The European Central Bank has launched: Traineeship in Legal Services

General Information

Type of contract  Traineeship

Who can apply?  EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme

Grant  The trainee grant is €1,070 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section)

Working time  Full time

Place of work  Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Closing date  25.10.2022

Your team

You will be part of the Directorate General Legal Services. Our Directorate has 245 staff providing advice on the legal aspects of the regulatory, institutional and contractual framework of the ECB, the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). We prepare ECB legal instruments, including ECB opinions on draft European Union (EU) and national legislation. We address questions relating to the interpretation of the Treaty on the European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, as well as relating to the ECB’s legal position vis-à-vis other EU institutions and in international fora. We also provide legal advice to the ECB’s management on administrative matters and represent the ECB in court.

We are currently working on a number of far-reaching legal issues relating to monetary policy, financial market infrastructures, banking supervision and institutional matters, while also participating in ongoing discussions with other European and international stakeholders on a wide range of regulatory issues.

We are looking for trainees to join the Institutional Law Division, the Financial Law Division, and the Supervisory Law Division.

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

You will be assigned to one of the three divisions mentioned above. You will carry out research and prepare legal advice in close collaboration with experienced legal counsels.

As a trainee in the Institutional Law Division you will:

• contribute to the preparation of legal advice on questions related to central bank law, the ECB’s privileges and immunities, EU law (in particular institutional law, administrative law, and all aspects of ESCB and Eurosystem governance, as well as EU civil service law), contracts (including non-financial contracts) and procurement law;
• deal with legal issues concerning accounting, auditing, taxation, euro banknotes and intellectual property.

As a trainee in the Financial Law Division you will:

• contribute to the preparation of legal advice and legal acts related to monetary policy and monetary policy measures, market operations, financial market infrastructures (including ESCB projects such as TARGET2 and TARGET2-Securities), the oversight of payment and settlement systems, statistics, financial services legislation (including on sustainable finance), financial stability and the Union’s economic governance framework.

As a trainee in the Supervisory Law Division you will:

• contribute to the preparation of legal advice on matters relating to the prudential supervision of credit institutions, such as capital and liquidity requirements, common procedures (granting of authorisations, withdrawal of licenses, authorisation for the acquisition of qualifying holdings), fit and proper assessments, supervisory reporting, crisis management, and enforcement and sanctions;
• provide assistance in the preparation of legal advice relating to the functioning of European banking union, in particular with reference to the SSM Regulation and its supporting legal framework.

The positions offer you excellent opportunities to gain experience of providing legal assistance on matters related to institutional, financial or supervisory law in an EU context and to put into practice the knowledge and skills which you 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 the role and functioning of the ECB, the ESCB, Economic and Monetary Union, and European banking supervision;
• 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 [2].

Desired:

• a sound knowledge of EU law (for instance EU institutional and administrative law or the legal framework of Economic and Monetary Union), contract and procurement law, financial law, supervisory law, or other fields of law directly relevant to the work of at least one of the three divisions;
• specialisation, experience, research or a master’s or doctoral thesis in fields of law directly relevant to the work of at least one of the three divisions mentioned above;
• knowledge of French and/or German (B2 or C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages [2]).

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

Traineeship of between three and twelve months in total. The earliest starting date will be in early 2023, while additional options will become available throughout 2023.

Other details on the conditions applicable to traineeships [3] at the ECB can be found on our website.

Application and selection process

Further information on how to apply [4] 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.

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.

Links:

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[1] https://talent.ecb.europa.eu/careers/SpecificFolder?jobId=6507&sourc...

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

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

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