Our non-engineering graduate careers

Hello! I’m Ben and as a finance graduate, I’ve benefited hugely from our fantastic graduate training programme. I’ve now progressed to a Financial Planning & Analysis Analyst role in our UK & I Finance team. I’m also coming towards the end of my ACCA exams, when I’ll qualify as a Chartered Accountant.

I had so much support on the graduate programme.

AtkinsRéalis provides access to training courses and materials that have helped me build my knowledge base. I attended training in non-technical skills, alongside some of our engineering and consulting graduates. These soft skills sessions helped me understand my role in my team and helped me develop as a successful professional. I was also given great advice on further study and guided towards my ACCA chartership journey.

Flexible working helps me study

I’m given time to study for my accountancy exams and help with managing my workload around this. Many of my colleagues followed similar training routes and are really understanding and encouraging. They boost my confidence and push me onwards when the going gets tough.

I’m constantly adapting to different problems and different people.

People believe accountants are buried in spreadsheets all day long! Really that’s a myth. Spreadsheets do feature prominently in my work, but I spend just as much time talking to others. One day I can be working on the UK&I Finance team’s budget for next year. The next day I can be helping a project manager review their project forecast. It all takes communication and collaboration. There’s huge variety in the message and objective of the spreadsheets and numbers I work with, and what they mean for my colleagues around the business.

I help manage projects in a financially sustainable way

Financially sustainable projects can continue long into the future, making a tangible difference to the world. For example, I’ve been part of our role on the UK government’s Future Flight Challenge which aims to revolutionize the way we travel and find greener ways to fly. Whatever I’m working on, I’m providing information that helps us live up to our global purpose: engineering a better future for our planet and its people.

My colleagues contribute so much to my wellbeing

For me, the best thing about our workplace culture is the way we’re encouraged to interact with colleagues at all levels of seniority. This brings me into contact with so many talented people. We’re also welcome to share opinions and thoughts on potential changes and improvements, and it feels like everyone is valued.

Celebrating diversity

AtkinsRéalis committed to everyone belonging.Our meetings usually start with a ‘values’ moment, giving an opportunity to share thoughts and experiences. Unconscious accent bias was a recent topic, something I’d never previously considered. It was good to be made aware of this and encourage open conversation.

My career aspirations count

My managers encourage discussion of my long-term goals and try to shape my work towards developing these. Our strong culture of feedback, via regular objective setting and performance reviews, has been so helpful for my self-development and continual improvement. After the graduate programme, I took more responsibility on a large framework of contracts in the aerospace and defence market. As a Finance Business Partner, I was overseeing 200+ projects while supporting leaders and project managers. Soon afterwards, I was awarded a promotion to reflect my responsibility and successes.

How I #MakeItBrilliant in my career with AtkinsRéalis

For me, making it brilliant starts with helping others. From supporting colleagues with their challenges to sharing tips on better ways to work, I’m immersed in a collaborative culture and I really enjoy that. I receive plenty of help too!

Explore our graduate opportunities!