Finance Graduate

Job Title: Finance Graduate Programme – Operations and Product
Team: Finance
Location:  Greenford, West London (on site 4 days per week)
Reports to:  Director of Finance – Operations and Product
About the Role
Every Brompton bike is designed, engineered and handmade in Greenford. This programme puts you at the heart of the costs, decisions and data behind each one. As Finance’s onsite presence, you will connect Operations and Product teams with offsite finance colleagues, explaining the numbers and bringing back insight from the shop floor. No accounting or business background is needed. We will teach you the finance, support your professional qualification and give you real responsibility from the start.
You will also improve processes and data flows, using tools such as SQL, Power Query, Power Automate, ERPs and AI to simplify and automate work.

What makes this role different

• On the ground, not behind a screen: You will be based on site, close to the people who design, build and ship our bikes, and close to the decisions that shape them.
• Real impact on our products: Your questions and insights will influence how our products are developed and made. This is at the heart of what we do.
• A pivotal role with many teams: You will work with a variety of Operations and Product teams, as a key onsite finance business partner for colleagues up to Heads of department.
• Learn by doing: You will pick up finance by working on real questions, with the Operations Accountant and Operations Finance Analyst alongside you.
• A modern toolkit: You will use SQL, Power Query and Power Automate, and explore new technologies, to solve problems in creative ways.
• Strong foundations: You will learn why good process, reliable systems and clean data matter, and how to build and improve them.
• A clear route to a professional qualification: We fund and support your CIMA studies, with protected study time at the beginning.
• Direct mentoring: You will report to, and be mentored by, the Director of Finance for Operations & Product.
• A culture of doing more with less: We value frugality, resource efficiency and a genuine commitment to sustainability, and we look for people who enjoy finding smarter ways to work.

Your development on the programme 

• Year one: You will study the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting, supported by the company through an apprenticeship. Tuition is covered and you will have protected study time during working hours. You will apply what you learn straight away by supporting the Operations Accountant. 
• After the Certificate: The company continues to support you towards the full CIMA qualification, with the aim of completing it within three years. Tuition is covered through the CIMA Finance Leadership Programme. 
• Growing responsibility: You will take on more ownership and a wider business partnering role as you progress. Progression in pay and responsibility are part of the programme and linked to your progress with the qualification and your performance on the job over the years. 

Key responsibilities 

Our finance partner on site 

• Be Finance’s visible, approachable partner for Operations and Product, building trusted relationships across the teams. 
• Spend time on the shop floor, in the warehouse and with product teams to understand what is happening and how it affects costs. 
• Connect teams with finance colleagues, bringing back the context behind the numbers and answering or directing finance questions. 
• Gather key information for budgets, forecasts and projects, and explain costs clearly to non-finance colleagues. 

Supporting the monthly finance cycle 

Support the Operations Accountant with month-end, making sure the costs of building our bikes are recorded accurately and in the right period. You will take on more as your experience grows. 

• Help record and understand the parts, consumables and labour that make up the cost of each bike. 
• Review product parts lists, production activity and cost implications with the right teams. 
• Investigate scrap, freight, duties, warranty claims and other cost movements to understand their causes and impact. 
• Support stock checks and keep records of machinery, equipment and tooling accurate. 
• Learn how investment in new products, including engineering time and tooling, is recorded over the product’s life. 

Detective work: checks and investigations 

• Complete monthly checks, compare records with independent sources and investigate any differences. 
• Trace unusual cost movements to their root cause and clearly record what you checked, found and resolved. 
• Help provide the evidence and explanations needed for external audits. 

 

Improving how we work: process, systems and data 

• Keep finance process guides clear, current and easy to follow. 
• Spot slow, manual or error-prone processes and work with teams to improve them. 
• Use SQL, Power Query, Power Automate, ERPs and AI to improve data and automate repetitive work. 
• Help teams capture accurate information and work with Data & Analytics and Purchase Ledger to improve how it flows into reports. 

The ideal candidate 

Essential qualifications and experience 

• A bachelor's degree in any subject, recently completed or about to be completed. 
• No prior accounting or business studies required: we will teach you. 
• An interest in how businesses work and achieve their objectives, and in how teams and organisations interact. 
• Comfort with numbers and with Excel. 
• The right to work in the UK, and eligibility to start a Level 4 apprenticeship in England (we will help you check this). 
• Willingness to be based on site in Greenford, West London, 4 days per week. 
• Some experience in data tools such as SQL, Power Query or Power Automate, or any coding, is helpful but not essential, but you need interest and comfort navigating and interrogating data. 

Essential skills and attributes 

• Analytical mindset: You break problems down and follow the evidence.
• Rigour and method: You are organised, careful and know when good is good enough.
• Curiosity and investigation: You keep asking why until you find the real answer.
• Business acumen: You are interested in how businesses operate, make money and achieve their goals.
• People skills: You build trust, listen well, explain clearly and raise difficult points constructively.
• Creative use of technology: You use new technology creatively to solve problems.
• Strong foundations: You value reliable processes, systems and data, and want to improve them.
• Resourcefulness: You find smarter, sustainable ways to do more with less.
• Fast learner: You learn quickly and are motivated to study alongside a full-time role.
• Initiative and ownership: You spot what needs doing and follow it through.
• Integrity and discretion: You handle sensitive financial information carefully.
• Adaptability: You enjoy variety and thrive in a changing environment.

What success looks like 

Success in this role means: 

• Operations and Product colleagues know and trust you as Finance’s helpful onsite partner. 
• The context you provide helps the Operations Accountant and Operations Finance Analyst work faster and better. 
• You take on more monthly tasks accurately and on time, explaining what is happening and why. 
• You trace every difference to its root cause and document it clearly. 
• The process library is current and used, with meaningful improvements delivered in your first six months. 
• You identify ways to simplify or automate repetitive tasks and put some into practice using our data tools. 
• You pass the CIMA Certificate in your first year and progress steadily towards the full qualification. 
• Colleagues bring you questions early, before decisions are made. 
• Your responsibility and impact grow each year. 

Please Note: As Brompton is making a significant investment in your development, we expect you to stay with us for at least one year after completing the programme. If you choose to leave sooner, you may be asked to repay part of the funded costs, in line with the terms agreed at the start of the programme.