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
23.11.2020
Your team
You will be part of the Web & Digital Division (WDI) in the Directorate General Communications (DG/C). We are responsible for the ECB’s digital communications, including website development, design and content; digital content creation; social-media channel management; publications; visual communications including photo, video, design, and branding; and digital impact analysis.
We are currently working on a wide range of communications projects and initiatives to make the ECB even more accessible to diverse audiences.
We are looking for trainees to join our division in a variety of roles. Successful candidates will be working in one of the following teams:
- Webmasters
- Web Development
- Digital Publications
- Digital Content Creation
- Social Media
- Digital Analytics
- Design
- Multimedia
Your role
Your tasks as a trainee in the Webmasters team will include:
- maintaining the ECB’s websites, publishing new content and updating existing content, applying state-of-the-art usability and UX concepts;
- testing and validating web pages across devices and platforms to ensure the widest accessibility;
- evaluating user requirements and proposing solutions in line with the established best practices;
- managing stakeholders’ expectations by involving them in the creation process and analysing their feedback.
Your tasks as a trainee in the Web Development team will include:
- maintaining and further developing the website front-end according to ECB guidelines, using state-of-the-art technology;
- maintaining and further developing the Web CMS back-end developed using LAMP architecture;
- participating in ongoing optimisation and bug-fixing work.
Your tasks as a trainee in the Digital Publications team will include:
- assisting internal stakeholders in the production of ECB official publications;
- participating in the digital transformation process and in the transition from traditional printed-form publication to digital channels;
- analysing, together with the digital analytics team, the performance of the publications produced and compiling reports for senior management;
- managing stakeholders’ expectations;
- assisting the team leader in redefining the publication strategy.
Your tasks as a trainee in the Digital Content team will include:
- drafting posts for the ECB’s social media channels, including Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn;
- creating engaging digital campaigns for different audiences – including experts, the general public and youth – to make the ECB better understood, in close cooperation with other communications teams and experts from across the bank;
- working closely together with graphic designers and multimedia experts to create innovative visual content for digital channels, including videos and infographics;
- drafting and web-editing content for the ECB’s websites;
- drafting teasers summarising policymakers’ speeches, interviews and other key publications for the homepages of the ECB’s websites;
- supporting day-to-day content planning and the longer-term editorial calendar.
Your tasks as a trainee in the Digital Analytics team will include:
- developing tools and methods for the analysis of digital media to provide a better understanding of the impact of the ECB’s communications efforts and enhance the ECB’s digital communications strategy;
- compiling analytics reports on the performance of the ECB’s social media channels and the impact of its web communications;
- monitoring and measuring the impact of the ECB’s digital outreach activities such as its podcast, blog and Twitter Q&A sessions, working closely with the communications experts who manage these initiatives;
- developing data visualisation methods to enhance the presentation of analytical work;
- contributing to ongoing and ad hoc research on topics related to digital communications and their impact.
Your tasks as a trainee in the Design team will include:
- contributing to the ongoing evolution of the ECB’s visual identity across all digital platforms;
- creating visuals for web, print, illustration, infographics, visual branding, social media and motion graphics;
- delivering visually compelling and engaging products with a particular focus on making complex topics accessible to the general public;
- ensuring the ECB website front-ends and visuals meet the most up-to-date design, usability and accessibility standards, making for optimal online user experiences;
- delivering on creative briefs and guidelines shared, in close collaboration with internal and/or external stakeholders.
Your tasks as a trainee in the Multimedia team will include:
- supporting the duties of the ECB’s official photographer and videographer;
- developing audio-visual storytelling solutions that support communication objectives and meet the aims of creative briefs;
- searching for images and video footage that best match with ECB-related topics, across all platforms and communication channels, including websites and social media;
- making complex topics accessible to the general public by creatively combining text, images, videos, audio and motion graphics;
- organising raw media, colour grading footage and archiving media files as required with the necessary meta tags.
These traineeships offer you excellent opportunities to join a fast-paced environment and gain experience across a broad range of communications topics. 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 all roles):
- a bachelor's degree or higher in the field of communications, economics, international relations, business administration, political science, journalism, computer sciences, design, marketing management, public relations, data science, English language studies, or related subject areas;
- experience in communications and knowledge of the latest trends in the field;
- a clear understanding of the mission, tasks and responsibilities of the ECB, and the ability to describe these in clear and simple terms;
- 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.
Essential for a PhD traineeship
- a master’s degree and at least two years of PhD studies in the field of communications, economics, international relations, business administration, political science, journalism, computer sciences, design, marketing management, public relations, data science, English language studies, or related subject areas.
For the role in the Webmasters team:
- experience in managing and updating websites;
- understanding of information architecture design principles;
- understanding of web usability and UX;
- basic understanding of HTML.
For the role in Web Development team:
- experience in front-end web development, including HTML, Javascript and CSS, including experience in modern front-end frameworks;
- experience in back-end development on modern Web CMS based on PHP, solid understanding of OOP;
- a degree in computer science, engineering or equivalent.
For the role in the Digital Publications team:
- experience with digital publications.
For the role in the Digital Content team:
- experience in creating communications materials for digital channels;
- the ability to translate complex information into content that resonates with different target audiences;
- mastery of the English language together with excellent drafting skills.
For the role in the Digital Analytics team:
- knowledge of data analysis and the ability to present complex data to different audiences;
- experience with data visualisation.
For the role in the Design team:
- knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects and other Adobe Creative Suite software;
- experience in graphic design, illustration, print, UI/UX and motion graphics together with excellent design aesthetics and creative skills.
For the role in the Multimedia team:
- knowledge of photo equipment as well as digital photo and post production tools and workflows using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe After Effects and other Adobe Creative Suite software;
- experience in photography, videography and motion graphics together with excellent visual aesthetics and creative skills.
Desired (for all roles):
- experience of working or studying in an international environment;
- a basic understanding of digital media and digital communications strategy.
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 aware of your strengths and areas for development and know what motivates you to perform at your highest level.
Further information
For information about accommodation, benefits and allowances, please visit our careers pages.
This is a Traineeship/PhD traineeship of between 6 and 12 months in total.
Application and selection process
The recruitment process for this position may include a remote written exercises at the pre-screening stage and – if you are invited to participate further in the selection procedure – a WebEx interview.
