School Leaver - IT Audit and Cyber Assurance Analyst

PKF FRANCIS CLARK; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading accounting firm is looking for bright, motivated school or college leavers for an entry-level position in IT and Cyber Assurance. Candidates will support the delivery of IT assurance work and contribute to cybersecurity assessments. This is an excellent opportunity for recent graduates to develop their consulting skills while working in a supportive environment focused on continuous learning and development. Responsibilities include assisting with risk assessments and communicating project progress with the team.

Benefits

Pension

Group life assurance

Health cash plan

Extra holiday options

Counseling and support services

Cycle to work scheme

Shopping and gym discounts

Emergency funding for local organizations

Qualifications

• Bright, motivated school/college leavers seeking a career in IT and cyber assurance.
• Available to start March/April 2026.

Responsibilities

• Support delivery of IT assurance work from planning through to reporting.
• Contribute to cybersecurity maturity assessments with cyber technicians.
• Assist with cyber risk assessments, controls testing and remediation tracking.

Skills

Technology and problem-solving

Analytical thinking

Team collaboration

Communication

Education

Minimum of 112 UCAS points from three A Levels or equivalent

GCSE Maths and English grade 4 (C) or above

Job description

You’ll become a valued member of our IT & Cyber Assurance team, helping clients strengthen their technology controls and build confidence in their systems and security. You’ll gain hands‑on experience across cyber assurance and IT assurance supporting financial audits, building technical capability while developing trusted client relationships.

Day to day you will:

• Support the delivery of IT assurance work from planning through to reporting
• Learn how IT systems underpin key financial processes and how to assess the controls that protect them
• Contribute to cybersecurity maturity assessments with our cyber technicians
• Assist with cyber risk assessments, controls testing and remediation tracking
• Communicate regularly with your team and senior colleagues on project progress
• Ensure work is delivered to a high standard and within agreed timelines
• Develop your consulting skills through client interaction and problem‑solving

About you

You will enjoy this job if you like:

• Technology and problem‑solving
• Investigating how systems and processes work
• Working with data and being analytical
• Talking to people and building positive relationships
• Growing expertise and learning continuously
• Being a supportive and collaborative team member

Your development

• A buddy assigned before you join
• Ongoing coaching from your line manager
• Structured development to grow your skills, confidence and career pathway

What we’re looking for

Bright, motivated school/college leavers who want to build a meaningful career in IT and cyber assurance.

Selection process

• Verbal and numerical reasoning tests
• Interview via Teams
• If successful at each stage, candidates will be invited to attend an in‑person interview

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of 112 UCAS points (from three A Levels or equivalent, excluding general studies and EPQ)
• GCSE Maths and English at grade 4 (C) or above
• Available to start March/April 2026

Core benefits

• Pension
• Group life assurance – up to four times your core salary
• Group income protection
• Health cash plan to help cover the costs of everyday healthcare

Health & Wellbeing benefits

• Option to buy 5 extra days holiday
• Counselling and support for you and your immediate family
• Virtual GP for you and your immediate family
• Cycle to work

Other benefits

• Medicash Extras providing you with shopping and gym discounts
• Gifts for career and family milestones
• One volunteering day per year to support local organisations
• Emergency funding from the Francis Clark Charitable Foundation

As the largest firm of independent chartered accountants and business advisers in South West England, PKF Francis Clark offers a breadth of opportunities to develop your career in the way that’s right for you. Established in 1919, we’ve grown to a team of nearly 1,000 people, based across our offices in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, Taunton, Torquay and Truro. This means we’re big enough to do challenging work for exciting clients, but small enough to maintain our friendly and supportive culture. We work hard to ensure you can belong, be yourself and be brilliant as part of a forward‑thinking team. This includes a flexible approach to hybrid working, and our focus on wellbeing and learning and development has been recognised nationally. In 2025, we climbed four places to 20 out of 100 large organisations on the Great Place to Work list, and we’re also in the UK’s top 10 Best Workplaces for Women, as well as being ranked among the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing, Development and Consulting. Our rankings are a direct result of feedback from our people in a confidential, independent annual survey. The success rates of our trainees mean we’re also ranked 33rd in the Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2025. While we’re proudly independent, we collaborate with colleagues around the world to enable our clients to succeed. PKF Francis Clark is a member of the PKF Global family of firms – together we’re the 12th largest provider of accountancy services in the UK. Being part of this international network provides opportunities to connect with like‑minded accountants and business advisers in 150 countries.