Lead Expert Market Infrastructure Project Management (standards and certifications)

Join the European Central Bank’s Rulebook Division in the Directorate Digital Euro, part of the Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments, as a Lead Expert Market Infrastructure Project Management focused on standards and certifications.

You will contribute to the digital euro project by supporting the drafting and operationalisation of the rulebook, which sets out the rules, standards and procedures for the digital euro scheme. The Directorate leads the project and supports its management bodies in steering and monitoring progress, while overseeing workstreams, scope, budget and resources approved by the Governing Council.

Your team

You will be part of the Rulebook Operationalisation team, comprising around eight members of staff. The team is responsible for drafting the rulebook based on input from the Rulebook Development Group, its workstreams, and other divisions and units within the Directorate, ensuring the rulebook is delivered to a high standard and on schedule.

You will work closely with other divisions within the Directorate, as well as with industry bodies, test labs and certification bodies. You may also be required to support procurement activities.

Your role

• Assess the suitability of existing open market standards, both functional and security‑related, for the digital euro, conduct gap analyses and address any gaps by defining new standard requirements.
• Assess, propose and implement testing and certification requirements for selected and developed standards, in line with the project timeline and market needs.
• Ensure, through quality control, that standards, testing and certification requirements are properly reflected in the digital euro scheme rulebook specifications.
• Support the monitoring of compliance by scheme participants and other relevant stakeholders with these requirements.
• Communicate frameworks and technical details clearly to both internal and external stakeholders.

The position offers excellent opportunities to contribute to the future of European payments, helping to ensure that people across the euro area continue to have secure and convenient ways to pay, both in cash and digitally. 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 business administration, economics, finance, law, political science, international relations, project management, STEM subjects, computer science or another relevant field.
• A minimum of six years’ professional experience in the field of frameworks, schemes, or processes to ensure standardised practices and consistency in the financial market infrastructure sector.
• Sound understanding of the payments ecosystem, including the role of proprietary and non‑proprietary standardisation requirements.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical matters to different audiences, and sound drafting skills.
• An advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU.

Desired

• Experience in compliance testing and certification in the financial market infrastructure sector.
• Sound understanding of the retail payments ecosystem.
• Experience in procurement processes.
• Familiarity with EU regulatory requirements relating to payment and security standardisation.

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 be part of the team and to develop and use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

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

Working modalities

A part‑time arrangement can be discussed for this role.

Further information

The contract offered will be fixed‑term, with appointment until 31 March 2028. 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.