Finance Apprenticeship

Do you have a passion for Finance and a genuine desire to learn and grow? If so, our Finance Apprenticeship scheme may be for you.

In a challenging retail world, the demand for a high performing Finance function is more important than ever. The role of Finance in the Partnership is to work at the heart of the business, providing great insight and control to strengthen our position and grow value. As a Partner and Professional Finance Apprentice, you will seek to actively drive our performance and influence key decisions using data and commercial acumen.

You will be encouraged and respected for your opinions and ideas. We will give you access to the tools to build your knowledge and technical skills, giving you the opportunity to influence our performance and strengthen the role of Finance.

Our aim will be to give you the fullest experience of our Finance function so you will work flexibly between our Head Offices in Bracknell and London and home working.

As part of the recruitment process we will be running an Assessment Centre, which will be held in-person in Bracknell on Tuesday 14th April 2026.

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £4.50 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

• Salary - £36,000 - £55,000. The salary offered to successful candidates will depend on individual experience.

• Contract type - This position is a permanent contract. This is a Finance Apprentice position and the course takes 36 months to complete.

• Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The Finance team aims for 2 days a week in the office to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings. 

• Location - The role could be based at either our Bracknell campus or London head office depending on your preference, with occasional travel to the other location as required.

• Learning format - mix of on-the-job training, online study classes and mentoring. Generous study leave will be provided but apprentices should expect to complete some study in their own time as well. 

• Please see our FAQs document for further details about the scheme (please access using the link here if you are an internal candidate, or via the attachment at the bottom of the advert if you are an external candidate).

Key responsibilities

We will support you to become a qualified chartered accountant during your apprenticeship and you will choose to study for either a CIMA qualification (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) or an ACCA qualification (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).

This apprenticeship scheme will involve a series of modules and exams, learning activities and reflection tasks which are based around the skills, knowledge and behaviours set out by the national apprenticeship standard.

You will develop excellent technical skills, as well as the organisational and leadership skills necessary to thrive as a finance professional within the Partnership. As with all apprenticeships, this programme requires commitment and self managed learning from the apprentice. 

You will have three different roles, across the three years of the scheme, in different areas of the Finance function. This will allow you to broaden your knowledge, skills and experience, and build a strong network.

Your day to day responsibilities will depend on the nature of your role, but your line managers will work closely with you throughout the scheme to support your career and empower you to unlock your potential. You will also be allocated a mentor from the senior Finance leadership team to support your career development. 

Essential skills/experience you’ll need 

Eligibility criteria for this scheme - you will need to possess:

• Strong financial acumen and analytical skills

And

• Degree 2:1 or above (or predicted in 2026) in Finance, Accounting, Business, Data or STEM subjects OR

• L4 Finance/Accounting Apprenticeship OR

• Significant relevant work experience, such as:

- analytical experience; particularly financial data management and/or analysis. 

- commercial experience in a retail or similar fast-moving industry

- the ability to work accurately and at pace, the ability to evaluate risk 

- the ability to assimilate, comment on and make proposals to influence decisions 

- the ability to communicate verbally and in writing using appropriate language and allocation of words

Please note:

• You must not have more than 8 exemptions from CIMA / ACCA exams or if you have started independently studying for CIMA or ACCA qualifications you must not have attained qualification over Applied Knowledge level (ACCA) / Operational Level (CIMA). If you have already started studying, you will still be expected to complete the three year scheme in order to gain the rounded Finance experience in each role.

• A minimum Grade 4/C or above in Maths and English GCSEs.

• You cannot be in any other form of education when the scheme commences in September 2026.

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Self motivation and a commitment to your development and achievement of the scheme objectives.

• A collaborative approach to working and developing relationships across the Partnership.

Important point to note: We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible, as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.

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We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. 

Attachment: Download Job Attachment