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

06.05.2026

Your team

You will be part of the Banknote Communications team in the ECB’s Directorate Banknotes. Our Directorate has around 80 members of staff working to ensure euro banknotes are a reliable and convenient means of payment and are protected against counterfeiting. In particular, we coordinate all the ECB’s activities relating to the development, production and circulation of banknotes, alongside both the Eurosystem national central banks and third parties.

In your role as a trainee, you will be part of a team responsible for banknote-related communications, working closely with the ECB’s Directorate General Communications and Eurosystem national central banks to raise public awareness of banknotes and cash more generally in euro area countries. This work includes updating website content, creating digital material for social media, producing visuals such as photos and videos, and researching and analysing the impact of our communications. We also reply to enquiries from the media and the public and support the organisation of banknote events.

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 Banknote Communications team, you may:

• contribute to the preparation of communication materials, including social media content, for both internal audiences at the ECB and the general public;
• support public information initiatives and campaigns;
• help draft briefings, presentations, reports and web content;
• contribute to the coordination of banknote communication activities with the Eurosystem national central banks;
• help prepare meetings, workshops and outreach events;
• conduct background research and analysis on topics related to euro banknotes and cash communication.

The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to gain insight into the ECB’s work on euro banknotes and its communication activities. 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 international relations, politics, economics, finance, journalism, communications, media studies, graphic design or another relevant field;
• a strong interest in communications and public outreach;
• experience in creating content for social media, websites and presentations, including the creation and editing of visuals and video content;
• presentation and writing skills, and the ability to make complex concepts easy to understand for the target audience;
• a sound understanding of the ECB and its main tasks, as well as a basic understanding of monetary policy, banking supervision and economics;
• 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.

Desired:

• an ability to plan tasks, set clear timelines and track progress to ensure successful task completion;
• an ability to use graphic design software, including Adobe Creative Suite (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects).

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.

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 at the pre-selection stage 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.