, raising awareness about data protection, investigating incidents and other matters related to data protection, liaising with the European Data Protection Supervisor and conducting data protection audits. We work closely with all ECB departments and with a network of data protection officers from other EU institutions, national central banks and national competent authorities.

The ECB is an inclusive employer and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Your role

As a Data Protection trainee, you will:

• carry out research and prepare legal advice on data protection matters, working closely with experienced legal counsels and under the supervision of the Data Protection Officer;
• support the Data Protection Office in preparing meetings, guidance, presentations and legal analysis;
• help to evaluate requests for legal advice on data protection questions, transfers of personal data outside the European Economic Area, data subject access requests, data protection breaches, new technologies, records of processing activities, privacy statements and data protection impact assessments;
• raise awareness about data protection.

The position offers you excellent opportunities to gain experience in the field of data protection in an EU context and to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during your studies. Working together with more experienced colleagues, you will have the opportunity to improve your skills and further develop as a professional. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens. 

Qualifications, experience and skills

Essential: 

• a bachelor’s degree or higher in law, preferably obtained in an EU Member State;
• an awareness of and interest in EU data protection law;
• a good knowledge of the MS Office package;
• an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages...

Desired: 

• specialisation, experience, research or a thesis in EU law or data protection law.

You are curious and eager to learn, and want to further develop your ability to analyse complex information. You are keen to collaborate with others, pursue team goals and learn from other people’s diverse perspectives. You strive to know and anticipate stakeholder needs, and will signal any need for change and propose alternative solutions.

You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are keen to be part of our team and to use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Further information

Initial traineeship of 6 months, with a possible extension to up to 12 months in total. The earliest starting date will be mid-2025. Additional starting dates may become available throughout 2025. 

Other details on the conditions applicable to traineeships at the ECB can be found on our website. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/what-we-offer/traineeship/html/index.e...

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include an online interview. 

Further information on how to apply is available on our website. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/before-you-apply/how-to-apply/html/ind...

If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months from the closing date for applications, from which you might be considered for other traineeship positions within the ECB.