Director General International and European Relations (m/w/d)

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: L full time monthly net salary: €14,021 plus benefits, for further information see
• Working time: Full time
• Place of work: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• Closing date: 15.12.2025

Your team

You will be responsible for the strategic direction and management of the Directorate General International and European Relations (DG/I) with the support of the senior management team. Our Directorate comprises approximately 120 colleagues across three divisions, including staff at the ECB’s representative offices in Brussels and Washington.

In cooperation with other departments, we prepare the policy positions of the ECB, the Eurosystem and the ESCB on international and European issues (including ECB Banking Supervision). We conduct economic analysis of all economies outside the EU, forecasting for key economies and regions. We also analyse non-macroeconomic policies and EU institutional issues. In addition, we prepare briefings for international and European meetings, coordinate international central bank activities and present the ECB’s views at these events.

In your role as Director General, you will report to the ECB’s Executive Board. You will be a leader with diplomatic abilities and economic skills, who sets the strategic direction for your Directorate – responsible for covering complex topics in a rapidly shifting global environment, including high-level international engagement and policymaking. With your extended management team, you will rethink products and processes to maintain staff engagement, improve their work-life balance and make employment in your Directorate an attractive and rewarding experience.

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 Director General you will:

• lead the Directorate General together with the Deputy Director General, including its strategic orientation and planning, work programmes, workforce and resource planning, people management, and progress monitoring;
• contribute to the ECB’s strategic direction as a member of its senior management team, while practising and promoting the ECB’s shared values;
• represent the business area and the ECB by participating in, and/or chairing, a wide range of internal and external committees, working groups and high-level fora;
• foster a collaborative working atmosphere and an engaged, highly motivated and healthy workforce;
• oversee performance levels in the business area to ensure high-quality quantitative and policy-oriented analysis;
• engage and collaborate with multiple stakeholders at EU institutions and international bodies;
• establish and maintain smooth interactions with counterparts both across the ECB and externally;
• embrace and leverage diversity in pursuing business goals.

We actively support professional development for our staff. Besides learning opportunities such as training and mentoring, we encourage and support horizontal mobility after some years in the same position.

This position offers you the unique opportunity to shape the future of a core business area that is involved with formulating policy advice, running relevant projects for the ECB. You will also have the chance to steer and implement the business area’s strategy. Your staff contributes directly to high-level EU policymaking and helps shaping the ECB’s position in key European debates. 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 economics, finance, international relations or another relevant field (see How you can join us for details on degree equivalences);
• in addition to the above, a sound understanding of macroeconomic, monetary policy and international financial and monetary issues as well as awareness of current and emerging global economic trends and risks, acquired through a minimum of 10 years’ professional experience in fields of relevance to the Directorate;
• at least eight years’ experience in leading large, diverse, multidisciplinary teams and managers;
• experience in driving technical analysis and distilling it into policy recommendations;
• a broad breadth of awareness of European and global policy topics, including a good understanding of the EU institutional framework and relevant international bodies (IMF, BIS, G7, G20, etc.);
• a proven track record in high-level international engagement and policymaking;
• the ability to represent the ECB in European and international fora and to foster strategic alliances and partnerships, including the ability to engage in high-level negotiations with international organisations, governments, and central banks;
• the ability to communicate, influence and build consensus among stakeholders with differing interests;
• 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.

You build and maintain relationships throughout the organisation and beyond. You emphasise the overarching mission and common aims to achieve the best outcome for the organisation. You strive to achieve goals. You define the strategic outlook for your own business area. You build diverse teams and foster an environment of creativity and innovation. You endeavour to strengthen your teams’ capability, encouraging commitment and engagement.

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 highly motivated to guide teams in their daily work and support their professional development.

Working modalities

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

Further information

The contract offered will be fixed-term, the appointment being until 15 September 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.

This position involves extensive business travels.

For additional information on this specific vacancy, you can speak to the hiring manager, Piero Cipollone, upon appointment arranged with his office (office.cipollone@ecb.europa.eu).

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will be conducted onsite. It will include a presentation and interviews.

The selection procedure will also include a separate assessment of your leadership competencies.

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.