Finance FastStart 2026 Graduate Programme

Sainsbury’s Group; City Of London; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company is seeking candidates for a rotational finance program in London. Responsibilities include financial analysis, budgeting, and stakeholder engagement. Ideal candidates are self-motivated graduates pursuing an accountancy qualification, with strong communication and teamwork skills. The program offers mentorship, professional development, and benefits such as discounts and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

10% off at Sainsbury's and Argos

Pensions scheme

Flexible working options

Annual holiday allowance

Performance-related bonus up to 10%

Qualifications

• Natural curiosity and understanding of the macro-economic environment.
• Ability to plan and prioritize workloads adhering to strict deadlines.
• Work effectively within a team, while being able to work unsupervised.
• Build trusted relationships with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Interpret financial information for insights and analysis.
• Produce forecasts including monthly reforecasts and budgeting.
• Perform ad hoc analysis and reporting for business improvements.
• Participate in the annual financial cycle.

Skills

Curiosity

Self-motivation

Teamwork

Effective communication

Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office 365

Advanced Excel skills

Strong presentation skills

Education

Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Job description

Overview

During the three-year rotational programme, your role will involve supporting specific business areas and the wider Finance team by:

Responsibilities

• Interpreting financial information to provide insight, analysis and commentary to stakeholders
• Work with the business to produce forecasts including monthly reforecasts and budgeting in line with FP&A processes
• Complete ad hoc / bespoke analysis and reporting for the business area as required to drive improvements
• Involvement in the annual financial cycle e.g. period-end processes, year-end results, financial planning and forecasting
• Support roadshows and meetings by preparing presentations and analysis for investors
• Build business partnering relationships with multiple stakeholders, support, challenge and influence where required
• Learn, understand and adhere to robust financial controls
• Work alongside relevant third parties to ensure processes are executed successfully
• Be able to effectively communicate complex financial or accounting processes to a non finance business stakeholder.
• Prepare and post accounting journals accurately and in a timely manner
• Work with external auditors to fulfil audit requests at key points of our external reporting cycle, e.g. Interims.
• Access to technical guidance from Big Four consulting and audit teams where necessary
• Support through your professional accounting qualification studies, including paid study leave and the practical experience you'll need.

What you’ll gain and our culture

Graduate mentor to support you throughout the programme. We value curiosity, self-motivation, and collaboration, and provide the necessary support and mentorship as you embark on a rewarding career with us. We are committed to inclusion and offer a supportive environment where ideas and opinions are listened to, and where you can try something new. The scale and complexity of our setup means there’s always something else around the corner, and we’ll help and support you every step of the way.

Joining Sainsbury's Finance team offers an exciting opportunity to gain valuable work experience while studying towards a professional accountancy qualification. As you rotate between our Commercial, Group, and Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) teams, you'll develop a well-rounded skillset and gain diverse experiences that will shape you into a successful finance professional. We value curiosity, self-motivation, and collaboration, and provide the necessary support and mentorship as you embark on a rewarding career with us.

Qualifications and candidate profile

• A natural curiosity and understanding of the macro-economic environment.
• You are a self-motivated individual who can plan and prioritise workloads, adhering to strict deadlines.
• You have the ability to work effectively within a team, whilst working without direct supervision.
• You are an effective communicator who can work collaboratively and build trusted relationships with stakeholders. We welcome applications from final year students and graduates who are working towards or have completed a degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business or related field).
• A desire to study for an accountancy qualification and shows a growth mindset approach to learning new skills and behaviours
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); advanced Excel modelling skills are an advantage.
• Strong presentation skills with an aptitude for turning data into analysis and insight through storytelling.

Benefits and wellbeing

We are committed to being a truly inclusive employer, so you'll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. There’s always a chance to try something new, whether as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business, and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile, and where possible offer flexible working. When you join our team, we'll also offer you an amazing range of benefits.

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury's every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We’ve also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on performance.

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits to help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance, and discounts from hundreds of other retailers. There is also an employee assistance programme. Moments that matter are important to us, which is why we offer up to 26 weeks' pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks' pay for paternity leave.