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 02.08.2023

Your team

You will be part of the Newsroom Division in the Directorate General Communications. Our Directorate General has about 250 staff communicating the official views of the ECB. We inform the public and the media about the tasks, mission and organisation of the ECB and we keep colleagues connected with what’s going on at the ECB and advise them on how best to communicate internally.

The Newsroom Division is responsible for the day-to-day management of relations with traditional media, our social media channels, media monitoring and internal communications. We are currently working on making our communications more understandable to the general public and on how internal communications can be most effective in supporting the ECB in achieving its mission.

We are looking for trainees for three different teams within the Newsroom Division:

•  Digital Content: This team of six colleagues is responsible for creating posts for the social media accounts of the ECB and its top policymakers, writing texts for the ECB’s websites and producing The ECB Podcast. You will work closely with ECB press officers and the offices of ECB decision-makers.
•  Media Monitoring: This team of three colleagues is responsible for observing media reporting on the ECB and analysing reactions to our media activities. The team acts as the ECB’s news desk, following the daily news and sharing relevant stories with colleagues across the institution. The team members also present the day’s most relevant narratives at the morning meeting of the Directorate General. The team works closely with colleagues from the Internal Communications team, press officers and outside contractors.
•  Internal Communications: This team of eight colleagues is responsible for sharing the direction of and a sense of progress on the ECB’s internal and external goals and for encouraging open dialogue, including on difficult topics. We do so by writing, editing and producing content in various formats (e.g. intranet articles, vlogs, infographics, presentations), working on small and large scale events and providing advice to colleagues in other business areas and decision-makers, in particular during periods of change.

You will be asked to indicate in your application which position(s) you are interested in.

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 digital content trainee you will:

•  assist and actively contribute to various ongoing projects, such as writing plain-language explainers for the web;
•  contribute to the team’s understanding of the social media landscape and help us find the most effective channels to reach our target audiences;
•  create engaging visual and textual content for social media;
•  support the team working on The ECB Podcast, drafting scripts and finding potential interviewees.

You will have the opportunity to create highly visible content about the ECB, monetary policy, banking supervision and other topics.

As a media monitoring trainee you will:

•  continuously monitor and analyse economic and other news from various media sources and share key items with ECB management and staff;
•  analyse media reporting on the ECB’s media activities and write coverage reports for ECB management;
•  present the day’s news at internal meetings.

You will gain experience of working with various media monitoring tools and media sources.

As a trainee in the Internal Communications team you will:

•  support the design, preparation and delivery of internal events and communication campaigns;
•  devise and produce content for a range of internal channels and formats, including articles, blogs, visuals, infographics, presentations and videos;
•  facilitate and take part in communication and change management workshops;
•  contribute to data collection and analysis.

You will have opportunities to use your creativity and communication skills to devise new, effective communication tools and improve team practices.

All three positions will enable you to deepen your knowledge of topics ranging from monetary policy, macroeconomics and banking supervision to European politics. You will be working in a dynamic environment where you can learn from other people on a daily basis, challenging yourself in new areas and using your initiative to implement new ideas. 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 a field related to international relations, politics, economics, finance, journalism, communications, media studies, graphic design, psychology or another relevant field;
•  strong presentation and writing skills, and the ability to make complex concepts easy to understand for the target audience;
•  an understanding of the ECB and its main tasks and programmes, as well as the basics of monetary policy, banking supervision and economics;
•  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: For the Digital Content team:

•  experience in creating content for social media;
•  a good understanding of current trends in digital communications.

For the Media Monitoring team:

•  the ability to read and analyse complex texts in two or more of the following languages: Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish.

For the Internal Communications team:

•  experience in conceptualising and producing visual communication materials and videography (infographics, icons, presentations, scripting, editing and shooting);
•  experience in devising communication concepts or strategies and planning their implementation.

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 an online interview and a remote written exercise.

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.