McDonald\'s Finance Graduate 2026

The McDonald's Finance Graduate Scheme is open for applications now! The successful person will start in September 2026. This is an exciting time to join the McDonald's Finance Graduate Scheme. The role is a structured, broad three-year rotational scheme specifically crafted for final year undergraduates looking to join a robust Finance team. As part of the scheme, McDonald’s will fund your accounting qualification and you will complete up to 16 exams over a 3-year period, in order to gain accreditation to a chartered accounting body of your choice (ACA/ACCA/CIMA).

What will my role be? The scheme will provide continuous rotational opportunities and is an outstanding opportunity for an aspirational graduate to gain experience across a number of the following areas:

• Local Accounting Operations – As part of the LAO team you will ensure the accurate accounting of the financials whilst building your knowledge and understanding of the financial operations of the business. You will work closely with our third party and gain insight into financial reporting, supporting your professional qualification.
• Field Finance – As part of the Field Finance team you will work closely with our community of Franchisees to drive the business' long-term strategy, support growth and ensure the future financial strength of the business. You will partner with our Director’s of Franchising, working closely to ensure that we understand the financial position of each of our franchisees and where we play a role in influencing this.
• Tax – As part of the Tax team, you will play a supporting role in ensuring the business meets all of its tax compliance obligations while maintaining strong governance and accuracy across all filings. You will also support the organisation through tax advisory, providing insight on emerging legislation, assessing the impact of business decisions, and helping teams navigate complex tax matters to enable informed, strategic outcomes.
• FP&A – You will help drive business growth and strengthen the McDonald's brand by developing strategic growth drivers and proactively managing Franchisee sentiment. In particular, the team supports the development of long‑term pricing, delivery, pay and supply chain strategies in partnership with various internal and external stakeholders.
• Real Estate Finance – You will business partner primarily with our Property department; working together to ensure our new restaurant pipeline is profitable, and ensuring that we obtain optimal real estate deals, to secure the future of sites where we want to trade.

Upon completion of the scheme there are significant opportunities within the Finance team to grow into a range of increasingly strategic and senior leadership roles. The scheme offers an extraordinary start to a career within Finance, with previous trainees who have finished the scheme going on to hold senior management positions across the business, such as CFO, Finance Director, VP of Operations, Delivery Director and Head of Commercial Finance.

The new Finance Graduate will rotate through roles in our Head Office in East Finchley, North London where they will complete their training and qualify as a chartered accountant.

Please submit your CV with a cover letter which answers the following question: “With sustained inflation continuing to put pressure on both consumers and restaurants, what strategies could McDonald’s implement to enhance customer value, drive guest counts, and deliver strong commercial performance?” Please ensure all submissions are included on the same document.