Trainee Accountant

The energy industry is advancing with investment in smart technology innovation and Northern Powergrid, as the company responsible for powering everyday life for 8 million customers across 4 million homes and businesses in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, is at the forefront of delivering a power network that meets the region's needs now and in the future. Our vision is to be the best energy company in serving our customers, whilst delivering a sustainable energy solution.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about communications and can help share our story as we deliver our plans to invest in our network, support net zero and create a greener energy future. You will be supporting administrative activities to facilitate the accurate and timely production of monthly payrolls, whilst ensuring legislative and internal controls are applied.

Opportunity

We are seeking a talented individual with the passion and dedication to become a future leader in our business. Through our established programme you will gain invaluable knowledge of our business and have a broad range of work experience whilst studying to become a CIMA qualified accountant. Your study for a professional accountancy qualification will be in tandem with your everyday rotational work placements. You will be supported to achieve this; however it will be challenging and will require dedication to both the day job and your studies throughout the programme.

Your base will be one of our key sites in either Castleford, Sunderland or Newcastle, however you will be required to spend periods of time at other locations across the North East and Yorkshire. Where necessary, you will be provided with overnight accommodation and subsistence allowances.

Programme Overview

The programme lasts three to three and half years in total, depending on entry qualifications, where you will complete a variety of structured rotational on the job work placements, along with a number of formal off the job training courses. These placements will last from 2 weeks up to 6 months and will involve specific objectives and deliverables that you will need to achieve.

The placements will allow you to gain experience in a wide variety of business areas that will equip you with the skills and experience needed to excel within our business as a future leader. They will include assignments in:

• Financial transaction processing functions;
• Management accounting and business partnering;
• Specialist finance roles such as regulatory reporting, taxation, treasury and audit.

Key Competencies

On top of exceptional academic achievement, we are looking for someone who is hard working, dependable and makes the most of every opportunity they get. You will need to demonstrate the following key finance competencies:

• Core accounting and finance skills – be sharp and analytical, have excellent organisational and time management skills with the ability to work under pressure and adhere to strict reporting deadlines.
• Business acumen – you grasp concepts quickly and are keen and able to understand and deal with business situations. You take pride in your work to produce work of a high standard, paying the appropriate level of attention to detail.
• People skills – you are a team player and work comfortably with, and influence, a wide range of people, of varying seniority and backgrounds. You have strong communication skills, and exchange ideas and information effectively both verbally and in writing. You are committed to delivering world class customer service.
• Leadership skills – you relish the opportunity to lead and have the energy and enthusiasm to motivate others working efficiently and effectively, in a collaborative manner with those around you.

Qualifications and Experience

There are minimum requirements for all applicants:

• A Levels - You have 120 UCAS points or equivalent (300 UCAS points pre Sept 2017)
• Maths - You have either A level Maths or a minimum grade B in GCSE (or equivalent) Maths.
• Strong IT skills - Excel, Word, Power Point and Outlook.

Note: We will only consider a candidate's 'top' 3 A-level grades and do not accept General Studies. In relation to A Level qualifications achieved in Scotland we will consider 5 Highers.

Desirable requirements:

• Degree or accountancy qualification – You have an undergraduate honours degree in a relevant subject or an accountancy qualification such as AAT or CIMA Certificate of Business Accounting.
• Experience – Prior experience working in a finance team would be beneficial.

Selection Process

Ensuring we are right for you and you are right for us is an important decision we both need to make, so our selection process is aimed to do just this. It is not just your academic performance we are interested in, we will assess your application by combining a number of different factors including work experience and how you perform in our recruitment process.

You can expect this to include:

• Application form and covering letter;
• A first round interview;
• Psychometric testing;
• Assessment centre including a final interview with senior management giving a short presentation.

Please visit our careers website to complete an application form and return it along with your CV and a covering letter quoting reference number RA2608. Your covering letter should, in no more than 500 words, demonstrate why you feel you are a suitable candidate for this role with Northern Powergrid.

Closing date: 30 June 2025

Expected start date: September 2025

Applicants are considered on the basis of their suitability for the post irrespective of sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment, race, age or disability.