Trainee, POLITICO Research & Analysis Division

POLITICO is looking for a highly motivated trainee with a strong interest in EU policy, politics, and research to join our Research & Analysis Division in Brussels. This role is a great opportunity for someone at the beginning of their career who is eager to learn how to track, interpret, and communicate complex developments at the EU level. You will work closely with a multidisciplinary team and report to senior members of the division.

This six-month traineeship is envisaged to begin as soon as possible and will be based in Brussels.

What you’ll do

The trainee will support the delivery of research, intelligence, and analysis produced by the Research & Analysis Division. You will learn from experienced colleagues and contribute to a range of ongoing projects across the division.

• Monitoring key EU legislative and policy developments across multiple sectors.
• Drafting concise summaries, briefings, and background materials on EU-related topics.
• Assisting with research tasks, including gathering, organizing, and synthesizing information from a variety of sources.
• Supporting the preparation of analytical outputs for internal and external audiences.
• Contributing to team discussions, planning meetings, and brainstorming sessions.
• Providing general support to client-focused projects and divisional workflows, as needed.

Who you are

• You are passionate about EU politics and policy, with a strong interest in how EU legislation and decisions are made.
• You demonstrate curiosity and an interest in developing expertise across a range of policy or regulatory areas.
• You show strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and willingness to take initiative.
• You are eager to learn in a fast-paced, politically driven environment and comfortable working on varied tasks.

What You'll Need

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. political science, law, economics, international relations, public affairs, or similar).
• Demonstrated interest in EU affairs through academic work, internships, student organizations, writing, or related experience.
• Fluent in English (spoken and written).
• Other EU languages are an asset.

Application Instructions & Further Details

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send a CV and motivation letter in English outlining your interest in pursuing a traineeship with POLITICO’s Research & Analysis Division.

We value our people

Our benefits package is built for you, and includes:  

• Our teams benefit from country-specific, competitive compensation and benefits packages—including pension, healthcare, training opportunities and more.
• With a multinational team, strong ties to EU institutions, and flexible work options including working from abroad, we offer our employees an environment that supports both professional and personal development.
• Transportation: Say goodbye to traffic jams and hello to smooth commutes. POLITICO partially covers public transportation costs.

Let’s keep in touch. You can view our list of open positions Careers – POLITICO and email us [email protected]. We hope to see your application soon!

About Us

POLITICO illuminates the forces shaping global power. Since 2007, we have delivered intelligence that anticipates tomorrow's headlines, not reports on yesterday's news. As politics has increasingly become the defining force of our era, our work has never been more vital.

Cabinet secretaries and Ministers start their mornings with our analysis. CEOs shape strategy around our reporting. Advocacy leaders rely on our insights to move policy. We deliver the straightforward facts and clear-eyed analysis they need to navigate the most complex political landscape of our lifetimes.

Our 1,100+ publishing professionals across the world's key democratic capitals—Washington, Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Sacramento, and New York—form the world's premier politics and policy newsroom. We tell the story of how power really works by explaining who wields it and how they plan to exercise it, connecting dots others miss and delivering scoops from sources others don't even know exist.

Innovation has always been a core tenet of our story. At launch, we bet that depth would trump scale, that talent would trump traffic, and that politics would become central to modern life. In 2011, we made another bet and launched POLITICO Pro to help decision-makers understand the business of government, transforming both how they shape government action and the business of journalism itself.

These bets have made POLITICO the most successful digital news startup of its generation and the indispensable resource for leaders who shape the future. Today, we are a rarity in media: a growing, profitable, and sustainable news organization.

POLITICO is a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, a family-owned transatlantic media company headquartered in Berlin and New York. Axel Springer is dedicated to shaping the future of journalism in the free world, believing that a free and informed society is essential to democracy. Learn more about Axel Springer.