Traineeship in IT security

In your role as a trainee in IT security, you will help to protect the IT assets of the ECB and the European System of Central Banks.

General Information

• Type of contract: Traineeship
• Who can apply? EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme
• Grant: The trainee grant is €1,170 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section)
• Working time: Full time
• Place of work: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• Closing date: 24.11.2026

Your team

You will be part of one of our IT security teams in the Digital Security Services Division of the ECB’s Directorate General Information Systems.

Our Division designs, implements and operates IT security solutions, in addition to performing information security governance tasks. We also increase IT security awareness among staff members through training, workshops and events. We provide IT security assurance and organise, monitor and coordinate horizontal activities relating to IT risk and operational risk management within the ECB. We are currently helping the ECB to adopt cloud and AI solutions.

You will work closely with stakeholders from our Directorate General and other ECB business areas, as well as with the national central banks of EU Member States.

Your role

As a trainee in the Digital Security Services Division, you will:

• support our security engineering, security operations and security governance teams in activities including IT risk management, network security, identity and access management, cloud security, vulnerability management, penetration testing, threat intelligence and security awareness;
• gain hands-on experience of IT security practices in line with international standards and methodologies;
• work in a team under the guidance of a mentor;
• establish and maintain relationships within and outside your team to build on your knowledge and skills;
• participate in horizontal team activities;
• contribute to tasks by showing initiative and sharing your ideas.

The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to use state-of-the-art concepts and methods to protect IT assets, manage risk and gain experience across a range of IT security areas. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.

Qualifications, experience and skills

Essential:

• a bachelor’s degree or higher in the field of computer science, IT engineering, mathematics or another relevant field;
• good IT and analytical skills;
• familiarity with one or more IT security or cyber resilience concepts, such as risk management, security awareness, identity and access management, network security, threat intelligence, security assessment and vulnerability management;
• a good knowledge of the Microsoft Office package;
• an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Desired:

• knowledge of international IT security standards or frameworks (e.g. ISO 27000 family, COBIT or NIST);
• programming or scripting skills relevant to security engineering or data analysis;
• an understanding of DevOps practices and tools;
• an understanding of cloud computing and relevant technologies.

You are curious and eager to learn, and want to further develop your ability to analyse complex information. You are keen to collaborate with others, pursue team goals and learn from other people’s diverse perspectives. You strive to know and anticipate stakeholder needs, and will signal any need for change and propose alternative solutions.

You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are keen to be part of our team and to use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Further information

Initial traineeship of six months, with a possible extension to up to 12 months in total, starting in the first half of 2027.