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:  27.10.2023

Your team

You will be part of the Central Procurement Division in the Directorate Finance. Our Directorate has around 100 staff responsible for the financial reporting of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Eurosystem, including the ECB's financial and management accounting services and the Eurosystem's monetary income allocation scheme. We also prepare the ECB's strategic and operational planning, including its annual budget, and maintain the supervisory fees framework.

In your role as a trainee in the Central Procurement Division, you will be part of a team of 25 members of staff responsible for ensuring that the ECB's procurement activities have a successful outcome by providing central coordination, oversight, advice and support services. In this context, the Division acts as a second level of control and governance for the ECB's procurement activities. We also develop and implement procedural frameworks for the planning, execution and reporting of procurement at the ECB.

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 Central Procurement Division, you will:

• support the Division in the collection and analysis of procurement data;
• assist with the preparation of regular and ad hoc reports;
• contribute to the development of internal processes, methodologies and documentation related to the Division's data management;
• work closely with all parties involved in procurement processes, both inside and outside the Division, establish and maintain good, cooperative relationships with the procuring business areas;
• participate in various steps in public procurement procedures, for example by carrying out market research.

This position offers you excellent opportunities to gain insights into the way that the ECB works, acquire hands-on experience in an area of procurement and put your theoretical knowledge into practice. 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 one of the following fields: law, finance, business or public administration, economics or another relevant field;
• good analytical skills;
• a good knowledge of the MS Office package;
• advanced knowledge and practical experience of using Excel (or other tools) for data management and analysis;
• 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 general interest in European affairs, central banking and other matters of relevance to the ECB;
• user knowledge of enterprise resource planning systems such as SAP.

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 6 and 12 months in total.

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

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.

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.