The European Central Bank has launched: ESRB traineeship - Legal profile.

Your team

You will be part of the Secretariat of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), a body of the European Union.

The ESRB brings together representatives from some 80 institutions, as well as a number of independent experts. It is responsible for the macroprudential oversight of the EU financial system and the prevention and mitigation of systemic risk. The ESRB collects and analyses information on a wide range of financial institutions and financial markets, monitors macro-financial developments and issues warnings and recommendations to policymakers and supervisors. Further information is available on the ESRB’s website.

The ESRB Secretariat is the part of the European Central Bank (ECB) that provides analytical, statistical, logistical and administrative support to the ESRB. The Secretariat’s tasks include identifying and analysing systemic risks to the EU financial system, assessing and proposing macroprudential policies, preparing ESRB warnings/recommendations and monitoring their implementation, cooperating with supervisory and other macroprudential authorities, supporting ESRB working groups and preparing documents for meetings of the ESRB General Board and its substructures. 

In your role as a legal trainee, you will be part of an area-specific team focusing on risk identification, banking or non-bank financial intermediaries. These teams provide analytical input into risk and policy reports, working closely with other colleagues including financial stability experts, analysts and trainees. The content of your traineeship will depend on your team and your 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 legal trainee you will:

• support the ESRB, its decision-making bodies and the ESRB Secretariat in the fulfilment of their statutory responsibilities and obligations;
• draft legal instruments such as recommendations and warnings, and assist in their adoption, transmission and publication;
• provide legal advice to colleagues on the interpretation of the EU financial services regulatory framework in order to facilitate policy development;
• perform the role of secretary for assessments of compliance with ESRB recommendations.

The position offers you excellent opportunities to put your knowledge of EU law and the operation of financial markets into practice and to help shape macroprudential policy in Europe. 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 law;
• advanced knowledge of EU law, including EU financial services law, in fields such as banking, insurance and pension funds, capital markets and market infrastructure;
• a keen interest in how financial institutions and financial markets operate;
• an ability to communicate the results of complex analytical work to a non-expert audience;
• 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.

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 ESRB’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 objectives of this position.

Who can apply:

EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme.

All candidates should:

• be a national of a Member State of the EU or of an acceding country.
• be at least 18 years old.
• have completed at least a first cycle qualification (minimum bachelor’s degree).
• be fluent in English and in another official language of the EU.

Following their most recent qualification candidates should:

• have a maximum of 12 months’ professional experience.
• have been a trainee for no more than six months.
• not have been an ECB trainee or have worked for the ECB previously.

Closing date: 03.03.2022

Further information

Traineeship of between 6 and 12 months in total.

Application and selection process

Further information on how to join us is available on our website.

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 via Webex. 

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 similar positions within the ECB.