ESRB traineeship 2021 - data scientist profile

ESRB Secretariat
3154

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 06.04.2021

Your team

You will be part of the Secretariat of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), a body of the European Union.

The ESRB brings together representatives from some 80 institutions as well as independent experts. It is responsible for the macroprudential oversight of the EU financial system and thus contributes to preventing and mitigating systemic risk. It collects and analyses information on a wide range of financial institutions and markets, monitors macro-financial developments, and issues warnings and recommendations to policymakers and supervisors. Further information is available on the ESRB’s website.

The ESRB Secretariat is part of the European Central Bank (ECB). The Secretariat provides analytical, statistical, logistical and administrative support to the ESRB. Our tasks include identifying and analysing systemic risks to the EU financial system, assessing and proposing macroprudential policies, preparing ESRB warnings/recommendations and monitoring their implementation, cooperating with supervisory and other macroprudential authorities, supporting ESRB working groups and preparing documents for meetings of the ESRB General Board. 

In your role as a Data Scientist Trainee, you will be part of a team of five members of staff that collects, processes and analyses several large-scale granular datasets related to various components (sectors, markets and activities) of the EU financial system. These datasets include, among others, highly granular transaction-level data on derivatives and securities financing transactions.

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 your gender, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability or other characteristics.

Your role

As a Data Scientist Trainee you will:
  • contribute to our analytical work, with a focus on large-scale granular datasets, by translating this wealth of information into policy and research insights;
  • improve existing analytical models and develop new ones, also drawing on the most recent research, with a focus on network analysis, stress testing, contagion modelling and machine learning applications;
  • support the development of the team’s internal framework for data science, including knowledge management, also by contributing to and maintaining the internal codebase;
  • present results and insights to management and other stakeholders in internal and external meetings.

The position offers you an excellent opportunity to work on exclusive granular datasets, leveraging on advanced modelling frameworks in systemic risk analytics. You will actively contribute to the understanding of the EU financial system, the monitoring and measurement of systemic risks, and the development of analytical tools to inform policy development. 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 data science, statistics, finance, economics, engineering, mathematics, physics, computer science, or a related field;
  • strong analytical and quantitative skills, together with a keen interest in empirical analysis and/or research on financial stability and systemic risk; 
  • the ability to communicate the results of complex analytical work to a non-expert audience;
  • experience in analysing large and/or complex datasets (with at least one of the following languages: Python, R, MATLAB, Scala, SQL);
  • a basic knowledge of financial markets and financial market infrastructures;
  • a good knowledge of the Microsoft 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: 
  • familiarity with Apache Hadoop, Impala or Spark;
  • a sound understanding of financial economics and asset pricing theory;
  • experience of network analytics and/or stress testing and contagion models.

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 objectives of this position.

Further information

Traineeship of between 4 and 12 months in total. The starting date is expected to be in summer or autumn 2021. 

Application and selection process

Further information on how to join us is available on our website.

The recruitment process for this position will include a remote written exercise in the pre-selection phase and – if you are invited to participate in the subsequent selection phase – an online interview via Webex.