Trainee (Supporting stakeholders' engagement and medicines health information) - European Medicines Agency (Amsterdam)

Contract TypeTraineeship
Deadline30 September 2026

About this position

The summary below is published by European Medicines Agency on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Type of position:Trainee

Job Type:30 September 2026 23:59 CEST

Selection procedure reference: EMA/TR/11533

Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026 23:59 CEST

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU), located in Amsterdam. It began operating in 1995. It is responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU.

This traineeship opportunity is now open for applicationsuntil 30 September 2026 23:59 CEST, with an intake on 1 March 2027.

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 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

The Public and Stakeholders Engagement Department is seeking a motivated trainee to support improvements of its stakeholders’…

Excerpt shown; read the full notice on the official page. The structured breakdown below covers the key facts.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

  • Support improvements of stakeholders' engagement processes
  • Investigate how public enquiries are handled across the European medicines regulatory network
  • Develop a standardised data collection template for stakeholder engagement reporting
  • Propose a streamlined process for collecting inputs across Agency offices
  • Propose a revised report format for stakeholder engagement
  • Develop and conduct a survey of relevant stakeholders within the EU regulatory network
  • Analyse information on communication channels, workflows, response timelines, query types and volumes
  • Identify similarities, differences and examples of good practice across Member States

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

  • Education: Relevant university degree (minimum three years or more) in biomedical sciences (e.g. pharmacy, medicine) or public health or social sciences, obtained between 30 September 2025 and 30 September 2026, or be a university student on an Erasmus+ or similar programme, or a PhD student or Master's student with a previous fully finished degree in the areas mentioned
  • Languages: English (C1), Other official EU language (B2)
  • Key skills: Experience in project management, Experience in stakeholder engagement and/or communication, Experience with process improvement, Strong analytical and organisational skills, Ability to synthesise information clearly and concisely, Excellent written communication skills in English, Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, Working with others, Adaptability
  • Eligibility: Full rights as a citizen of a European Union Member State or Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

  • Assessments (remote) from mid-October 2026 to mid-November 2026
  • Decision and offers by end of December 2026

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: 10 months (1 March 2027 – 31 December 2027).

Working arrangements: 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.

Hiring unit: Public and Stakeholders Engagement Department.

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Trainee (Supporting stakeholders' engagement and medicines health information) at EMA based in Amsterdam (Traineeship).

Type of position:Trainee

Job Type:30 September 2026 23:59 CEST

Selection procedure reference: EMA/TR/11533

Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026 23:59 CEST

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU), located in Amsterdam. It began operating in 1995. It is responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines in the EU.

This traineeship opportunity is now open for applicationsuntil 30 September 2026 23:59 CEST, with an intake on 1 March 2027.

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 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

The Public and Stakeholders Engagement Department is seeking a motivated trainee to support improvements of its stakeholders’ engagement processes and to investigate how public enquiries are handled across the European medicines regulatory network.

Specific objectives and projects

For its stakeholder engagement activities, EMA operates within established frameworks that guide engagement and communication with key stakeholder groups, including patients and consumers, healthcare professionals, academia, and industry.

This traineeship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to enhance how the Agency organises and communicates information, providing stakeholders with a clear, accessible and strategic overview of its activities.

The project on stakeholder engagement reporting will be expected to:

- Develop a standardised data collection template including minimum required data fields.

- Propose a streamlined process for collecting inputs across the Agency offices (including options for digital tools).

- Propose a revised report format that is more concise, structured, and reader-friendly (including visual elements).

The project examining public enquiries will involve engaging with representatives from national competent authorities to collect information on their systems, processes and experiences in managing public queries.

The trainee will be expected to:

- Develop and conduct a survey of relevant stakeholders within the EU regulatory network.

- Analyse information on communication channels, workflows, response timelines, query types and volumes.

- Identify similarities, differences and examples of good practice across Member States.

- Explore how queries are currently redirected between EMA and national authorities and identify potential inefficiencies or areas for improvement.

- Assess the use of digital solutions and artificial intelligence in public query handling.

- Prepare a report summarising findings and proposing practical recommendations to strengthen collaboration and coordination across the network.

Learning outcomes

The trainee is expected to:

- Learn about EMA’s frameworks and approach to stakeholder engagement.

- Gain hands-on experience in process optimisation within a European regulatory environment.

- Develop skills in data structuring, reporting, and professional communication.

- Gain understanding of factors contributing to effective communication and engagement.

- Gain knowledge of the Agency’s processes and regulatory work.

- Gain insight into how EMA and national competent authorities interact with patients, healthcare professionals and the public.

- Develop skills in survey design, stakeholder engagement and qualitative data analysis.

- Gain experience in mapping processes across multinational organisations.

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 relevant university degree (minimum of three years or more) in biomedical sciences (e.g. pharmacy, medicine) or public health or social sciences, that must have been obtained between 30 September 2025 and 30 September 2026orbe a university student on an Erasmus + or a similar programmeor 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 theCommon 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 thedisqualification from the procedure.

Additional skills

- Experience in project management

- Experience in stakeholder engagement and/or communication

- Experience with process improvement

- Strong analytical and organisational skills

- Ability to synthesise information clearly and concisely

- Excellent written communication skills in English

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 March 2027 – 31 December 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.

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

Expected selection timelines

Deadline for applications · 30 September 2026 23:59 CEST Assessments (remote) · From mid-October 2026 to mid-November 2026 Decision and offers · By end of December 2026 Placement start · 1 March 2027

Domenico Scarlattilaan 6 - 1083 HS Amsterdam - The Netherlands

Telephone +31 (0)88 781 6000 - Email [email protected]

© European Medicines Agency, 2024. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 3 August 2026, 48 days ago.

The application deadline is 30 September 2026, 9 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 18 September 2026 (2 days ago).

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at EMA see the EMA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Amsterdam see our Amsterdam location page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.

Career trajectory

Career progression for this grade staff is governed by Articles 44 to 46 of the Staff Regulations (consolidated text on EUR-Lex) and Annex IB on the promotion procedure. Step increases are automatic every two years (Art. 44); grade promotion is competitive, based on the appraisal exercise (Art. 45) and the Career Development Review. For roles at EMA, progression to the next grade typically takes three to five years on merit, with two-yearly step increases in between. Article 46 governs the classification at recruitment, which sets the starting step within the grade (usually step 1 for external recruits without prior EU service, step 2 or 3 where relevant professional experience is recognised).
Mobility within the institutions is encouraged via the inter-institutional and intra-institutional vacancy publication system: temporary agents who pass the probation period and reservists from EPSO laureate lists can typically apply to internal vacancies after one year of service. Lateral moves between Directorates-General reset the seniority clock for promotion only if the new post carries a different grade.

Language profile

Beyond the formal language requirements stated in the vacancy notice, the day-to-day working languages at this employer are English and French in roughly equal measure, with German appearing in some technical files. Internal meetings and most policy drafting in Brussels run in English; French remains the preferred internal language in Luxembourg-based services and parts of DG TRADE.

Application cadence

EMA has not advertised another comparable role with the same grade and subject signature in the past twenty-four months. This opening has rarely been seen on the EU Careers feed and may be the first such posting in our two-year window. Applicants who pass the eligibility checks should not assume the same profile will reopen on a predictable cadence.

Source: This job listing was sourced from the officialEU Careers portal (EPSO). First published: .

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