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About Southwark

The London Borough of Southwark extends from the River Thames to Dulwich in South London. It is a large, ambitious and progressive council, encompassing some of the capital’s cultural hotspots, vibrant communities, and acclaimed green spaces. Our central location provides excellent transport links making it a highly accessible area.

The council has a ‘Fairer Futures for All’ mission, which ensures that our varied mix of cultural communities and businesses, where over 120 languages are spoken, are at the centre of everything we do.

Southwark is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Please read our 22-23 candidate pack for more details about Southwark’s Graduate Finance Scheme: the role, CIPFA studies, benefits, and more. Link at the bottom of this page.

The Role

Finance sits at the heart of Southwark, one of the most densely populated and diverse boroughs in the country, and plays a pivotal role in the direction and progress of the organisation.

Our three-year accountancy scheme goes well beyond finance, and will equip you with key skills in leadership and strategic thinking required to become finance leaders. We place a strong emphasis on personal development and support our trainees with a dedicated mentor and close-knit, collaborative finance team. The programme offers the opportunity for an extremely rewarding career in public finance, allowing you to influence key local authority decisions from an early stage and make a real difference for the benefit of our communities.

We are partnered with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), who deliver a world-class three-year professional accountancy qualification which you will study for alongside your everyday duties at Southwark. All training is covered by the council, and is overseen by a supportive senior leadership team.

About you

We are looking for driven and self-motivated candidates who have strong numeric, written, and analytical skills, and the ability to work and communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders. Ability to study effectively and to pass exams is essential.

You will also have knowledge of the public sector (local government in particular) and an awareness of key issues relating to the work of the public sector.

Requirements:

• GCSEs (or equivalent) in Mathematics and English (Grade C or above)

• Have, or expect to achieve, a minimum 2:1 degree (any discipline)

• 300 UCAS Points (or equivalent) achieved

Benefits

Southwark takes full advantage of its London Bridge location where employees work in a growing corporate hub with a thriving hospitality scene. Our competitive pay scale (rising upon completion of each study stage) reflects the responsibility that you will take on from day one. Also included is our generous holiday package, flexible working arrangement and access to the huge benefits of a local government pension scheme. Southwark offers free access to gym and swim facilities across the borough from Friday to Sunday. There are numerous staff networks for BAME, LGBTQ+, disabled, and female staff, to help foster communities within the workforce.

Advert Closing Date: 29th May 2023

Interviews: From 12th June 2023

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.