Trainee (Environmental sustainability in the manufacturing of human medicines)

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 European Medicines Agency (EMA) 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 Pharmaceutical Quality Office.

Specific objectives and projects

Context

As environmental sustainability becomes increasingly important, the pharmaceutical sector faces growing expectations to design, develop, manufacture and manage medicinal products with sustainability in mind. The EU and the European medicines regulatory network have identified environmental sustainability as a key objective in their recent strategy documents. The European Medicines Agency supports innovation aimed at implementing more sustainable manufacturing approaches through the work of the Quality Innovation Group and the development of guidance in areas such as F-gas replacements, continuous manufacturing and other quality aspects (e.g. packaging) that may have an impact on environmental sustainability.

Project tasks

• Map and analyse green manufacturing approaches described in marketing authorisation applications (MAA) and lifecycle submissions.
• Identify trends and regulatory challenges that applicants face in MAA and lifecycle submissions related to green manufacturing.
• Identify areas where future guidance may be needed to support the implementation of sustainable manufacturing approaches, and contribute proposals for consideration within the BWP, QWP and QIG work planning.
• Contribute to the preparation of Q&As, where relevant.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the traineeship, the trainee will:

• Develop knowledge of the regulatory framework supporting innovation in the development and manufacture of human medicines.
• Gain insight into EU legislation related to environmental sustainability.
• Gain practical experience working with the Quality Innovation Group and the European regulatory network and expert groups.
• Gain insight into how marketing authorisation applications are evaluated at EMA.

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, life sciences or engineering (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

In addition to the eligibility criteria, you will have:

• Good knowledge of pharmaceutical quality and manufacturing
• An interest in environmental sustainability
• Analytical skills
• Collaboration skills

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)