Traineeship in People Engagement and Communications

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: 29.04.2026

Your team

You will be part of the People Engagement and Communications team in the HR Digitalisation and Employee Relations Division of the Directorate General Human Resources. Our Division is responsible for stakeholder and staff relations, people communications and engagement, legal and data protection oversight, HR systems and analytics development, and major HR transformation, including digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) enablement and workforce management.

In your role as trainee, you will be part of a team responsible for shaping and delivering internal communication related to people, culture and organisational topics at the ECB. We design and implement communication strategies on organisational change, leadership communication, employee experience, campaigns and events using a range of formats and channels.

We work closely with senior management, Directorate General Communications and other business areas across the ECB to ensure that communication supports organisational priorities, enhances staff engagement and fosters a shared understanding of people topics, related change and transformation. We also lead work on organisational culture, including the ECB staff survey, from the design of the questionnaire to the delivery of the results, the analysis of engagement data and the translation of insights into actionable recommendations.

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:

• gain hands-on experience in strategic communication in an international environment;
• learn how the ECB works internally and how communication shapes decision-making and organisational alignment;
• work directly with senior leaders and prepare materials for all internal audiences, from the Executive Board to managers and staff;
• build on your writing, storytelling, analytical and presentation skills;
• advance your skills in producing and editing videos, infographics and other visual content, and apply them to creating communication materials for internal channels on people related topics;
• learn to translate complex information into clear messaging and visually engaging content;
• develop the ability to think strategically and creatively, keeping the big picture in mind while delivering concrete outputs;
• take ownership of tasks and progressively contribute ideas for communication strategies, campaigns and events;
• learn to use AI tools critically and responsibly as part of modern communication workflows.

This traineeship offers you a unique opportunity to learn how communication supports organisational culture, leadership and transformation within a complex European institution and will expose you to a broad range of communication, organisational and analytical topics. 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 communications, business administration, social and organisational psychology, political science, management, economics or another relevant field;
• knowledge, interest and/or experience in one or more of the following areas: internal and corporate communications, employee engagement, strategic messaging, organisational culture, change and transformation communication, project management, data supported storytelling;
• English writing and editing skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and structure information effectively;
• experience in producing audiovisual or visual communication content, such as videos, infographics, posters and presentations;
• the ability to translate complex or technical topics into accessible and engaging content;
• excellent knowledge of MS Office, especially PowerPoint, Word and Excel;
• 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 producing communication deliverables (presentations, briefs, executive summaries, reports);
• experience with design and video-making tools, e.g. Canva, Clipchamp, Adobe Creative Suite, or a willingness to learn;
• familiarity with survey design, data analysis or data visualisation; 
• an ability to extract meaningful insights from data;
• experience of working in complex or international environments with multiple stakeholders.

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 position is expected to start around 1 September 2026.

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 Kathrin Aldema-Bolz on +49 (0)69 1344 6701 between 12:00 and 13:30 CET on Thursday, 23 April 2026.

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 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: 06.05.2026

Your team

You will be part of the Enterprise Services Division, the Central Banking Services Division or the End User Experience Services Division in the Directorate General Information Systems. 

Our Directorate General has around 400 members of staff working at the forefront of the ECB’s digital transformation. Our mission is to deliver world-class digital capabilities that support the ECB’s goals in an era of data and innovation. We are playing a pivotal role in transforming the ECB’s operational model by fostering stronger integration of information technology (IT) into business processes. 

The Directorate General is also driving the implementation of business digital roadmaps, streamlining demand, accelerating innovation and enabling self-service solutions across business areas. Using both local and cloud-based technologies, we are enhancing the ECB’s digital sovereignty and strengthening its information systems security, ensuring the delivery of efficient, future-ready digital solutions.

You will join one (or more) product teams of around five or six members of staff dealing with specific ECB business areas (Human Resources, Communications, Administration and Market Operations). Each team is responsible for implementing new (or extending existing) IT services, operating them end-to-end in a BizDevOps fashion, providing technical support during business hours and working closely with the IT service coordinator, the business service coordinator and, in some cases, the business product owner to manage the evolution of the product/service concerned.

