Trainee (Implementation of a New Accounting System)

Deadline for applications: 06 May 2026 23:59 CET

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: Implementation of a New Accounting System

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 Accounting Office.

Specific objectives and projects

This traineeship offers young graduates an opportunity within the Finance department to contribute to the preparation for the implementation to a new accounting system in a professional EU finance environment. Under the supervision of experienced colleagues within the Accounts Receivable team, key tasks will include:

• reviewing current fees collection processes;
• identifying root causes of payment disputes;
• identifying opportunities for standardisation and automation;
• developing internal procedures and customer guidance;
• compiling inventories of reports;
• identifying opportunities for the overlall improvement of EMA's customers' experience.

This traineeship is part of a broader finance modernisation and digital transformation initiative. It offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience at the intersection of accounting, systems, data, and process innovation.

Learning outcomes

This traineeship offers valuable exposure to:

• Practical experience in accounts receivable operations
• Financial system implementation projects
• Accounting processes and internal controls in practice
• Data analysis and process mapping techniques
• Change management and organisational transformation
• Collaboration across finance and IT functions

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 Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field (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

Interest in process improvement, automation and digitalisation of finance processes and accounting sytems.

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.

Who we are

Serving a population of 500 million citizens, we promote and protect public animal health in EU Member States, as well as the countries of the European Economic Area, by ensuring that all medicines available on the EU market are safe, effective and of high quality.

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)