Finance Graduate

Finance Graduate

Our Story

Family and ideas have always been our ingredients. Our founding families believed biscuits and chocolates could bring moments of happiness to the world. Their ideas have stood the test of time. Their spirit continues to inspire our future. It’s in the care and the craft we bake into biscuits and chocolates that have been loved for generations. And it’s in the fresh ideas, the new twists, flavours and textures we add to old and new favourites.

Day in and day out, our 16,000 brilliant colleagues bring it to pladis. Bring what?

Their will to win. Their drive and ambition. Their brilliant ideas. Their whole selves. Their passion for our globally loved biscuits and chocolates. Their excitement at being part of the world’s fastest growing snacking business. And their belief in our purpose to bring happiness with every bite.

About the role

Our ‘Emerging Talent’ Finance Graduate Programme provides the opportunity to work with some of the pladis’ iconic snacking brands including which include McVitie’s, Ulker, Godiva, Jaffa Cakes, Penguin, Mini Cheddars, Jacob’s and Carr’s.

The Finance team is integral to pladis, supporting the business in delivering strong and sustainable profitable growth. Working alongside our business partners, finance plays a significant role in navigating the business forward and responding to changes in market conditions, customer demands and consumer needs. You will join a vibrant, passionate finance team and learn about working in a commercial FMCG environment.

The Finance Graduate will rotate through a number of roles within pladis's Finance teams to provide a breadth of experience and understanding, supporting your studies and providing you with a platform to fast track your career.

The first 4 month of the scheme will be based at our Liverpool Binns Road office, where you will integrate with the team that oversees transaction processing for the UK, including the order to cash, purchase to pay and record to report processes. Providing the opportunity to understand the importance of excellent processes and to make an early impact by helping to improve ways of working. During this time you will also regularly interact with our offshore Finance team based in Delhi. For the remainder of the graduate scheme you will rotate between our UK&I and Global Finance teams gaining critical skills across a number of areas, including:

UKI Supply Chain Finance

A rotation in the Supply Chain Finance team, will see you working closely with our factory teams, as well colleagues from across the UK finance team. Key responsibilities will include; developing Cost Centre Managers' financial awareness, finance support for business cases for the site capital investment process and facilitating the management team in controlling and forecasting the cost base. A drive for continuous improvement will be essential to develop the processes and practices of the site finance function.

UKI Commercial Finance

During the rotation in the Customer Finance team, you will business partner our sales and marketing teams. Working with them to understand performance, deliver insight and value-adding analysis to build more effective strategies & bring rigorous evaluation and control processes to support investment decisions.

UKI FP&A

Financial Planning & Analysis sits at the heart of the UKI Finance function. It is a critical component of the forward-looking element of the financial team’s operations, and is fundamental to ensuring short, medium, and long term goals are developed effectively. You will work closely with the rest of the finance team using budgetary and financial forecast information to formulate business strategy, to support the UKI CFO and MD.

Global Finance

A rotation in pladis’ Global Finance team will give you the opportunity to contribute to development of pladis’ Compete to Win strategy. Global Finance comprises Group FP&A, Group Supply Chain Finance and Godiva Global Finance teams. Focussed on reporting, insight and projects covering the whole pladis Group, as well as the Corporate Finance team, which supports the Group strategy across specialist finance areas such as tax, treasury, risk management and external financial reporting.

As part of your graduate scheme, you will complete an international assignment, which will be based outside the UK. pladis will coordinate this placement for you and support with the move internationally.

Our Finance Graduates will join the CIMA Study Programme, which will provide you with the knowledge and support you need to become a Finance professional with an industry recognised financial qualification.

Bring your ambition!

Person Specification

• Achieved or working towards a 2:1 or above in a related BSc degree
• Proactive approach to getting things done
• Continuously looking to improve with a growth mindset
• