The Directorate General Communications and Language Services is responsible for both the external and internal communication of the ECB, and the provision of language services. It comprises the Press and Information Division, the Publishing, Events and Protocol Division, and the Language
Services Division.

DG-C communicates the official views of the ECB/Eurosystem/ESCB and informs the public and the media about the tasks, missions and organisation of the ECB. The Directorate General develops and implements the external and internal communication policies and coordinates communication
activities within the ECB/Eurosystem/ESCB. It manages all contacts and activities with the media and keeps management and staff informed about media reports. DG-C provides information to members of the public, journalists, institutions, companies, academics, ECB watchers and others, and answers their enquiries. It organises visits by VIPs as well as by the general public. It produces ECB/Eurosystem/ESCB publications and training and educational material and, manages the ECB’s internet and intranet sites. It manages events, art and cultural activities and organises conferences
and the logistics of the General and Governing Councils meetings. It handles protocol issues.

DG-C provides language services and is responsible for (i) preparing translations of non-legal texts from the ECB’s vehicle language (English) into all other official EU languages, and revising such texts prior to release; (ii) arranging for the external provision of translations into languages other than the official EU languages; (iii) editing ECB documents in all official EU languages other than English for style, content and correct terminology; and (iv) proof-reading ECB publications in all official EU languages other than English prior to publication to ensure accuracy and consistency of style,
terminology and presentation.

The Publishing, Events and Protocol Division is seeking candidates for a traineeship in its Events and Protocol Section, which is responsible for protocol issues, the organisation of high-level visits, conferences, seminars and workshops, and arrangements for meetings of the Governing Council and
General Council of the ECB. It also organises the ECB’s artistic and cultural events and promotes the ECB and the Eurosystem at open days, fairs and exhibitions. The Section is also in charge of the ECB’s corporate design.

The successful applicant will be entrusted with the following main tasks:
contributing to the planning and organisation of high-level visits/meetings and other events, including participant registration and, in some cases, invitation management;
contributing to the coordination of procedures and services related to high-level visits/meetings and other events (e.g. catering, technical facilities and attendants, at both the ECB and external venues), as well as liaising with the relevant stakeholders.

The successful applicant will occasionally be expected to work outside normal working hours.

Qualifications and experience
The traineeship is aimed at recent graduates or current students of communications, business administration, event management, public relations, international relations or related subject areas.

Applicants must have the following knowledge and competencies:
•ideally, some work experience in fields of direct relevance to the work of the Directorate Communications;
•ideally, a basic knowledge of protocol or event management;
•advanced command of English with proven drafting ability;
•advanced command of at least one other official language of the EU, preferably German;
•an awareness of and interest in the role and functioning of the ECB;
•a good knowledge of MS Office, in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and ideally a working knowledge of MS Access.

Competencies
The successful candidate will have the following behavioural competencies:
•is able to check and process information in line with general guidelines and search for information from a variety of sources presents information in a clear and concise manner, both orally and in writing, and listens actively in order to understand the essentials of the message;
•actively listens to (internal) customers in order to determine their needs, carries out what has been agreed and keeps them informed about the progress made;
•participates actively in the team’s activities and is willing to support team members;
•acknowledges contributions from others and actively involves them in decisions and/or activities;
•tries to solve a problem independently before asking others for help;
•identifies where there is work to be done and takes action;
•recognises when he/she is under stress and makes efforts to remain calm and approachable;
•prioritises tasks and performs them systematically, consistently and within the given deadline.
Closing Date for Applications: 06.02.2013

Further Information
A traineeship is initially for 3 to 6 months, and may be prolonged once to a total of 12 months.

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 3 of the rules governing the traineeship programme: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/jobs/pdf/coe_traineeship.pdf.
Further information on the ECB’s traineeships can be found at https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/jobs/apply/html/index.en.html.

Applicants are accepted from nationals of the Member States of the European Union and Croatia