Traineeship in Statistics and Data Science

Job Description

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

Working time: Full time

Place of work: Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Closing date: 26.09.2025

Your team

You will be part of the Directorate General Statistics. Our Directorate General has over 300 staff working to strengthen Europe by supporting ECB decision-making with high-quality data and statistics. Our statistics inform central banking and banking supervision policy decisions, as well as the public at large. This is done in close collaboration with the European System of Central Banks, the European Commission, the banking industry, national competent authorities and international bodies.

In your role as a trainee, you will contribute directly to the work of the Directorate General Statistics. You will form part of a team responsible for collecting and validating data, producing, publishing and disseminating data and statistical indicators, and keeping the related documentation fit for purpose. You will work closely with relevant stakeholders such as economists, analysts and banking supervisors. Our Directorate General is also currently experimenting with AI solutions to develop new data products and services.

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 Statistics you will:

• gain insights into the methodology, validation, compilation, management and publication of macroeconomic statistics and/or large-scale granular/micro datasets in a policy-oriented environment;
• work both in a team and independently under the guidance of a mentor, taking the initiative and interacting with other staff members and management;
• have an opportunity to participate in your team’s regular activities, support the development of statistical concepts, tools and processes, and/or contribute to conceptual or empirical studies.

The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to help modernise the ECB’s data culture and data management in a context of rapid financial innovation and digital communication. 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 statistics, data science, economics, finance, mathematics, computer science, operational research or another relevant field;
• experience in using at least one of the following programming languages/statistical packages/visualisation tools: C/C++/C#, Java, JavaScript, Mathematica, MATLAB, Perl, Python, R, R Shiny, SAS, Scala, SQL, Stata, VB/VB.Net/VBA, Tableau, Power BI;
• experience in data and metadata management, including collection, cleaning, validation, aggregation, visualisation and analysis;
• a good knowledge of the MS Office package (in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint);
• experience in using complex datasets, interpreting the data and presenting results;
• 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:

• experience in programming with at least one of the following languages: C/C++/C#, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, R, R Shiny, SAS, Scala, SQL, VB/VB.Net/VBA;
• familiarity with monetary and financial statistics, macroeconomic statistics (such as financial accounts, balance of payments or price statistics), supervisory data, micro/granular financial data, household or corporate surveys, or the governance and management of integrated data and metadata;
• familiarity with international standards for macroeconomic statistics, accounting or banking supervision;
• knowledge of financial concepts and the functioning of financial markets;
• knowledge of the techniques used in the development of applications and tools for data management, visualisation or machine learning;
• knowledge of web development, content creation, digital communication and graphics.

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 6 months, with a possible extension to up to 12 months in total. The start date will be in 2026.

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 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.

Closing date: 26.09.2025

About the Organization

The ECB is the central bank for Europe's single currency, the euro. The ECB’s main task is to maintain the euro's purchasing power and thus price stability in the euro area. The euro area comprises the 16 European Union countries that have introduced the euro since 1999.