Traineeships are offered at the Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) – EEA Grants and Norway Grants in Brussels. The online application tool is open now.
Deadline for application: 1 March 2021.
Scope
The Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) is the secretariat of the EEA Grants and Norway Grants, and is affiliated to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in Brussels.
We are looking for highly motivated and qualified trainee candidates to fill 11 traineeship positions. We expect candidates who are eager to work on overall objectives of the Grants to reduce economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area (EEA) and to strengthen bilateral relations between the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the 15 Beneficiary States in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics.
The Grants are based on a programme model where the Beneficiary States are responsible for the programmes and for projects implemented under the programmes. A few programmes, notably regarding Civil Society, Regional Cooperation and Decent Work, are operated by the FMO.
In the last funding period (2009-2014) the Grants allocated €1.8 billion to 149 programmes under which over 7000 projects were carried out. Implementation is now starting under a new funding period (2014-2021) which totals €2.8 billion. The priority sectors of the Grants are:
• Innovation, Research, Education and Competitiveness
• Social Inclusion, Youth Employment and Poverty Reduction
• Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Low Carbon Economy
• Culture, Civil Society, Good Governance and Fundamental Rights and Freedoms
• Justice and Home Affairs
The FMO offers an international, stimulating and diverse workplace, with a staff of approximately 60 employees comprising 20 nationalities. Our values are: professionalism; cooperation; and trust, responsibility and respect.
As one of the selected candidates you will get hands-on work experience in a truly international and multicultural environment. This can be a valuable opportunity to put knowledge acquired during studies or work into practice and to gain skills to enrich your future career. The aim of the traineeships is to provide recent graduates and other qualified applicants with opportunities for training and familiarisation with the work and functions of the FMO.
Field of work
The trainees will be assigned to a specific department/unit of the FMO according to the academic field of specialisation, personal preferences and career objectives. Posts are offered within the following departments/units and fields of work:
• Communication
• Legal Affairs
• Finance and Control
• Administration and Human Resources
• Grants Management Systems (IT)
• Priority Sectors
• Funds and Horizontal Concerns: Civil Society
• Funds and Horizontal Concerns: Roma Inclusion
• Results and Evaluation
• Country and Bilateral Cooperation
A short overview of the activities of each department/unit and the related trainee posts can be found here. Please read the document carefully before applying and consult the FMO website for more information.
Note that candidates will need to specify their preferred area of interest in the online application tool.
Qualifications
• Master’s degree within law, economics, statistics, political science, international relations, business administration, computer science or other relevant and equivalent degree. Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree and relevant experience (job experience, volunteering) may in exceptional circumstances be considered. Important Note: for the position in the Grants Management Systems (IT) the minimum level of education is Bachelor’s degree.
• Knowledge of standard office IT applications (Microsoft Office).
Experience
Work experience of 1-2 years and knowledge of and keen interest in one or more of the priority sectors and/or Beneficiary States would be an advantage.
Skills
• An analytical mind with ability to draft good quality documents in English.
• A flexible and motivated team player and capable of taking on a wide variety of tasks, both complex and more basic.
Languages
• Fluency in both spoken and written English.
• Knowledge of another EFTA/EU language is an asset.
Employment Terms
Nationality requirement
Traineeships at the FMO are only open to nationals of the EEA EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway).
Important note: The position of Roma Inclusion Trainee is the only one also open to nationals of the EU Member States.
What we offer
• Trainees receive a monthly stipend of EUR 1 630.
• Accommodation in individual furnished flats will be provided at no additional costs.
• Health, life and invalidity and travel insurance cover.
• Reimbursement of travel costs upon taking up and leaving the traineeship.
• The opportunity to join language classes.
Note: The stipend and benefits received by trainees do not fall under the same privileges applying to EFTA officials. The relationship with the respective tax authorities is the trainee’s own responsibility and the taxation decision lies with the competent tax authority.
Application procedure
Only applications submitted via the EFTA online recruitment tool will be considered. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by phone and interviews are normally conducted via Skype/Teams in the weeks following the deadline.
Please be aware of the following:
• All requested information on education, work experience, motivation, etc., should be filled in on the application form.
• Applications submitted by e-mail will not be taken into consideration.
In the interests of offering this valuable experience to as broad a pool of individuals as possible, former ESA, EFTA Court and EFTA Secretariat trainees will not be eligible to apply for this traineeship.
FMO is an employer dedicated to the principles of diversity and equal opportunities. We select our staff and trainees without discrimination on the basis of age, gender, religion, colour, culture, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, pregnancy or family responsibilities.
For any further information, please contact EFTA Human Resources:
Ms Aida Mansour, ama3@efta.int, tel. +32 (0)2 286 17 50