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, disbility, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

The ECB works in the interest of Europe, an ever-closer Union and its active participation in the international community. We also aim to strengthen our links with other European institutions and work closely with them to enhance integration.

Your role

As a trainee in Information Systems, you will:

• help enhance the ECB’s portfolio of services and applications;
• gain experience in using diverse technologies;
• interact with ECB end users on business requirements, including business analysis and project management tasks; 
• participate in the hands-on development of business solutions; 
• contribute to the management of a complex project, including planning and alignment of activities;
• engage with current IT issues in an institutional environment.

You will join one (or more) of the following teams:

• Enterprise Services Division – Human Resources (HR) product team 

You will help to enhance the ECB’s portfolio of HR platforms and services, working on applications that support the day-to-day tasks of everyone at the ECB. The team develops solutions used by ECB staff to apply for internal vacancies, plan their professional development, receive their monthly salary, organise leave and obtain benefits (such as pensions). You will be exposed to diverse technologies, such as SAP Human Capital Management, and cloud software-as-a-service (SaaS) environments, such as provided by Avature (Talent Suite), Sheer IMC (imc Learning Suite) and OpenText (SMAX). Our HR analytics platform is also hosted in infrastructure-as-a-service mode by a public cloud provider. You will interact with ECB end users on business requirements, business analysis and project management tasks, helping the experienced project managers in your team, and participate in the hands-on development of solutions.

• Enterprise Services Division – Communications product team

You will help design, implement and run the IT solution underpinning the ECB’s internal and external communications. This covers all communication channels and types, ranging from high-level speeches to social media content aimed at the general public. As a trainee in this area, you will:

1. see how an international institution communicates and experience the processes involved, including business priorities, pain points and opportunities;
2. engage with current IT issues in an institutional environment, as well as with project/process management complexities and needs where boundary conditions exist; 
3. see how the process-centric organisation of the ECB translates into activities in the area of enterprise services; 
4. negotiate with multiple stakeholders with sometimes conflicting goals and present possible solutions to the team to assess and discuss their viability; 
5. gain experience in areas such as project management methodologies, the implementation of services in the cloud, change management, IT security, infrastructure integration and data protection.

• Enterprise Services Division – Administration product team

You will help with the digitalisation of services supporting the Directorate Administration and its Premises Division. You will contribute to the integration of cloud-based SaaS solutions into the ECB’s technical landscape, migrating existing services from one provider application to another, using application programming interfaces to offer better reporting and data analysis to the business areas. You will gain experience in areas such as project management methodologies, understanding and refining business areas’ reporting needs, the implementation of cloud services, change management, IT security, infrastructure integration and data protection.

• Central Banking Services Division – Market Operations product team

You will act as the link between business and IT, analysing data/business processes, gathering and documenting end-user requirements in monetary policy operations and risk management, designing user interfaces, communicating with their developers and testing their implementation.

• End User Experience Services Division – Automation/M365 team

The Automation/M365 team is responsible for the governance, enablement and evolution of automation capabilities and Microsoft 365 collaboration across the ECB. It delivers secure and compliant solutions built on platforms such as Mendix, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Power BI, Power Platform and Copilot while driving process automation and digital workplace innovation. It supports business units in leveraging low code and artificial intelligence (AI) powered tools to streamline workflows, enhance productivity and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture.

• End User Experience Services Division – Enterprise Information Management team

The Enterprise Information Management team plays a vital role in managing and innovating the ECB’s central knowledge system. Services include our document and record management system (DARWIN), library solutions and digital signature solutions for over 35,000 users. We are supporting more than 75 integrations into DARWIN and tackling exciting challenges, such as integrating AI into DARWIN, enhancing semantic technologies and developing our knowledge graph to unlock smarter ways of working. 

• End User Experience Services Division – User Experience Management team

The User Experience Management team enhances the ECB’s digital workplace by measuring and improving end user experience across devices, applications and collaboration services. It analyses technical and user feedback data (e.g. via Nexthink, Qualtrics and surveys) to identify issues affecting satisfaction and productivity, and collaborates closely with the Service Desk and Field Services to drive continuous service improvements. It also contributes to modernising end user services and supports initiatives to make daily work smoother, more reliable and user centric.

