Banknote Issuance Expert

Remote | Frankfurt

Organization: ECB - European Central Bank
Location: Remote | Frankfurt
Grade: Mid level - F/G - Only Open to EU Nationals
Occupational Groups:
Closing Date: 2025-06-17

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 Banknote Issuance and Circulation

Working time Full time

Place of work Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Closing date 17.06.2025

Your team

You will be part of the Banknote Circulation Division in the Directorate Banknotes. Our Directorate has around 75 staff. The Directorate is dedicated to ensuring the continued availability, access and acceptance of euro banknotes as a reliable and convenient means of payment and store of value.

In your role as Banknote Issuance Expert, you will be part of a Division of around 22 members of staff. The Division works on promoting access to and acceptance of cash, improving the efficiency of the euro cash cycle and ensuring the availability and integrity of euro banknotes and coins. Our tasks include managing the Eurosystem’s banknote stocks, operating databases on banknotes and coins, performing counterfeit analyses, conducting surveys and research and developing cash-related policies. We work closely with other teams within the ECB and the Eurosystem, as well as with stakeholders in the euro cash cycle and other central banks.

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 Banknote Issuance Expert you will:

manage the work of the Banknote Sorting Expert Group, a Eurosystem group of experts coordinating the various technical and operational aspects of banknote processing machines;
prepare and coordinate all policies related to the processing of banknotes by the national central banks of the Eurosystem and the recirculation of euro banknotes by third parties, varying from strategic topics to technical matters related to the operation of machines and detectors;
contribute to defining the functional requirements of the machine-readable security features of new banknotes, and help evaluate changes in the technical specifications for the processing of euro banknotes by banknote handling machines and devices;
initiate, review and contribute to the drafting of various policy and legal documents setting out the rules and processes national central banks and third parties must adhere to in order to ensure the fitness and quality of euro banknotes in circulation;
engage and collaborate closely with the banknote equipment manufacturers which develop banknote handling machines and devices for processing euro banknotes;
analyse data from national central banks and third parties on the processing of euro banknotes and help develop scenarios for the introduction of a possible third series of euro banknotes from the perspective of banknote handling.

For this role we are seeking candidates who demonstrate the potential for growth, and we will support the selected candidate(s) in their development of the required skills.

The position offers you excellent opportunities to gain insights into how the ECB works and to learn more about the various aspects of the Eurosystem’s issuance and circulation policies as part of a team of highly skilled professionals. 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 a STEM subject, economics, business administration or another relevant field (see How you can join us for details on degree equivalences);
a minimum of three years’ experience in the field of banknote issuance and/or processing;
sound understanding of the cash cycle and of banknote processing;
ability to quantitatively and qualitatively analyse banknote processing-related data using state-of-the-art statistical tools;
proficient drafting skills;
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:

capacity to negotiate in challenging situations skilfully and thoughtfully in difficult situations;
ability to critically examine issues, in order to develop appropriate policies and strategies;
experience in coordinating projects or activities involving several partners within and outside an organisation;
ability to convert technical requirements into policies and practical solutions for the Eurosystem and for market participants;
technical expertise in the field of banknote processing and a good understanding of the technology behind sorting machines;
a sound theoretical background in the functional requirements of machine-readable security features and related detectors.

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 aware of your strengths and areas for development and know what motivates you to perform at your highest level.

Working modalities

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

Further information

The contract(s) offered will be fixed-term, the appointment being for 12 months as of the exact starting date of the selected person.

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 the hiring managers, Benjamin Sahel on +49 (0)69 1344 7353 or Henk Esselink on +49 (0)69 1344 8823 for the duration of the publication of the vacancy.

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.