IT Project Management and IT Procurement Traineeship

Community Plant Variety Office

The Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) in Angers invites applications for 1 traineeship of 12 months (from 1st October 2026 to 30th September 2027).

Detailed information about the CPVO can be found at http://www.cpvo.europa.eu/.

Profile / Duties

To assist the Digital Transformation Unit (DTU) in the digital project coordination, planning, delivery support, IT governance and implementation of project management best practices, ensuring effective delivery and stakeholder alignment.

Main Responsibilities:

Project Planning and Coordination

• Support project managers, under supervision, in planning, scheduling, and resource allocation
• Support for IT procurements procedures.
• Assist in maintaining project plans, timelines, and dependency tracking
• Contribute to coordination activities between technical teams, administration, and external contractors
• Assist in the organisation and facilitation of projects’ meetings, workshops, and status reviews
• Support change‑management activities for digital initiatives, contributing to adoption measures and stakeholder communication
• Perform additional tasks in support of the Unit’s activities as required, in line with the educational objectives of the traineeship and the operational needs of the service.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Support the preparation and maintenance of project dashboards, status reports, and risk registers
• Assist in tracking project milestones, deliverables, and budget consumption
• Prepare meeting agenda, minutes and follow up on action items under supervision
• Support the identification and escalation of the issues and risks according to governance procedures

Process Improvement

• Help standardize procedures, templates, and tools for IT projects
• Contribute to initiatives improving internal workflows and efficiency
• Support the adoption and practical use of project management methodologies and tools
• Assist in lessons-learned capture and knowledge transfer activities

General Conditions

To be considered eligible, applicants must satisfy the following requirements on the closing date for the submission of applications:

• Be a national of an EU Member State; 
• Enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• Have a university degree of at least 3 years of study (minimum a bachelor) linked to Project Management, Business Administration, Information Systems, Engineering, or related fields;
• Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union and satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the EU.

Candidates who fulfilled a traineeship in another EU institution can apply.

Qualifications

• Strong organizational and multitasking capabilities
• Solid understanding of project management principles and lifecycle phases
• Excellent command of English; knowledge of French or another EU language is an asset
• Effective interpersonal and stakeholder communication skills

Desirable

• Familiarity with Agile, PRINCE2, or PM² methodologies
• Familiarity with project management tools (such as JIRA)
• Interest in digital transformation and process optimization
• Exposure to public sector or EU institutional environments

Learning Outcomes

• Gain practical experience in IT project governance and delivery within an EU agency context
• IT procurement
• Learn to apply project management frameworks, tools, and reporting standards from a coordination, delivery-support and governance perspective
• Develop teamwork, stakeholder coordination, and process improvement skills

As a DTU trainee at the CPVO, the successful candidate gains hands-on experience in the digital environment, supporting the coordination and delivery of IT and digital transformation initiatives that underpin the Office’s core activities as an EU agency.

This traineeship offers an excellent opportunity to develop professionally and personally in a multicultural and collaborative environment, while gaining experience in digital project coordination and IT governance.

During the traineeship, the trainee will work in a technology-driven environment that utilizes innovative systems supporting the Office’s work in plant variety rights management.

The programme is conceived as a 12-month structured learning experience, enabling the gradual development of skills in IT project management and process support.

During the initial phase, the trainee will focus on onboarding and familiarisation with the CPVO’s governance framework, tools, and working methods, while supporting projects under supervision.

As the traineeship progresses, the trainee will progressively assume greater responsibility and autonomy, contributing to project coordination, monitoring, and process improvement activities. In the final phase, the trainee is expected to apply the acquired knowledge and skills proactively, contributing to deliverables and knowledge-transfer activities in line with the educational objectives of EU traineeships. 

Professional Experience

None required.

Additional Requirements

None.

Contractual Conditions

- The successful candidate will be offered a traineeship of 12 months (not renewable).

- Grant: trainees will be awarded a monthly traineeship grant, equal to 25% of basic salary for EU officials in grade AD5 step 1 as of 31.12.2025 plus the correction coefficient for France (for information: 1.747€ in 2026).

Recruitment procedure

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview via Microsoft Teams.

For applications to be valid, candidates must be made through the CPVO electronic recruitment portal which can be found on the CPVO web site: Recruitment | CPVO

Incomplete applications, and applications not sent via this tool, will automatically be excluded from the selection procedure.

The CPVO contacts candidates via email and will only use the email address provided during the registration of the candidate's profile. Therefore, candidates should regularly check their Spam folder, as CPVO cannot be held accountable for emails that may end up in that folder.