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 18.03.2026
Your team
You will be part of the Partnering and Solutions Division in the Directorate General Human Resources. Our Directorate General has over 100 staff providing services to around 4,000 ECB employees. Together, we aim to support staff across the ECB and foster a collaborative, inclusive workplace.
Our Division is one of the three divisions in the Directorate General. We provide strategic HR advice and business and employee partnering services and are responsible for the design and evaluation of a large number of HR policies.
In your role as a trainee, you will gain hands-on experience, work closely with HR solution experts, HR business partners and employee partners and contribute to the development of agile, customer-focused and strategic HR solutions.
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 Partnering and Solutions Division you will contribute to ongoing work and new initiatives of a team in one of the Division’s two sections. Based on your education, areas of expertise or knowledge and – whenever possible – your preferences, you will be assigned to:
People Solution Section
- You will help assess, design, develop and implement solutions, policies, services and/or tools in fields such as talent acquisition, career development, performance management, recognition and rewards, professional and leadership development, and diversity and inclusion.
Business & Employee Partnering Section
- HR Business Partners team: You will support the delivery of services and the preparation and running of seasonal activities, as well as ad hoc initiatives. In addition, you will help further optimise the use of data to improve the team’s overall impact.
- HR Employee Partners team: You will support the delivery of services, such as newcomer onboarding sessions, exit interviews, outreach to colleagues on unpaid leave and upskilling/training sessions. In addition, you will contribute to the production of data-driven analyses and reports.
In all teams, you will be expected to conduct data analysis and benchmarking, make suggestions to improve and design HR solutions, and contribute your knowledge and data skills to projects within your respective area.
The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to develop your communication, collaboration and data handling skills, and work on a variety of HR initiatives, interacting with a diverse range of stakeholders. You will gain an insight into the ECB’s activities and contribute to the ECB’s mission. 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 HR management, communication, business administration, social and organisational psychology, law or another relevant field;
- knowledge of and/or experience in one or more of the following areas: employee engagement, learning and development, leadership development, organisational psychology/culture, performance management, career management, talent acquisition, and diversity and inclusion;
- good knowledge of data handling and analysis, visualisation and reporting, as well as the ability to present data in meaningful and engaging ways;
- Adaptability and analytical, interpersonal, problem-solving and teamworking skills;
- good communication skills, including drafting, storytelling and consolidating information in clear messages that are compelling to the audience;
- a good knowledge of the MS Office package, in particular Excel for the purpose of data 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 strong interest in working in a multicultural environment, as demonstrated through things like language skills, education, work experience and voluntary work.
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. Your traineeship will start ideally between July and October 2026, depending on which team you join.
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 – a written exercise and 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.
