Position Details Traineeships in Directorate General Communications Reference 2016-031-TRA EXT Function The European Central Bank (ECB) is seeking five trainees for its Directorate General Communications (DG/C). The Directorate General communicates the official views of the ECB/Eurosystem/European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and informs the public and the media about the tasks, mission and organisation of the ECB. DG/C develops and implements the external and internal communication policies and coordinates communication activities within the ECB/Eurosystem/ESCB. It manages all media relations and public affairs, as well as internal communications. It provides information to the public at large, journalists, institutions, companies, academics, specialists and others, and answers their enquiries. DG/C produces ECB/Eurosystem/ESCB publications, as well as training and educational materials, and manages the ECB s internet and intranet sites. The trainees sought are to work in: the Global Media Relations division which develops the ECB s communication strategy with regard to the global media. The division performs the spokesperson function for the ECB with the media and advises on the content, timing and publication of the ECB s press releases, press conferences and press briefings. Global Media Relations division also assists Executive Board members and Senior Management in the handling of media relations, and assesses media requests for interviews or other communication activities. Moreover, it conducts a daily monitoring of communication issues raised in the media and conducts a regular analysis of communication gaps and challenges in the global media landscape, and coordinates digital content, including editing the content of the ECB s website and writing explainers. the Outreach Division which provides advice on, and support for, the ECB s communications policy through external and internal events, and targeted outreach, as well as through internal communications to staff members of the ECB and ESCB. The Division develops initiatives that are designed for specific target audiences, including public information campaigns and events with a cultural outreach. It also designs and implements the ECB s internal communications policy. One trainee is to work on the Generation uro Students Award competition, helping to coordinate and promote the competition within the euro area, and another trainee is to work in the future Visitor Centre Project Office, supporting the project manager and the project team in their day-to-day work and contributing to the development of the centre. The successful applicant will be entrusted with one of or several of the following main tasks: Global Media Relations supporting the analysis of digital, print and broadcast media with a view to providing intelligence and strategic advice to ECB management and making them aware of possible communication
challenges and opportunities; helping to ensure that ongoing and ad hoc research is carried out on topics of relevance for DG/C and the ECB; supporting media and daily press reviews and monitoring newswires; developing methods for automating reputation monitoring; testing, assessing and maintaining software for social media monitoring; conducting technical analysis of central bank events for the division; coordinating digital content; writing and editing content for the ECB s websites. Outreach Division a) Generation uro Students Award ( G SA ) liaising with euro area NCBs and ECB business areas; liaising with external participating teachers/students and the external provider of G SA s online platform; contributing knowledge of economics in order to produce and update content materials and evaluate essays on monetary policy; contribution to the definition of the strategy for the G SA competition for the next 5 years; further developing and promoting the G SA by using social media among other things; organising a variety of events. b) Visitor Centre Project contributing economic competence to the development and implementation of the content (story board/story lines/scriptwriting), with the main focus being on the tasks and mandate of the ECB, the monetary policy framework, decisions and instruments, as well as on basic concepts of the SSM mandate and the role of banking supervision; contributing to the development of multimedia tools in liaison with communication agencies;
interacting with internal and external stakeholders; supporting the project manager and the project team in their day-to-day work (maintaining project plans, producing power point presentation, coordinating inputs, etc. Qualifications and experience Applicants must have the following knowledge and competencies: a bachelor's degree or higher in the field of communications and public relations, or related subject areas; or economics, international relations, business administration, political studies; a basic knowledge of communications and public relations; a basic knowledge of economics, central banking issues and financial supervision; an interest in the role and functioning of the ECB; ideally, some work experience in the field of communications; ideally, some experience in developing educational and multimedia tools; ideally, some experience of working with social media for the positions related to the G SA and Media Monitoring; ideally a basic knowledge or experience of working with educational material on economics for the position related to the Visitor Centre project. Competencies The successful candidate will have the following behavioural competencies: identifies connections and relationships between concepts and events; understands the creative process and devises innovative solutions; communicates ideas in an effective manner and ensures mutual comprehension; understands who his/her clients are and what their expectations are;
manages his/her own workload independently, without burdening other team members unnecessarily; shares information and supports team members in the achievement of common goals; is comfortable working without close supervision, but knows when to involve others; shows commitment to the achievement of organisational goals; can be relied upon to deliver in difficult circumstances; manages multiple assignments and tracks progress on numerous processes simultaneously while working accurately with an eye for detail; shows strong interpersonal skills and cultural awareness; identifies potential hurdles in advance and takes action to resolve such problems. Closing Date for Applications: 11.03.2016 Further Information Traineeship/PhD traineeship of six months, with the possibility of an extension to up to 12 months in total in the Directorate General Communications. The starting date should be on 1 August at the latest. How to apply Applications are to be made in English and submitted using our online application form. An "Applicants' Guide" can be downloaded from our recruitment pages. The recruitment process may include a pre-screening exercise and a telephone interview. Before applying, applicants should check that they meet the conditions set out in Article 4 of the rules governing the traineeship programme: http://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/pdf/traineeship_programme.pdf. Further information on the ECB's traineeships can be found at http://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/newcomers/trainee/html/index.en.html. Applicants are accepted from nationals of the Member States of the European Union. The requirements laid down in the vacancy notice must be met by the closing date for applications. This vacancy notice may be used to fill the same position again, or similar positions, within 12 months of the selection decision. The selection committee may place suitable candidates on a reserve list, from which candidates may be appointed to similar positions in the same or another business area. It may also be decided to fill
the position(s) advertised in this vacancy notice with a suitable candidate or candidates from the reserve list resulting from a recruitment procedure for a similar position. Candidates will be informed accordingly if this happens.