Finance Graduate Scheme 2022

Thank you for your interest in applying for this TfL Graduate Scheme.

We’d like to remind you that you must ensure you are eligible for this scheme before applying. Please read through the eligibility criteria below carefully and ensure that you are eligible before applying.

This application will also contain a series of questions to establish whether or not you are eligible. It is important that you take great care in reading and answering these questions as we will not be able to revert your application if an error is made.

Please Note: We only allow one application for any of our Graduate schemes per year. Any subsequent applications will be withdrawn

Entry requirements

A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in any discipline.

Please be advised that should you be successful in getting an offer for this graduate scheme, your offer will be subject to a satisfactory medical which may include but is not limited to: drugs and alcohol screening, eye test and hearing test.

• Duration: 3 years
• Location: London (there might be some hybrid working involved depending on a placement)
• Salary: £27,000
• Proposed start date: September 2022

Job overview

Our Professional Services teams focus on the employees at the heart of our business. Finance has always played a key role at Transport for London. As the world recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, our role has never been more important. We’re committed to achieving a financially sustainable future, ensuring we can cover our cost of operations without the need for ongoing central government grant. As a Finance graduate, you will have a huge part to play in this. You will work with stakeholders to make commercial business decisions together; challenging, driving and guiding them to reduce costs and increase income.

What will I be doing?

As a graduate, this three-year programme will develop your holistic understanding of all the different aspects that make up Finance as a business function.  In total, you’ll complete up to seven placement rotations.  Alongside this, you’ll be studying for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) professional qualification through the Level 7 Accountancy Taxation Professional apprenticeship.

Our aim is to equip you with the range of skills and breadth of experience you need for your successful career. Your journey through the scheme will allow you to build up knowledge in transactional accounting, apply that knowledge and gain partnering experience across all of TfL’s major delivery modes in a Finance Business Partnering role, before transitioning into a financial analysis placement and contributing towards TfL’s significant strategy publications, assisting with our treasury management or seeking innovative funding solutions for some of our most interesting projects.

We also understand that everyone’s career and ambitions are different, so every graduate’s journey with us is unique. We have designed a rotational placements structure, with core and elective placements to allow to shape your career to your own ambitions.

Here’s an idea of what you could get involved with:

First 9 months

Finding your feet in Finance, getting to know the fundamentals, and developing your transactional accounting knowledge.

Record to Account

• Providing customers with forecasting support for Payroll, Intercompany and Balance Sheet adjustments
• Making sure that TfL’s financial data is accurate by operating and maintaining process controls for the General Ledger, including the review, preparation and posting of manual journal entries, General Ledger account reconciliations and validations
• Maintaining TFL’s finance timetable for General Ledger close and Financial Planning and Analysis activities

Project to Assets

• Providing asset accounting advice; accounting disclosures; manage and maintain 16 asset registers; portfolio of approx. £28billion
• Controlling and governing central staff cost recharges to projects, time-sheeting rate card
• Maintaining IFRS:16 related processes and the lease database
• Rationalising asset registers and embed new project to asset processes

Reporting

• Providing real-time standardised reports with business insights to support all financial and people related decisions
• Focusing on internal HR and Finance reports
• Maintaining and supporting the reporting catalogue to support self-service
• Supporting better forecasting with advanced modelling tools

Next 15 months

Applying your knowledge and developing your partnering skills with a more flexible structure, selecting placements from a range of TfL’s delivery organisations.

Finance Business Partnering

You will develop effective business partner relationships with your chosen business area, providing real time support and analysis, becoming a trusted adviser, adding value and assisting with decision making. There are a vast range of business partnering opportunities across TfL, including with London Underground, Surface Transport, Mayor Projects, Crossrail, Professional Services and Commercial Development.

Next 12 months

Financial Planning and Analysis 

• Work on TfL’s consolidated position and help shape our 5 year business plans. Manage the demands of internal and external stakeholders

Investment Appraisal   

• Focus on assessing the viability of projects, programme or portfolio decisions and the value they generate. You will provide insightful analysis and recommendations to senior internal stakeholders, supporting important investment and prioritisation decisions.

Corporate Finance

• Develop your modelling skills while looking at how TfL’s next big project will be funded or explore how TfL manages it’s borrowings and investments.

We also have an established Graduate and Apprentice Committee as well as an Alumni group, these groups are powerful networks in developing your understanding of the organisation, different apprenticeship schemes and opportunities to develop your career. Many current graduates and apprentices believe this to be a powerful support network and they often hold apprentice only events that are very beneficial to your continued learning.

Where can this career take me?

After completing the scheme, you’ll roll-off into a permanent role that best suits the skills you have developed over the three-year programme, balanced with the needs of the business.  This could be into a position such as a finance business partner, financial reporting accountant, a corporate finance analyst, amongst other opportunities. TfL has an excellent track record in continuing to support our graduate alumni with very high retention and promotion rates.  In five years, you could move between finance business partner roles to get a breadth of experience in project and commercial functions.  In ten years, you could progress to a senior role in any finance area.

Achieving this industry recognised ACMA CGMA designation as a chartered management accountant with CIMA will provide the technical skills, professional knowledge and tools to long-term career success in Finance.

What training and support will you get?

Whilst on the scheme, we’ll support your technical development through a wide range of on-the-job practical experiences and placements.  We’ll also support your professional development through a combination of classroom-led training courses, online training courses, mentoring opportunities and structured networking opportunities with scheme alumni. You will receive one-to-one support throughout the programme from your scheme sponsor and your Line Manager. You’ll also be connected to a ‘buddy’ who will be in the second year of the graduate scheme.

We also have an established Graduate and Apprentice Committee and Alumni group, who organise informative events to enhance your understanding of the organisation and provide opportunities to develop your career. They also provide valuable support for the wellbeing of current graduates.

After the scheme, you’ll continue to receive support from alumni networks and you will have the opportunity to apply for our talent progression programme that identifies and develop our future leaders.

What do we look for?

Everything we do as an organisation is to ensure that our evolving city remains future-proof for millions of Londoners. Our talented graduates form a vital part of that vision, so it’s important that we find the best people to help us do this. We’re looking for people who are:

• Motivated to add value
• Comfortable challenging the status quo
• Inquisitive

As a member of the team, we’ll give you responsibility and the opportunity to add value from day one.  If you are excited by inspiring and influencing the future of London and are up for a challenge and thrive under pressure, then this is the career path for you.