Market Infrastructure and Payments Specialist

The Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments is creating a reserve list from which Market Infrastructure and Payments Specialists may be appointed in the future, should positions become available. You will be part of the Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments. Our Directorate General helps to ensure that Europe’s financial markets can rely on safe and efficient market infrastructures and payments, while embracing innovation and contributing to further European integration. In your role as a Market Infrastructure and Payments Specialist, you will contribute to the day-to-day work of the Directorate General. Your specific responsibilities will depend on business needs and the role for which you are selected. The ECB is an inclusive employer and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Your role As a Market Infrastructure and Payments Specialist, you could:

• operate the Eurosystem’s TARGET Services (e.g. T2, TARGET2-Securities, TARGET Instant Payment Settlement and the Eurosystem Collateral Management System) in line with the established Eurosystem operational procedures and operational risk management framework and support the ECB’s clients;
• contribute to the evolution of the Eurosystem’s market infrastructures, including by supporting the change and release management procedures and project management tasks;
• collaborate with IT teams and relevant stakeholders in testing, implementing and rolling out new infrastructure systems;
• conduct financial analyses of the cost recovery of the TARGET Services;
• contribute to the oversight of financial market infrastructures and payment instruments with a view to ensuring their safety and efficiency;
• identify and mitigate operational, financial and systemic risks associated with payment and settlement systems;
• draft policies and guidelines related to payments, securities settlement and collateral management;
• coordinate with national central banks, financial institutions and external stakeholders to resolve issues and ensure alignment on infrastructure projects and/or policy work;
• contribute to analytical and policy-related work based on large and/or complex datasets and develop cutting-edge analysis, monitoring and visualisation tools using data analytics;
• conduct analysis on trends in digital payments, fintech, blockchain or other technologies impacting market infrastructure;
• contribute to policy work related to innovation as well as on harmonisation and standardisation in the field of payments and post-trade services, including the use of new technology such as distributed ledger technology (DLT) for token arrangements and tokenised assets;
• support cross-border payment and settlement integration initiatives to improve financial market efficiency across the EU;
• take part in cybersecurity and operational resilience initiatives, including testing activities, risk assessments, crisis coordination and contingency planning;
• prepare reports, briefings and presentations for (senior) management on infrastructure and payment-related developments, risks and performance as well as on oversight, policy and analytical topics; and
• present results of work in various fora, involving internal and external stakeholders.

For these roles we are seeking candidates who demonstrate the potential for growth, and we will support the selected candidates in their development of the required skills. We actively support professional development for our staff. Besides learning opportunities such as training and mentoring, we encourage and support horizontal mobility after some years in the same position. The position offers you excellent opportunities to contribute to a wide range of tasks in the field of market infrastructure and payments. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.

• a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in business administration, economics, finance, political science, international relations, law, project management, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), computer science or another relevant field (see How you can join us on our website for details on degree equivalences);
• in addition to the above, a minimum of two years’ experience (including traineeships) in an area such as payments, securities settlement, collateral management, operational/cyber resilience, project management or finance;
• proven analytical skills to assess operational/financial/statistical data, market trends, risks and regulatory compliance and, where needed, develop actionable recommendations;
• 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:

• an understanding of emerging technologies such as blockchain, DLT and new forms of tokenised money and assets;
• a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multinational environment, collaborating with diverse stakeholders.

You engage collaboratively with others. You pursue team goals and learn willingly from other people’s diverse perspectives. You signal any need for change by explaining it and proposing alternative solutions. You analyse complex information effectively and can evaluate different views to arrive at solutions. You know and anticipate stakeholder needs. 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 motivated to be part of our team and to develop and use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Some of the contracts will be convertible into permanent contracts after three years subject to individual performance and organisational needs. Temporary appointments may be extended or made permanent subject to organisational needs and budgetary constraints. This may result in a staff member with a non-convertible fixed-term contract being offered a convertible contract in accordance with the ECB Conditions of Employment.