Trainee (New tools in Pharmacovigilance)

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU), located in Amsterdam. It is responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU.

Traineeship opportunity: Trainee (New tools in Pharmacovigilance)

About the traineeship programme

The Agency is looking for motivated, qualified recent graduates or students on an Erasmus+ or other programme, or PhD students or Master's students (who possess a previous degree), who are interested in gaining experience and contributing to the Agency’s work for every patient in Europe. The purpose of a traineeship at the Agency is to perform tasks that are predominantly in the interest of the trainee’s training and principally serve to increase the trainee’s knowledge and to gain relevant experience.

Placement description

We are looking for a trainee in the Pharmacovigilance Office.

Specific objectives and projects

This traineeship offers an opportunity to contribute to the development of new pharmacovigilance tools and methods within the EU regulatory network. The trainee will join the Signal and Safety Analytics team and work on the implementation of new tools that support safety monitoring in clinical trials. The project focuses on integrating signal detection data and methods into a software as a service (SaaS) solution selected by the EMA. The trainee will gather business requirements and perform user acceptance testing against the technical specifications. This role will contribute to improving tools used for signal detection and safety assessment.

The role also includes opportunities to incorporate emerging research from the SMART Methods workplan—such as signal detection in vulnerable populations and the integration of real world data—into the tools under development. This project directly supports the Agency’s strategic goals to innovate pharmacovigilance, improve analytical capabilities, and expand the use of real world evidence. By the end of the traineeship, the work will contribute to increased efficiency, consistency, and innovation across safety assessments within the EU regulatory environment.

Learning outcomes

• Gain practical experience in Agile ways of working by contributing to the implementation of clinical trial monitoring tools within the Signal and Safety Analytics project.
• Collaborate with experts across the EU Regulatory Network, supporting interactions within the SMART Methods initiative and learning how new analytical methods and tools are assessed and introduced in a regulatory setting.
• Develop core skills in pharmacovigilance and regulatory science, including understanding safety monitoring processes, regulatory requirements, the EudraVigilance database, and the use of analytical tools for both post marketing and clinical trial safety data.
• Strengthen abilities in evidence based problem solving, contributing to discussions and assessments that inform scientific and regulatory decision making.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for consideration for this placement, you are required to:

1. Enjoy full rights as a citizen of a European Union Member State or Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway.
2. Possess a university degree in pharmacy, medicine or life sciences (minimum of three years or more) that must have been obtained between 6 May 2025 and 6 May 2026 or be a university student on an Erasmus+ or a similar programme or a PhD student or a Master's student with a previous fully finished degree in the areas mentioned before.
3. A thorough knowledge of English (at least level C1) and good knowledge of other official EU language (at least B2) of the Common European Framework for Languages.

Additional skills

• Familiar with pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting systems.
• Excellent command of English.
• Analytical and communication skills.
• Experience in project management / organisational skills.
• Good collaborative skills to foster partnerships and communication between different stakeholders.
• Proficient in using IT applications, with strong proficiency in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to support analysis, reporting, and presentation tasks.
• Attention to detail to ensure accuracy and completeness in documentation and presentations.

Behavioural Competencies

You will demonstrate the following behavioural competencies:

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Working with others
• Adaptability
• Research and analytical skills
• Learning and development

Conditions of traineeship

The traineeship is offered for 10 months (1 October 2026 – 31 July 2027) and takes place at the Agency’s premises in Amsterdam with possibility for teleworking up to 40% of working time from The Netherlands and occasional teleworking from outside The Netherlands. Traineeships are offered for either full-time or part-time (80% or 50%) if combined with university studies.

The Agency pays a monthly stipend of €2,049.77 for a full-time traineeship (reduced accordingly for 80% or 50%) and a travel contribution upon joining the Agency.

Each trainee will have a mentor at the Agency who will guide the trainee through the programme.

What do we offer?

• Meaningful work contributing to protecting the health of every individual and animal in Europe within a multinational, multidisciplinary team.
• Development opportunities (e.g. internal mobility, mentoring, peer coaching, career reflection programme, etc.).
• Work-life balance (flexible working arrangements, teleworking, generous annual leave plus official holidays).