Trainee (Agile transformation)

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.

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 posses a previous degree), who are interested in gaining experience and contribute 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 Lean Agile Centre of Excellence Office.

Specific objectives and projects

As a trainee in the Lean Agile Centre of Excellence (LACE), which drives the agile transformation of the Agency, you will work on a dedicated Agile Mindset initiative in one selected business team (e.g. Human Resources or Finance). This initiative will be the main focus of the traineeship, where, together with the LACE team, you will contribute to the preparation of the roadmap, design, communication and implementation of change activities that help the team adopt agile ways of working.

Your tasks would include:

• Contributing to the maintenance and implementation of a change and communication roadmap for an Agile Mindset initiative in one or multiple business teams.
• Supporting change management activities, including stakeholder analysis, planning and follow-up of actions, to promote agile practices across the Agency.
• Designing and delivering communication materials (written messages, presentations, visuals and digital content).
• Supporting the planning, development and promotion of targeted agile training and learning activities for different target audiences.
• Analysing engagement and feedback to continuously improve communication and training approaches.
• Organisation and co-facilitation of workshops, events and presentations.
• Bringing a user-centred and learner-centred perspective to Agile transformation activities.
• Collaborating with stakeholders across business and IT teams to understand needs and tailor messages accordingly.

Learning outcomes

This traineeship offers hands-on exposure to organisational change in a large European public organisation, while contributing to meaningful improvements in how the Agency delivers value to public health.

By the end of the traineeship, the trainee will have:

• Hands-on experience in contributing to a dedicated Agile Mindset initiative in a business team within a large European public organisation
• Practical understanding of agile principles and ways of working (e.g., scrum and scaled agile frameworks) and how they are applied beyond IT, in business areas such as Human Resources or Finance
• First-hand experience in designing and executing change and communication roadmaps to support transformations (such as agile or digitalization) of international organizations
• Experience in change management activities, including stakeholder analysis, internal communication, engagement planning and follow-up
• Experience in supporting the design, delivery and promotion of targeted training and learning activities related to agile mindset and ways of working
• Improved facilitation, presentation and public speaking skills through workshops, events and collaboration with diverse stakeholders
• Experience in working with stakeholders at different levels of the organisation and tailoring messages to different audiences
• Strengthened transferable skills in communication, analysis, critical thinking, problem-solving and visual storytelling
• Gained an understanding of how the European Medicines Agency operates and how digital systems support the regulation and approval of medicines in the European Union

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 organisational development, change management, communication or media studies, business or management studies, psychology, human resources, education or learning & development, product development, or UX design (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

Essential:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Ability to create clear, engaging, and user-centered presentations and visual materials
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Proactive attitude, curiosity, and willingness to learn
• Ability to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams

Desirable:

• Experience with visual or digital design (e.g., presentations, banners, videos)
• Familiarity with collaboration, communication, or design tools (e.g., Miro, PowerPoint)
• Basic understanding of agile ways of working, principles, or mindset
• Interest in or knowledge of change management, organisational transformation, or digital innovation
• Experience with tools supporting product or project management (e.g., Azure DevOps)

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 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)