Trainee (Legal Department of EMA)

Selection procedure reference: EMA/TR/11532 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 applications until 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

We are looking for a trainee in the Legal Department.

Specific objectives and projects

Involvement in a holistic approach to the activities of the Legal Department, supporting its three offices - Pharma Law and Support to Core Business Office’, Litigation Office, General Affairs and Anti-Fraud Office - in delivering legal assistance to the Agency and to the relevant network.

The selected trainee will provide support on some of the currently ongoing projects relevant to their experience, which could range from the general pharmaceutical legislation ("GPL") to the handling of requests for access to documents, while also providing operational support across different services, such as inquiries from the European Ombudsman and litigation activities. For the entire length of the traineeship, the selected trainee will be assisting Legal Administrators in various forms, such as attending relevant meetings together, writing reports on legal matters, researching relevant case-law, etc.

Learning outcomes

The trainee is expected to:

• Increase knowledge of the legal framework and provision of legal advice relevant to the Agency, as well as research methodologies in areas of law applicable to its operations.

• Develop understanding of the Agency's procedures and internal stakeholder communication within EMA's areas of competence.

• Contribute to the Agency's objectives by sharing their academic expertise and unique perspective.

Eligibility criteria To be eligible for consideration for this placement, you are required to:

• enjoy full rights as a citizen of a European Union Member State or Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway;

• possess a university degree (minimum of three years or more) in law, that must have been obtained between 30 September 2025 and 30 September 2026 or be a university student on an Erasmus + or a similar programme or a PhD student or a Master's student with a previous fully finished degree in the areas mentioned before.

• a thorough knowledge of English (at least level C1) and good knowledge of other official EU language (at least B2) of the Common 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 the disqualification from the procedure.

Additional skills

• Knowledge of EU law/EU pharmaceutical law obtained in the course of university studies, traineeship, or working experience.
• Skills in writing official documents 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

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 recruitment@ema.europa.eu

Join us to work for every patient in Europe!

Who we are?

Serving a population of 500 million citizens, we promote and protect public animal health in EU Member States, as well as the countries of the European Economic Area, by ensuring that all medicines available on the EU market are safe, effective and of high quality.

What do we offer?

• Meaningful work contributing to protecting the health of every individual and animal in Europe within multinational, multidisciplinary team
• Development opportunities (e.g. internal mobility, mentoring, peer coaching, career reflection programme, etc.)
• Work-life balance (flexible working arrangements, teleworking, generous annual leave plus official holidays)

Benefits

(applicable only to Temporary Agent and Contract Agent vacancies)

• In principle, initial 5 year renewable contract with competitive monthly national tax-free salary and household & children’s allowances (where applicable).
• Privileges including expatriation (for expatriate staff) and education allowances (where appropriate) and additional home leave.
• Relocation assistance.
• Excellent health insurance scheme and social benefits.
• Retirement Pension Plan.