2025 Finance Graduate

Location: Crawley, United Kingdom

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

2025 Finance Graduate

Start Date: 01 September 2025

Salary: £32,000 per annum

Employee type: Permanent

Location: Rotational (could be located at any of the Thales UK sites)

Working Schedule: Monday – Friday, 37 hours a week (8 hours Monday – Thursday, 5 hours Friday)

Are you looking to start your career in Finance? Our Finance Graduate Programme is a fantastic introduction to the Industry, working alongside experts, within a global technology organisation. This is a rare chance for you to join a programme that has excellent career progression opportunities within Thales UK.

What the role has to offer:

• Great opportunity to gain experience and further your career in Finance
• Operate in a visible role with an opportunity to add value from the early stages
• Opportunity to learn through experience, working on meaningful activities, implement best practice and shape the role
• Opportunity to engage with multiple stakeholders across the team
• Opportunity to work in a fast paced, exciting and dynamic environment
• Ability to drive continuous improvement
  
  
  

You can expect to be involved in a wide range of activities, gaining significant exposure to the business and building a broad professional network. Key responsibilities will vary depending on which team the graduate is sitting within, but may include:

• Ensure all month end deadlines are met and reporting packages submitted accurately and efficiently
• Provide accurate, timely and reliable information with supporting analysis & comments as required
• Provision of regular, or ad hoc, financial reports & management accounts in line with Group, UK and Domain reporting requirements
• Support the development of the Reporting team as part of Hub Finance, working with others to establishing a common way of working and developing a standard level of support and activities for all the supported businesses.
• Assist in the implementation of IT tools and reporting techniques
• Challenge managers with regard to financial performance against targets, budgets & KPIs
• Escalate risks & opportunities quickly and to the appropriate management level
• Play a full part in the annual Mid-Year Budget process – develop and maintain effective mechanisms for the preparation of annual budgets & estimates and for the production of realisable financial forecasts
• Provide re-forecasts of financial results as required
• Monthly reporting into Magnitude ensuring timely & complete submissions
• Assist with the compliance and development of internal controls to satisfy Thales Group ICQ
• Assist with the provision of financial reports & management accounts, including commentary and analysis as may be requested, in line with Group, UK and Domain reporting requirements
• Prepare the annual tax packs, statutory accounts and annual Insurance questionnaires
• Interface with Financial Shared Services, including regular service reviews and quality of accounting information
• Provide support to the business by attending P&L and BS reviews each month
• Liaise with internal & external auditors
  
  
  

Graduate Programme

This is a 3 year rotational programme, with 12-18 month placements across Thales UK sites and business lines. Each placement will provide a broad exposure to all aspects of a finance organisation, underpinned by a bespoke in-house early careers training programme, designed to introduce key business competencies and to accelerate your professional development. You will undertake 2-3 placements within the 3 year programme, which may require relocation across different Thales UK sites. At the end of the programme you will be supported to roll-off into a permanent role within the finance function.

Requirements:

You will have gained or be on track to achieve a bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject including Finance, Accountancy or Business.

Benefits

• 201 hours annual leave (plus a company day and bank holidays)
• Company Pension
• Health Care Cash Plan
• Life Insurance
• Discount Portal
• Performance-related pay uplifts
• 80 Hours Volunteering (first two years)
  
  
  

Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February and May 2025. Induction week for all Graduate and Apprentices will take place from Monday 01 September until Friday 05 September 2024.

Closing date: Our applications will close at 11.59pm on Sunday 5 January 2025, this is the only time we will be accepting applications this year. Please note, we will be in contact by the end of February 2025 with details of next steps.

Recruitment Process:

For further information on our Early Careers recruitment process or to speak to a member of the Early Careers Team or a Graduate or Apprentice, please visit Thales Future Talent - Connectr.

Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires Security Clearance (SC). It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance.

To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. In some circumstances, a minimum of 3 years’ residence in the UK over the last 5 years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks. As part of the vetting process you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, eligibility to work in the UK, time spent abroad over the last 5 years, as well as employment and/or educational history.

For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please follow this link - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels.

Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.

In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

Great journeys start here, apply now!