Financial Services Audit 12 Month Placement Programme (Summer 2027) - London

Cooper & Hall Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 29,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits package

AI tools access

Job summary

Cooper & Hall Limited in London is inviting ambitious graduates to join our Financial Services Audit stream. You will gain real responsibility from day one, work with diverse clients, and begin building the technical and commercial skills that underpin a fast-moving career.

The program emphasizes AI-enabled workflows and leadership exposure, with a structured path toward future partnership. Expect a market-leading starting salary, comprehensive benefits, and a cohort-based experience designed to

Qualifications

• Commercial curiosity for client businesses.
• Digital mindset with curiosity for digital tools and data.
• Adaptability to change and quick learning.
• Strong problem-solving skills with sound judgement.
• Collaborative communication with clients and colleagues.
• Proactive approach to career and growth.

Responsibilities

• Work with a variety of clients, build relationships, and develop audit/financial reporting skills.
• Get hands-on from day one with real data, sampling, and evidence gathering.
• Apply professional judgement to assess policies and estimates.
• Analyze financial statements and review internal controls.

Skills

Commercial curiosity

Digital explorer mindset

Adaptability

Strong problem-solving

Collaborative communication

Proactive career mindset

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Job Description:

Go one better than Four.

The industry is set to change. It's time to get with a new kind of placement. One that leaves traditional placements behind. From day one, you'll see a future you want to stay for. Because we don't just take on placement students. We turn them into future leaders. We're talking real responsibility, faster growth, and an experience designed to accelerate your career from the start.

Take the purple path

What investing in talent actually looks like

• A market-leading salary of £31,750 and full benefits package
• Access to the latest leading AI tools and digital solutions from day one, building skills that will shape the future of your career
• Meaningful client interaction outside of the day-to-day - understanding how businesses operate and driving results which matter
• Structured learning built around the capabilities of a future Partner - taking you beyond the technical
• In-person experiences with your cohort of future leaders. One pathway, one cohort, and a network for life
• Access to additional opportunities as you reach your potential - from working with our Senior Leadership Team to shaping new initiatives
• Hands-on opportunities to win work and support our growth ambitions

Powered by AI, driven by you

We are investing £500m in digital transformation.

Our leading AI tools drive efficiencies, handling time-consuming manual tasks, which means you can focus on higher-value work, faster. You'll get experience and training to progress rapidly, earlier than placement students ever have before.

Powered by AI, you will spend more time on detailed analysis, professional judgement and the insights that genuinely add value for clients. You'll be the one in control, reviewing and challenging the quality of AI inputs and outputs to ensure our clients continue to receive an exceptional service.

We're in the business of people, not just numbers. AI helps us work more efficiently, but it's our people who bring judgement, curiosity and care to every client relationship. As a trainee, you'll learn to use these tools while developing the human skills that will set you apart throughout your career.

A look into the role

Financial Services Audit: Audit is about giving people confidence in the numbers behind the financial system. As an auditor, you'll look closely at the financial records of asset managers, insurers, and payment services to check they're accurate and complete - work that regulators, investors, depositors, and policyholders all rely on. You'll also get exposure to assurance work such as CASS and safeguarding engagements, ensuring client money is protected, and entities comply with industry regulations.

As an auditor you will:

• Work with a variety of clients, from private equity firms to non-bank lenders. Build strong client relationships, understand how each business operates and develop your technical expertise in audit and financial reporting
• Get hands-on from day one, working with real data sets, selecting samples, gathering evidence from clients, and testing it to assess the real-world impact of any errors on the business
• Apply professional judgement to assess the policies and estimates clients adopt
• Analyse financial statements and review internal controls, learning how companies manage money, risk and operations

Who we're looking for

We want people with the ambition to contribute to our high-performance culture, who see a real future with us beyond their placement year, following the purple path.

We're looking for people who bring:

• Commercial curiosity - genuine interest in our clients' businesses and an eye for spotting opportunities to add value, from the start.
• A digital explorer's mindset - curiosity for digital tools and data, and a drive to find smarter solutions early on.
• Adaptability - embracing change, asking good questions, and picking things up quickly when thrown in at the deep end.
• Strong problem-solving skills - critical thinking, sound judgement, and attention to detail from your first live piece of work.
• Collaborative communication - listening well, adapting your approach, and building trust with clients and colleagues alike.
• A proactive approach to your career - taking ownership of your growth and seeking out opportunities rather than waiting for them to come to you.

We've got a flexible approach to academic entry requirements, and we'll consider these alongside your strengths and motivations.

We're growing fast, and we want you to grow with us. With digital-first innovation and a firm that's investing in its future leaders, this is your chance to shape what's next.

Follow the purple path.

It's the start of something bigger.