General Information
Type of contract
Short-term contract, which may be extended to up to 36 months subject to individual performance and organisational needs
Who can apply?
EU nationals working for national central banks of the ESCB, international governmental organisations or other employers performing central banking or banking supervision tasks within the framework of the Eurosystem
Salary
F/G (bracket 1 - step 1) full time monthly net salary: €7,465 plus benefits, for further information see
what we offer.
Working time
Full time
Place of work
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Closing date
05.05.2026
Your team
You will be part of the Central Banking Services Division in the ECB’s Directorate General Information Systems. Our Division provides a comprehensive portfolio of IT services supporting core capabilities in monetary policy preparation and implementation, statistics, banknotes and market infrastructure and payments.
In your role as an Expert in distributed ledger technology (DLT), you will be part of the Appia project team of around 20 members contributing to a programme to enable the wholesale settlement of DLT-based transactions in central bank money. We are currently seeking an expert to join our team as of July 2026.
You will work closely with stakeholders in other business areas of the ECB (e.g. the Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments and the Directorate General Market Operations) and national 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 an Expert in DLT, you will:
- contribute to the analysis and scoping of practical work in the context of Appia, as well as to initial research and analytical work;
- analyse the business and policy implications of DLT, including the analysis and design of various proofs of concept in diverse aspects of DLT networks, with a focus on security, resilience and risk management;
- analyse and contribute to the design, testing and deployment of smart contracts;
- keep abreast of the latest developments and innovations in the field of DLT architectures and technologies, e.g. by attending workshops and conferences;
- coordinate and contribute to briefings, notes, presentations, speeches and reports for the ECB’s committees and decision-making bodies, as well as for Eurosystem working groups, collaborating with other project team members and counterparts at national central banks;
- assess the architecture and security-related aspects of different DLT solutions.
The position offers you an excellent opportunity to work in a stimulating environment and explore how DLT technologies can be used to enable wholesale settlement of DLT-based transactions in central bank money, thereby helping the ECB to fulfil its mandate. You will be part of a multicultural team working together with market participants to shape a future ready, innovative, tokenised and integrated European financial ecosystem.
Qualifications, experience and skills
Essential:
- a master’s degree or equivalent in computer engineering 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 the field of computer engineering and/or software development;
- proven ability to use, analyse and compare DLT designsand hands-on experience in designing, programming, deploying and testing smart contracts (e.g. Ethereum and Solidity);
- sound knowledge of IT architecture, IT security and cryptography;
- programming skills (e.g. Python, Java) and the ability to define, design and implement proofs of concepts;
- experience presenting your analysis in a clear and concise manner for use in reports, publications and policy discussions;
- 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:
- familiarity with innovative financial market infrastructure solutions in terms of integrity, resilience and compliance;
- sound knowledge of technical architecture in transactional and settlement systems;
- technical expertise in blockchain fundamentals, ensuring secure and scalable implementation.
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 contract offered will be short-term ESCB/IO, the appointment being for 12 months as of the exact starting date of the selected person, extendable to up to 36 months. Candidates must have a contract of employment with their home institution for a period of at least one year beyond the duration of the ECB contract being offered.
For additional information on this specific vacancy, you can speak to Eleftheria Amilitou on +49 (0) 69 1344 5986.
Application and selection process
The recruitment process for this role will be conducted remotely. It will include an interview and a presentation.
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.
Read more about how you can join us.
