Finance Internship - 12M Placement

Who are United Utilities?

United Utilities is responsible for water and wastewater services in the North West of England. From 2025-2030 we will undertake the largest investment in water and wastewater services in the North West in 100 years – that's more than £13 billion worth of investment. Now, more than ever, we need inspiring future talent to help make the North West stronger, greener, and healthier.

Whatever area of our business your interests lie in, our 1-year intern programme will give you first-class training and support, together with an in-depth understanding of your chosen business area – so that you can develop the skills you need to progress your career as you make a real contribution to the communities we serve. You might enter our scheme as a graduate, but one thing's for sure, before long you'll be heading into your next role as a technical, operational or people leader.

Working in the North West means there's a lot of ground to cover. You could have the opportunity to work in the heart of the Lake District, or you could sample a taste of city life. As well as our main office in Warrington we also recruit for a variety of roles based across the North West; we have 575 wastewater treatment works and 96 water treatment works in areas from Crewe in Cheshire to Carlisle in Cumbria. 

Whichever scheme you join, you’ll be at the heart of bringing innovation and positive change to the water industry. Ready to flow into your future with us?

The Role

On our one year placement, you’ll get both technical training and personal development opportunities that will equip you with the skills you need to grow, thrive and succeed in your career.

You will be entrusted with graduate-level responsibilities and spend the balance of your time working alongside an established finance team of over 120 employees, who have a great track record in delivering strong financial results.

You’ll develop your understanding of how our critical finance function supports United Utilities in helping life flow smoothly for our seven million customers across the North West. You will gain opportunity to work with and gain experience in financial accounting, management accounting and business decision-making.

As your internship progresses there will be substantial scope to take on additional responsibilities as you gain more experience.

Don't worry, we won't throw you in at the deep end. You'll have mentors and managers with you as you progress through your placement and support you as you work towards your personal development goals.

What will I be doing? 

 Performance measurement & reporting

• Reporting: Preparing business unit financial statements, management reports and regulatory reports. Providing commentary on actual and forecasted financial performance against budget
• Performance measurement: Collaborating with business units to develop financial plans, budgets, and forecasts. This includes analysing historical financial data, identifying trends, and making projections to support strategic decision-making
• Financial analysis: Monitoring and investigating variances in actuals / forecast (LBE) against budget and financial KPIs
• Spend control reporting: Refresh report and conduct variance analysis on key discretionary spend areas ahead of Executive Performance Meetings.

Record to Report

• Financial recordkeeping: Maintaining accurate financial records, including posting journal entries, updating ledgers and reconciling accounts
• Period-end close: Performing various period-end close activities including posting journals, performing reconciliations, adjusting accruals and preparing control accounts
• Audit support: Supporting external audits by providing necessary financial information and assisting auditors in their review

Planning, Budget, Forecasting

• Budgeting (CBP) / Forecasting (LBE): Engaging with budget holders, consolidation of ZBB templates, central review and challenge of cost driver assumptions and efficiency plans and ensuring alignment with overall organisational goals and strategies
• Stakeholder collaboration: Working closely with budget holders to gather financial information and align with business strategies

General

• Work collaboratively with the Business Partnering Team to achieve common goals
• To ensure continuous improvement by generating imaginative ideas for better ways of working
• Ad-hoc requests as necessary

What do I need to be successful?

• You will be on track for a minimum of a 2:1 in your degree and undertaking a placement year during your studies at university.
• You should possess excellent written and interpersonal skills and have the ability to communicate and influence across multiple stakeholder groups.
• You must be highly computer literate and be proficient in Microsoft Office applications.
• You should be able to be comfortable working flexibly across a range of tasks and activities to deadlines, be able to prioritise your time.
• You should possess the resilience and willpower to succeed in a commercial environment.

Additional Information

Our recruitment process requires you to complete:

• An Online application form
• An in-person interview and presentation

Please note that you must be available to attend an in-person recruitment stage during the period 17th November – 19th December

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse environment. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout your recruitment journey, please let us know. If you are offered a job with us, a number of pre-employment checks need to be carried out before your appointment can be confirmed. Any offer of employment with United Utilities will be subject to a satisfactory checking report from Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland.

Application deadline: 13th October 2025 – please apply early as deadlines are subject to change