Traineeship in the Directorate Risk Management

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: 16.02.2026

Your team

You will be part of the Directorate Risk Management, a dynamic team of professionals developing and maintaining the financial risk management frameworks that govern the Eurosystem’s monetary policy operations and the ECB’s investment operations. Moreover, the Directorate supports the ECB in achieving operational resilience by implementing sound non-financial risk, business continuity and critical incident management practices.

You will be working in one of the Directorate’s two divisions that cover financial risk management issues:

• Financial Risk Analysis monitors the compliance of monetary policy and investment operations with their respective risk management frameworks. It also models, analyses and reports on financial risks.
• Financial Risk Strategy designs and maintains the risk management frameworks and policies governing Eurosystem credit operations and non-standard monetary policy measures.

You will also work closely with colleagues from different teams within the Directorate and from other ECB business areas, in particular the Directorate General Market Operations and the Directorate General Information Systems.

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 Financial Risk Analysis Division you will:

• learn about the different risk management frameworks that govern the ECB’s asset purchase programmes and the management of the ECB’s foreign reserves and investment portfolios;
• contribute to daily, weekly and monthly monitoring and reporting tasks;
• collect and process data used in our regular financial risk management tasks;
• participate in projects and conduct ad hoc analyses to further improve financial risk management processes.

As a trainee in the Financial Risk Strategy Division you will:

• learn about the risk management policies and frameworks governing the Eurosystem’s credit operations and non-standard monetary policy measures, including eligibility requirements, valuations and haircuts;
• contribute to a range of tasks related to assessing and mitigating credit risk, market risk and climate change and nature-related risk in the Eurosystem’s credit operations;
• perform regular monitoring and reporting tasks and ad hoc analyses to further improve financial risk frameworks;
• collect and process data used in our regular financial risk management tasks;
• contribute to presentations and documentation for Eurosystem committee and working group meetings.

This traineeship offers you a unique opportunity to learn more about financial risk management at the ECB and how the Eurosystem functions. You will gain hands-on experience of the IT applications, databases and risk methodologies used to analyse credit risk, market risk and other types of risk (e.g. climate change risk) related to assets and issuers of financial instruments as well as the Eurosystem’s counterparties. 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

• a bachelor’s degree or higher in finance, economics, business administration, law, STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering or mathematics), computer science or another relevant field; 
• a keen interest in financial risk management and monetary policy;
• the ability to process, analyse and interpret data;
• familiarity with at least one data processing tool, e.g. Python, MATLAB, SQL, Stata, R, Java, C, Ruby, VBA or Tableau;
• a good knowledge of the Microsoft 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...

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. Different starting dates are possible from 1 July 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...

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include a remote written exercise 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 Human Resources Operations – myHR team

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: 17.02.2026

Your team

You will be part of the Employee Services Division in the Directorate General Human Resources. The Division provides integration, health and well-being services and processes salaries, rewards, allowances and pensions. Besides assisting more than 4,000 employees throughout their ECB careers and beyond, we help develop and implement human resources (HR) systems at the ECB and deliver state-of-the-art HR analytics. We constantly review our processes, streamlining them and making them more customer-centric.

In your role as a trainee in the myHR team, you will be part of the team responsible for first-line customer support for, and operations around, compensation and benefits, as well as first-line customer support for learning and development. You will work independently on several benefits-related processes, provide customer services to ECB staff, work closely with other team members and gain insights into the different core operations of an HR department.

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 myHR team you will:

• be responsible for a subset of benefit-related processes;
• answer staff members’ questions on benefits and on learning and development-related topics;
• support the analytical work of the team such as data reporting, analysis, quality checks and visualisation;
• help to streamline, improve and digitalise human resources practices and business processes related to compensation and benefits;
• have the chance to participate in project work, depending on your interests and qualifications.

The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to gain experience working in HR, particularly in daily operations using SAP Human Capital Management (HCM) and the service management solution SMAX.

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 human resources management, business administration, employment and/or industrial relations, social or organisational psychology, accounting, business information systems, business analytics or another relevant discipline;
• an eye for detail and an interest in administering processes and delivering consistent and reliable quality;
• great customer service skills; 
• excellent analytical skills; 
• 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: 

• a qualification in human resources;
• a good knowledge of data analysis, reporting and visualisation.
• 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 an online interview. During this interview the candidate will be given time to perform a short task in writing. 

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 EU Institutions and Fora Division – DG International and European Relations

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: 17.02.2026

Your team

You will be part of the EU Institutions and Fora Division in the Directorate General International and European Relations. Our Directorate General has 120 staff preparing policy positions for the ECB, the Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks on European and global issues.

The EU Institutions and Fora Division has approximately 20 staff responsible for preparing the ECB’s policy positions and conducting analytical work on EU institutional and policy issues, often in close coordination with other ECB business areas. The division is committed to providing ECB decision-makers with high-quality policy assessments and positions backed by qualitative and quantitative research. We work on policy dossiers linked to deepening the Economic and Monetary Union. This includes strengthening its economic governance framework and completing the banking and capital markets unions. We also address other EU policy priorities relevant to the ECB’s tasks, including climate change and digital transition. In addition, we act as the primary ECB contact vis-à-vis other EU institutions. We coordinate activities related to the accountability of the ECB for central banking and supervisory tasks, which involves close interactions with the European Parliament. Lastly, we coordinate the ECB’s preparations for meetings of the European Council, the Eurogroup and the ECOFIN, including their preparatory bodies.

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:

• support the team in the identification and analysis of issues relating to EU integration and governance, the ECB’s accountability and the EU’s internal and external policies;
• contribute to the development of ECB’s policy positions on the issues mentioned above, underpinned by economic arguments and/or analytical evidence;
• carry out research and analytical work and contribute to publications on topics related to the Division’s work, including by assisting with data collection and analysis;
• prepare briefing notes for senior ECB staff and decision-making bodies on issues falling within the Division’s remit;
• monitor and analyse the activities of other EU institutions, including the Council of the EU, the European Commission and the European Parliament.

This traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to work at the forefront of policymaking in high-level EU fora and to deepen your understanding of EU policies and interinstitutional relations. It also allows you to develop your technical and policy skills by working with large datasets and state-of-the-art analytical tools to support the development of ECB policy stances, often in collaboration with other ECB business areas. You will work under the guidance of an experienced mentor in a team of highly qualified experts at the crossroads of political economics, international finance and macroeconomics. 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, econometrics, finance, political science, European studies or another relevant field;
• a sound understanding of the set-up and functioning of EU institutions as well as a good knowledge of the functioning of Economic and Monetary Union;
• a sound understanding of macroeconomics and/or finance, as demonstrated by completion of relevant courses and/or a relevant publication record;
• a sound knowledge of the MS Office package, especially Excel;
• experience with basic analytical tasks, such as developing descriptive statistics and collecting and managing data;
• 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 using statistical/econometric software packages and/or data visualisation software (e.g. Stata, R, Python, Tableau, and/or MATLAB); 
• experience conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research, especially if applied to policy-relevant topics.

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 start date will be 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...

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include a remote written exercise 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.