Traineeship in Market Operations - Europäische Zentralbank

• 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: 04.11.2024

Your team

You will be part of the Directorate General Market Operations. Our Directorate General comprises around 180 staff responsible for preparing and executing the monetary policy and foreign exchange operations of the Eurosystem. We manage the ECB’s foreign reserves and own funds portfolios, and develop, maintain and improve the Eurosystem’s monetary policy implementation framework.

To effectively achieve our goals, we monitor and analyse financial market developments that are relevant for market operations. As well as maintaining regular contact with financial market participants, our Directorate General works closely with other ECB business areas, the national central banks of EU Member States and other authorities.

Market Operations traineeships are aimed primarily at graduates with an interest in data analysis, financial markets and/or monetary policy implementation.

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 Directorate General Market Operations, you will work closely with experts on a diverse range of monetary policy activities. You will have a unique opportunity to develop your teamwork skills and gain hands-on experience, delivering analysis and presentations to colleagues, senior management, and Eurosystem committees and working groups.

Throughout your traineeship you will:

• collect, manage and integrate data from different sources;
• transform business processes by harnessing automation, new technologies, data analytics and visualisation tools, working together with other ECB business areas;
• analyse financial market developments (covering, for example, government bonds, foreign exchange and money markets) using granular data, and compile regular reports;
• produce analyses and summaries of meetings with external counterparties, and coordinate market contact groups;
• monitor the performance of the Eurosystem monetary policy implementation framework, changes in Eurosystem balance sheet items and bidding behaviour in standard refinancing operations;
• test software and configure financial instruments in the treasury management system, reflecting changes in the operational framework and supporting users to ensure that Eurosystem operations can be processed smoothly;
• help assess the financial eligibility of monetary policy counterparties and enhance the Eurosystem collateral framework on a policy, operational, and technical level.

The traineeship position offers you extensive exposure to financial markets and monetary policy implementation. You will also have the opportunity to thoroughly examine data, immerse yourself in a dynamic operational environment and contribute meaningfully to a larger 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 finance, economics, econometrics, mathematics, statistics, computer science or a related discipline;
• a sound understanding of issues related to financial markets and market operations, including those of the European Central Bank or the Eurosystem;
• experience using one or more of the following: SQL, Python, R, Java, MATLAB, Stata, Tableau, MS Power BI, VBA, Bloomberg or Refinitiv Eikon;
• experience preparing, analysing and visualising complex data (e.g. financial market data, transaction-level data, micro data, high frequency data, survey data);
• a good knowledge of the MS Office package, including an advanced knowledge of MS Excel;
• 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 master’s degree in finance, economics, econometrics, mathematics, statistics, accounting, computer science or a related discipline;
• a solid background in econometrics, statistics, data science, AI or machine learning techniques;
• experience using databases and market data services.

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. The start date will be in February 2025 or later.

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

For additional information regarding this vacancy notice, you can contact Anna Aleksina (anna.aleksina@ecb.europa.eu) or Ole Gregarek (ole.gregarek@ecb.europa.eu).

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include 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 positions within the ECB.