Market Infrastructure Experts (policy profile)- Digital Euro

Remote | Frankfurt

Organization: ECB - European Central Bank
Location: Remote | Frankfurt
Grade: Mid level - F/G - Only Open to EU Nationals
Occupational Groups:
- Political Affairs
- Legal - Broad
- Infrastructure and Urban-Rural development
- Information Technology and Computer Science
- Sustainable trade and development
Closing Date: 2026-01-08

General Information

Type of contract Fixed-term contract, which may be extended subject to individual performance and organisational needs

Who can apply? EU nationals

Salary F/G (bracket 1 - step 1) full time monthly net salary: €5,743 plus benefits, for further information see what we offer.

Role specialisation Market Infrastructure

Working time Full time

Place of work Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Closing date 08.01.2026

Your team

You will join the Directorate Digital Euro, which is part of the Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments and is responsible for leading the digital euro project. Following the successful completion of the preparation phase, the next phase of this project focuses on advancing technical readiness, deepening market engagement and supporting the legislative process.

For more information about the digital euro project, please visit the hub page on the ECB’s website.

In your role as a Market Infrastructure Expert, you will be part of a growing team of approximately 100 people. We are looking to fill several expert positions to work on: (i) detailing the digital euro’s value proposition for intermediaries, consumers and merchants; (ii) planning the rollout of use cases and activities related to delivering the pilot and the potential subsequent launch; (iii) leading the development and finalisation of the digital euro scheme’s rulebook; and (iv) supporting the legislative process for the digital euro Regulation at technical level and coordinating engagement with EU institutions and policymakers.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of European payments, ensuring people across the euro area continue to have secure and convenient ways to pay, both in cash and digitally.

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 Expert (policy profile), you will contribute to:

detailing the digital euro proposition for intermediaries, consumers and merchants, including the end-user experience and the digital euro app, the compensation model and the way the digital euro would fit into the payments ecosystem, engaging continuously with market stakeholders;
designing offline and online functionalities and standards, for person-to-person, point-of-sale and e-commerce digital euro payments;
fine-tuning the planning for the roll-out of use cases and steering the preparations for the pilot and the potential subsequent launch, including through engagement with payment service providers and end-user onboarding;
developing and finalising of the digital euro scheme’s rulebook, helping to ensure alignment with the regulatory framework, manage the Rulebook Development Group and prepare the operating model of a digital euro scheme, as well as to develop front-end standards and define the certification and the approval framework for their use;
maintaining close engagement with EU legislators, institutions and authorities on the digital euro project to continue to provide technical input throughout the legislative process.

The specific tasks and responsibilities assigned to the positions may vary depending on the final work distribution and approved setting of the next phase of the digital euro project. 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 master’s degree or equivalent in business administration, economics, finance, law, political science, international relations, project management, STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) or another relevant field (see How you can join us for details on degree equivalences);
in addition to the above, a minimum of four years’ professional experience (other than as a trainee or intern) in (i) payments/finance (consumer facing product development, product requirement analysis, strategy development or payment risks) and/or (ii) EU public policy in the area of payments, banking or finance at a national or an EU institution;
a track-record of professional experience in one or more of the following areas:

detailing the value proposition of a retail payment solution;
planning the roll-out of use cases and activities related to the pilot or launch of a retail payment solution;
drafting technical payment implementation specifications and/or scheme rulebook specifications;
management of payment risks;
engagement with EU co-legislators, EU institutions and authorities on legislative matters related to retail payments;

professional knowledge of the EU retail payments landscape and related legislation;
proven analytical skills and experience in drafting concise and clear notes and reports and experience in presenting complex topics to high-level audiences;
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:

a sound understanding of the digital euro product and the current legislative proposal on a digital euro;
experience in a retail payment solution or payment scheme with pan-European or global reach, or experience in developing an offline or partially offline payment solution;
functional/technical knowledge of the standards applicable to payments, payment schemes, and/or solutions in the bank-to-consumer domain.

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.

Working modalities

We would be happy to discuss a part-time arrangement for this role.

Further information

The contracts offered will be fixed-term, the appointment being until 31 March 2028.

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.

For additional information on this specific vacancy, you can speak to Stephanie Bergbauer, on +49 (0)69 1344 9774 between 10:00 to 11:00 on Thursday, 11 December.

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will be conducted remotely. It will include a written exercise, a presentation and interviews.

If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list (see step 4 of How we hire), from which you might be considered for similar positions within the ECB.

Find out how to apply for a position at the ECB.