The European Central Bank (ECB) is currently accepting applications for a PhD Traineeship in the International Policy Analysis Division. This position is designed for advanced doctoral students interested in contributing to high-level research on the global economy and international financial architecture.

General Information

• Type of contract PhD traineeship
• Who can apply? EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme
• Grant 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 15.12.2025

Your role

As a PhD trainee you will work closely with ECB staff members on one or more of the following tasks:

• carrying out a research project;
• drafting a paper for publication in the ECB’s Working Paper Series in collaboration with ECB staff members;
• presenting the preliminary results at an internal seminar;
• participating in internal seminars and contributing to the analytical work of the Division.

The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to work closely with highly qualified economists on different tasks and projects in the field of international finance and macroeconomics, giving you valuable experience for a successful professional career. You will also be assigned a mentor and will be able to develop your potential and quickly contribute to the work we do. 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 master’s degree and at least two years of PhD studies in economics, finance, statistics, data science or a closely related field;
• interest in research in economics, finance or computational methods as well as experience in conducting academic research in those areas;
• sound knowledge of advanced econometric techniques and macro-modelling tools;
• experience with programming languages or statistical, econometric or numerical computing software packages such as MATLAB, Stata, Python, R, C++ or Julia;
• good knowledge of the MS Office package (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• 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:

• Expertise in international finance on issues such as exchange rates, global imbalances, commodities, macro-financial spillovers, etc.

Further information

Initial PhD traineeship of 3 months with a possible extension of up to 12 months in total. The starting date will be in the spring, summer or autumn of 2026.

Other details on the conditions applicable to traineeships at the ECB can be found on their website.

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include an online interview.

You are also requested to provide together with your application a concise summary of your primary research interests and expertise, including an example of a recent or ongoing research project. The total length should not exceed 400 words. Kindly upload the summary as a PDF file, ensuring that your name is included in the file name for identification.

Further information on how to apply is available on their 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.