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
09.04.2025
Your team
You will be part of the Directorate Banknotes. Our Directorate has 76 members of staff who aim to safeguard the integrity of euro banknotes, ensuring that they remain an efficient means of payment and are protected against counterfeiting. We are currently coordinating all banknote development and production activities, both across the Eurosystem and with third parties.
In your role as a trainee, you will be part of the New Banknotes team of nine staff members responsible for the design and development of euro banknotes. We cover all technological aspects of banknotes, working closely with the Research and Development team and the Directorate’s Anti Counterfeiting Section.
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 New Banknotes team, you will:
- contribute to the design, execution and monitoring of testing procedures for new banknotes, assessing their perceptual impact, ease of use (both individual features and the banknote as a whole) and overall resilience to counterfeiting;
- participate in monitoring testing activities (such as laboratory tests and on-site production trials), supporting the establishment of specific banknote parameters;
- help assess tools and procedures measuring the behavioural, visual and haptic properties of banknotes.
The position offers you excellent opportunities to work closely with experts in the fields of banknote development, research and development, communication and counterfeiting. 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 cognitive psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, neuromarketing, neuroscience of vision and perception or a related field;
- 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:
- a master’s degree in cognitive psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, neuromarketing, neuroscience of vision and perception or a related field;
- a good understanding of the statistical methods used to analyse quality control and measurement systems;
- the ability to keep up to date with new technological developments by actively monitoring scientific publications and other sources of information.
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 between 3 and 6 months, with a possible extension to up to 12 months in total.
Application and selection process
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.
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.
