Finance Internship - (12M Placement)

United Utilities

Warrington

On-site

GBP 23,000 - 29,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Salary £25,950 pro rata

26 days annual leave + bank holidays (

Job summary

United Utilities is offering a 12-month Finance Placement for interns in the North West. Join a high-performing finance team of over 120 colleagues and take on graduate-level responsibilities, gaining experience in financial accounting, management accounting and business decision-making.

You will be supported by mentors and managers to develop technical skills, communication and professional abilities, with real contribution to delivering essential services to seven million customers across the

Qualifications

You will be on track for a minimum of a 2:1 in your degree and undertaking a placement year during your studies at university.
Excellent written and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate across multiple stakeholder groups.
Proficient in Microsoft Office applications and highly computer literate.

Responsibilities

Reporting: prepare financial statements, management and regulatory reports with commentary on performance.
Performance measurement: develop budgets, forecasts and financial plans with historical data analysis.
Financial analysis: monitor variances and KPIs; support decision-making.
Spend control reporting: refresh and analyse discretionary spend ahead of meetings.
Record to Report: post journals, update ledgers and reconcile accounts.
Planning, Budget, Forecasting: engage with budget holders and consolidate templates.

Skills

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Stakeholder communication

MS Office

Time management

Education

2:1 degree with placement year

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

About Us

Every day, we deliver one of life's most essential services to millions of people across theNorth West.From providing safe, high-quality drinking water to protecting the environment and supporting thriving communities, the work we do matters.We'renow in the second year of our £16.5 billion investment programme, one of the largest transformation programmes in our history.It'san exciting time to join us as we improve our services, enhance environmental performance, embraceinnovationand create a more sustainable future for generations to come.

About Us

What can you expect as an Intern within our Finance Team?

On our 12-month Finance Placement, you'll gain valuable hands-on experience while developing both your technical expertise and professional skills. Working within a high-performing finance team of over 120 colleagues, you'll take on graduate-level responsibilities and build your understanding of how finance supports United Utilities in delivering essential services to seven million customers across the North West. You'll gain exposure to areas such as financial accounting, management accounting and business decision-making, with increasing responsibility as your confidence and experience grow. Throughout your placement, you'll be supported by experienced mentors and managers who will help you achieve your development goals and build a strong foundation for your future career.

What you’ll be getting stuck into day to day:

Performance measurement & reporting

Reporting: Preparing business unit financial statements, management reports and regulatory reports. Providing commentary on actual and forecasted financial performance against budget
Performance measurement: Collaborating with business units to develop financial plans, budgets, and forecasts. This includes analysing historical financial data, identifying trends, and making projections to support strategic decision-making
Financial analysis: Monitoring and investigating variances in actuals / forecast (LBE) against budget and financial KPIs
Spend control reporting: Refresh report and conduct variance analysis on key discretionary spend areas ahead of Executive Performance Meetings.

Record to Report

Financial recordkeeping: Maintaining accurate financial records, including posting journal entries, updating ledgers and reconciling accounts
Period-end close: Performing various period-end close activities including posting journals, performing reconciliations, adjusting accruals and preparing control accounts
Audit support: Supporting external audits by providing necessary financial information and assisting auditors in their review

Planning, Budget, Forecasting

Budgeting (CBP) / Forecasting (LBE): Engaging with budget holders, consolidation of ZBB templates, central review and challenge of cost driver assumptions and efficiency plans and ensuring alignment with overall organisational goals and strategies
Stakeholder collaboration: Working closely with budget holders to gather financial information and align with business strategies

General

Work collaboratively with the Business Partnering Team to achieve common goals
To ensure continuous improvement by generating imaginative ideas for better ways of working
Ad-hoc requests as necessary

What you’ll bring to the team:

You will be on track for a minimum of a 2:1 in your degree and undertaking a placement year during your studies at university.
You should possess excellent written and interpersonal skills and have the ability to communicate and influence across multiple stakeholder groups.
You must be highly computer literate and be proficient in Microsoft Office applications.
You should be able to be comfortable working flexibly across a range of tasks and activities to deadlines, be able to prioritise your time.

You should possess the resilience and willpower to succeed in a commercial environment.

Why join United Utilities as an intern?

By joining us on our internship programme, you'll not only get first-class training and support, but we'll also provide you with an in-depth understanding of your business area so you can develop the skills you need to progress your career, while making a real contribution to the communities we serve.

You might enter our organisation as an intern, but one thing's for sure: if you perform well, you may well be leaving with a graduate offer before you've even returned to university.

We know that delivering a great service starts with supporting you, our people. That's why we offer a range of benefits designed to help you thrive both at work and outside of it.

Salary of at least £25,950 per annum (pro rata)

26 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata)

Want to learn more about life at United Utilities? Take a look at our Flexa profile:

United Utilities | Verified Employers | Flexa Careers

Our commitment to opportunity for all

We're committed to creating a workplace where you feel you can belong and can succeed. Our colleague networks play an important role in this, these are;

GeneQ – supporting gender equality, parents and carers
Multi-Cultural & Faith
LGBTQ+
Armed Forces
Ability – supporting colleagues with disabilities and long‑term health conditions

We recommend that you are open and honest with us throughout the process and make us aware of any reasonable adjustments you may require.

To ensure a fair recruitment process, we ask that you apply for only one internship role per recruitment year. Take a look at all our opportunities and apply for the one that interests you most.

Additional Information

Our recruitment process requires you to complete: