Trainee (Verification of accounting records)

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 Service within the Administration and Corporate Management Division.

Specific objectives and projects

As a trainee in the Accounting Service, you will be part of the team carrying out the validation of the financial accounting system of EMA. The objective of the project is to provide assurance on the completeness and timeliness of the accounting information provided by the Agency operational departments:

• The project starts with the studying and understanding of the European Commission (EC) guidance for validating financial accounting systems; 
• subsequently, you will be involved with the verification of a set of accounting records for revenue and associated expenditure to ensure they are complete and matching with the source information, in line with the EC guidance criteria;
• finally you will be involved with the analysis of findings; preparation of a report and presentation of results to management.

Learning outcomes

Through this traineeship, you will

• Increase your knowledge in the area of financial and budgetary accounting systems
• Gain knowledge of the Agency’s processes and procedures in the area of revenue accounting.
• Share your academic knowledge and your perspective to contribute to the EMA’s objectives in the area of compliance with accounting standards and EU financial regulation.

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 Accountancy, Finance, Economics or Business studies or with auditing background (minimum of three years or more) that must have been obtained between 30 September 2023 and 30 September 2024 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

For criteria 1 and 2, you will be required to provide proof in the application form and at the interview stage. Failing to present these documents may result in the disqualification from the procedure.

Additional skills

In addition to the eligibility criteria, you will have:

• Knowledge of double-entry bookkeeping, general accounting rules and principles.
• Advanced knowledge of excel (formulas, VLOOKUP, macros).
• Ability to manage large volume of data.

Behavioural Competencies

You will demonstrate the following behavioural competencies:

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Working with others
• Adaptability
• Research and analytical skills
• Learning and development

Expected selection timelines

Conditions of traineeship

The traineeship is offered for 10 months (1 March 2025 – 31 December 2025) 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 €1,858.31 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.

The conditions of employment are stated in the Executive Decision on rules governing the traineeship programme at the EMA available here.