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), The trainee grant is €2,120 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section)
Working time
Full time
Place of work
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Closing date
08.01.2021
Your team
You will be part of the Forecasting and Policy Modelling Division in the Directorate General Economics. The Division develops and maintains euro area and large-country models together with the corresponding data and model platforms. It also provides model-based contributions to macroeconomic projections and policy deliberations, and develops, maintains and uses time-series models for forecasting purposes.
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 Trainee in Forecasting and Policy Modelling you will:
- develop and maintain structural, semi-structural and time-series models for the euro area and its member countries;
- program and maintain mathematical, statistical and econometric procedures needed for policy input and research projects;
- contribute to the ECB and Eurosystem macroeconomic projections by supporting the production and presentation of model-based forecast interpretations and risk scenarios, among other things;
- construct and maintain monetary, financial and economic databases contributing to research projects related to forecasting, macro modelling and policy analysis.
The position offers you excellent opportunities to work closely with an experienced and highly motivated team of economists and managers, typically in the role of analyst or in research support. These traineeships are aimed at highly promising students with a strong quantitative background and an interest in policy-related, applied research. You will have the chance to develop your analytical skills and gain insights into the ECB’s research activities and policymaking processes, thereby exposing you to new ideas and stimuli which will benefit your future career. 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:
- for a PhD traineeship paid at €1,940: a master’s degree in economics, statistics, finance, computer science, mathematics or a related field and at least two years of PhD studies in the field of economics, statistics, finance, computer science or mathematics;
- for a traineeship paid at €1,070: a bachelor’s degree or higher in economics, statistics, finance, computer science, mathematics or a related field;
- familiarity with macroeconomic and financial statistics contained in international databases;
- a very good knowledge of spreadsheet and visualisation tools such as MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and Tableau;
- strong analytical and programming skills with a focus on mathematical, statistical and econometric procedures;
- a very good knowledge of one or more standard econometric packages, preferably MATLAB, Python or R;
- experience in the area of macroeconomic modelling and the use of related software;
- 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 a standard traineeship, at least one year of completed master’s studies in a relevant subject area;
- general knowledge of a high-level programming language;
- knowledge of Bayesian techniques;
- knowledge of DSGE 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
This traineeship/PhD traineeship is of between 6 and 12 months in total. Applications from candidates who are available outside the summer months are particularly welcome.
Applicants for the PhD traineeship should submit a two-page reasoned summary of their research agenda and explain why it would be of interest for the Forecasting and Policy Modelling Division. The document should be uploaded as a single pdf file in the “Further Information” section of the application before the closing date for applications.
Application and selection process
Further information on how to join us is available on our
website.
The recruitment process for this position will include an online interview via WebEx.
