The European Central Bank has launched: Traineeship in Purchasing Team.

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Your team

You will join the Governance and Transformation Services (GTS) Division, which acts as a cross functional service platform under the management of the Chief Services Office (CSO). The CSO is responsible for more than 800 staff delivering internal services in the fields of administration, human resources, IT and finance.

The GTS Division has more than 70 staff providing horizontal services in the areas of communication, service delivery/optimisation, financial management, vendor and service management, and quality management. It is currently involved in efforts to transform working methods in the various business areas operating under the CSO, fostering collaborative and cross-functional approaches with a focus on people, flexibility, learning and results.

This traineeship opportunity is in the GTS Division’s purchasing team. You will join a dynamic and collaborative team of eight staff who process purchase requests for the CSO’s business areas and related invoices. They strive to continuously improve the efficiency, quality and automation of the services that they offer across the CSO, in collaboration with the business areas themselves, other GTS teams, the Directorate Finance and the Directorate General Information Systems. The team seek to strengthen both regular operations and development initiatives through focused ad hoc activities.

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 purchasing team, you will:

• support purchase and invoice approval operations, carrying out tasks of increasing complexity;
• contribute to development initiatives stemming from the team’s work programme, which could relate to business processes, operational procedures, collaborative practices and/or communication;
• help to move the team’s knowledge base onto a recently adopted platform.

This position will offer excellent opportunities to experience key financial management operations around purchasing and invoicing, leveraging and refining your organisational skills and your ability to engage in structured thought. You will be working in a dynamic environment where you can learn from people every day, challenge yourself in new areas and show initiative in implementing new ideas. 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 business administration, finance, accounting, auditing or another relevant field;
• an understanding of budgeting and operational accounting matters;
• the ability to analyse financial records and contractual documentation and translate information into figures in a structured way;
• an advanced 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:

• experience with purchasing, accounting or financial management;
• knowledge of international accounting and reporting standards such as IAS and IFRS;
• knowledge of an ERP system (e.g. SAP);
• operational and administrative experience with contracts or the provision of services in relation to facility management, premises, IT, human resources or finance;
• an understanding of the ECB’s mission, tasks and responsibilities.

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.

Who can apply:

EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme.

All candidates should:

• be a national of a Member State of the EU or of an acceding country;

• be at least 18 years old;
• have completed at least a first cycle qualification (minimum bachelor’s degree);
• be fluent in English and in another official language of the EU.

Following their most recent qualification candidates should:

• have a maximum of 12 months’ professional experience;
• have been a trainee for no more than six months;
• not have been an ECB trainee or have worked for the ECB previously.

Closing date: 03.06.2022

Further information

Traineeship of between 6 and 12 months in total. The earliest possible start date is 1 August 2022.

For additional information on this specific vacancy, you can speak to the Team Lead, Lorenzo Dal Bianco, on +49 162 294 8801 between 10:00 and 11:00 CET on 1 June 2022 or between 16:30 and 17:30 CET on 2 June 2022.

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 and an online interview.

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 similar positions within the ECB.