Public Sector Audit 12 Month Placement Programme (Summer 2027) - Leeds

Grant Thornton UK; Leeds; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits package

Job summary

Grant Thornton UK in Leeds is looking for a Trainee Auditor to join our Public Sector team, auditing bodies from central government to NHS and local authorities. You’ll gain hands-on experience from day one and work on real data sets to test controls and estimates.

You’ll receive structured learning and mentoring, with exposure to senior leadership, to accelerate your career in public sector audit.

Qualifications

• Commercial curiosity - genuine interest in clients' businesses and spotting opportunities to add value from the start.
• Digital explorer's mindset - curiosity for digital tools and data to find smarter solutions.
• Adaptability - embraces change, asks good questions, learns quickly.
• Strong problem-solving skills - critical thinking, sound judgement and attention to detail from day one.
• Collaborative communication - listens well and builds trust with clients and colleagues.
• Proactive approach to your career - takes ownership of growth and seeks opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Work with a variety of public sector clients from central government to NHS bodies and local authorities, building relationships and developing audit and financial reporting expertise.
• Get hands-on from day one, working with real data sets, sampling, gathering evidence and testing impact on the business.
• Apply professional judgement to assess policies and estimates adopted by clients.
• Analyse financial statements and review internal controls, learning how organisations manage money, risk and operations.

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.

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 £29,000 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

Public Sector Audit

Audit is about giving people confidence in the numbers behind public services. As an auditor, you'll look closely at the financial records of public bodies to check they're accurate and complete - work that taxpayers, regulators, and the public all rely on. You'll get exposure to a wide range of clients, from central government to local authorities and the NHS, building the insight to understand how public sector organisations really operate.

As an auditor in our Public Sector team you will:

• Work with a variety of clients, from central government departments to local authorities and NHS bodies. Build strong client relationships, understand how each organisation delivers for the public, 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

Did you know: We are the market-leader for Public Sector Audit, holding a 35% share of NHS Audits and partnering with over half of all UK councils. In addition to this, Audit was our strongest growing service line in 2025 with 11% revenue growth.

Get to know our Head of Audit, Wendy Russell here

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.