Researcher – Financial Markets and Institutions Unit

About us

Founded in Brussels in 1983, CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies) is a leading think tank and forum for debate on EU affairs, which has been consistently ranked among the world’s top 10 best think tanks. One of CEPS’ distinguishing features is its strong in-house research capacity and an extensive international network of partner institutes. CEPS’ funding comes from a variety of sources, mainly research grants and service contracts, but also from membership and conference fees.

The CEPS ‘Financial Markets and Institutions’ (FMI) unit consists of a research team specialised in financial services and their providers. The main activities of the unit consist of policy research and events. For the policy research the team is using a combination of both ‘state of the art’ quantitative and qualitative research methods. Equally, the FMI unit manages the European Capital Markets Institute (ECMI), the European Credit Institute (ECRI) and provides the secretariat for the Network of Independent Fiscal Institutions (IFIs).

Researcher – Financial Markets and Institutions Unit

Main tasks

You will become a member of CEPS’ staff and work in the FMI unit and you will: 

• Contribute to externally commissioned research projects on a variety of fields linked to financial markets and financial services using primarily quantitative methods. 
• Contribute to the writing of reports, studies, and policy pieces.   
• Assist in the acquisition of new research projects. 
• Delivering external briefings and presentations in your area(s) of expertise at project meetings and external events. 
• Assist in liaising with commissioning entities, mostly EU Institutions, as well as with our membership base. 

Background and qualifications

• You hold a Master’s degree in Economics, Finance, Data Science, or a related field, with a minimum of two years of professional experience in applied work.
• You have a strong understanding of the EU's policymaking process and familiarity with EU policies pertaining to financial services.
• You have a good command of Python or R. Knowledge of Power BI, Stata and/or Tableau is an asset.
• You can critically read and comment on research reports and academic publications.
• You have a proven record of writing and presentation skills.
• You have an excellent command of English, both orally and in writing. You have an excellent knowledge of at least another EU official language.
• You are willing and able to organise, moderate and contribute to events hosted by CEPS and its partners.
• You are willing to assist in writing funding proposals and in conducting externally funded projects.

Profile of the ideal candidate

• You can work in a research team involving junior and senior colleagues and can organise your own workload.
• You are willing to develop insights into ongoing legislative and policy debates. 
• You are eager to invest in building and maintaining a growing research network.
• You can respect deadlines and juggle multiple tasks and changing priorities.
• You possess a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• You are proactive, self-motivated, results-oriented, creative and enthusiastic.
• You have absolute respect for diversity and an inclusion-oriented mindset.
• You enjoy teamwork and are open to giving and receiving feedback.
• You are enthusiastic to contribute towards the success of the whole of CEPS as an organisation.

What CEPS can offer

We initially offer full-time employment for 12 months. The contract is renewable. The salary will be in accordance with your previous experience as well as the CEPS salary scale. We also offer a benefits package (group and hospitalisation insurance, meal tickets, public transport reimbursement, 20 days legal holiday entitlement per year plus an additional two weeks during the Christmas-New Year period when CEPS is closed, as well as the possibility to telework in Belgium and 20 days per calendar year of teleworking from abroad). 

We would like the preferred candidate to start in June 2024 at the very latest. The job will be based in Brussels.

Career development prospects

This position will give you the opportunity to progress on your career path and gain the valuable skills, training and experience that would potentially allow you to take on the role of Research Fellow or beyond. CEPS offers a Learning and Development Programme for all staff to develop the necessary skills for their position.

More information

Further information about the position can be obtained from Beatriz Pozo Pérez, FMI Unit Coordinator, beatriz.pozo@ceps.eu 

Application and deadline

CEPS strongly values and actively pursues diversity. We encourage applications especially from female, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates belonging to ethnic groups that are under-represented at CEPS. 

Applicants are requested to send

• a letter of motivation, explicitly describing point-by-point their relevant experience and linking it to the requirements for the position, indicating their salary expectations and where they came across our advert, in one page maximum.
• a CV, including a list of your publications, specifying your role in previous research projects and the names and contact details of at least two referees (including your current or last employer). For the CV, please use the Europass template (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/). 

Please send the documents (drafted in English) in pdf format to applications@ceps.eu by 7 May 2024, 23:59 CET with ‘Researcher – FMI Unit’ in the subject line. Shortlisted candidates may be asked to produce one or two letters of recommendation.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.

Pre-selected candidates are invited to a short online interview in the week of 13-17 May 2024. Based on these first interviews, shortlisted candidates will be invited to an in-person interview in the week of 20-24 May 2024.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. CV and personal data of non-selected candidates are not shared with anyone outside CEPS and will be deleted immediately after the recruitment process. For more information, read our privacy policy available on the CEPS website.

Even if you do not strictly have all the necessary competences for this role but you believe your experience and skills could be valuable and enable you to fulfil the tasks required, we would still highly recommend that you submit an application.

If you are successful but not an EU citizen, CEPS will work closely with you to ensure that all relevant documentation and immigration processes are completed to enable you to work in Belgium.

More Information