• End User Experience Services Division – Digital Workplace team

The Digital Workplace team supports the core technologies that keep our organisation connected and productive. This includes managing endpoint devices, virtual desktop infrastructure (Citrix and Azure Virtual Desktop) and the email system, including the infrastructure behind these services, and interacting with stakeholders throughout the ECB.

The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to grow your skills and work alongside experts while contributing to some of the ECB’s most visible IT services. Coaching will be provided to help you play an active part in daily business tasks. You will also have the opportunity to work closely with other ECB business areas. 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 engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, quantitative science, business management or another relevant field;
• a sound understanding of information systems and IT;
• a strong interest in, and understanding of, the ECB’s mission;
• advanced communication skills, including the ability to articulate complex concepts clearly;
• a good knowledge of the MS Office package and MS Teams for remote collaboration and messaging;
• 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 background in project management frameworks and methodologies, such as PMBOK or PM², and an understanding and knowledge of project scheduling and planning tools;
• a professional project management qualification, such as PMP;
• familiarity with agile methodologies, ideally with scrum master certification;
• excellent analytical skills with the ability to break down complex technical objects into simpler, more manageable parts;
• a background in business analysis methodologies, such as BABOK;
• a professional qualification in business analysis, such as ECBA;
• excellent synthetic skills with the ability to identify and document higher conceptual concepts/rules out of seemingly diverse, lower-level elements, situations or facts;
• experience in eliciting and documenting functional requirements in various formats (atomic requirements, use cases, user stories and epics);
• experience in software testing and using test automation software; 
• an ability to describe and document business processes, and translate needs into actionable tasks;
• an understanding and knowledge of business process modelling techniques and tools, such as Camunda; 
• an ability to analyse workflows, identify inefficiencies and propose improvements;
• knowledge of XML-based low-code languages;
• knowledge of Java (including Spring) and JavaScript;
• experience in designing intuitive, responsive and user-friendly interfaces for web portals using modern front-end technologies such as Figma.

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.

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 Giuseppe Calvi on +49 (0)69 1344 7750 between 14:30 and 16:30 CET on Wednesday, 22 April 2026. 

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.

 

Traineeship in Banknote Communications

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: 06.05.2026

Your team

You will be part of the Banknote Communications team in the ECB’s Directorate Banknotes. Our Directorate has around 80 members of staff working to ensure euro banknotes are a reliable and convenient means of payment and are protected against counterfeiting. In particular, we coordinate all the ECB’s activities relating to the development, production and circulation of banknotes, alongside both the Eurosystem national central banks and third parties.

In your role as a trainee, you will be part of a team responsible for banknote-related communications, working closely with the ECB’s Directorate General Communications and Eurosystem national central banks to raise public awareness of banknotes and cash more generally in euro area countries. This work includes updating website content, creating digital material for social media, producing visuals such as photos and videos, and researching and analysing the impact of our communications. We also reply to enquiries from the media and the public and support the organisation of banknote events.

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 Banknote Communications team, you may: 

• contribute to the preparation of communication materials, including social media content, for both internal audiences at the ECB and the general public;
• support public information initiatives and campaigns;
• help draft briefings, presentations, reports and web content;
• contribute to the coordination of banknote communication activities with the Eurosystem national central banks;
• help prepare meetings, workshops and outreach events;
• conduct background research and analysis on topics related to euro banknotes and cash communication.

The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to gain insight into the ECB’s work on euro banknotes and its communication activities. 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 international relations, politics, economics, finance, journalism, communications, media studies, graphic design or another relevant field;
• a strong interest in communications and public outreach;
• experience in creating content for social media, websites and presentations, including the creation and editing of visuals and video content;
• presentation and writing skills, and the ability to make complex concepts easy to understand for the target audience; 
• a sound understanding of the ECB and its main tasks, as well as a basic understanding of monetary policy, banking supervision and economics;
• 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:

• an ability to plan tasks, set clear timelines and track progress to ensure successful task completion;
• an ability to use graphic design software, including Adobe Creative Suite (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects).

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.

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 at the pre-selection stage 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.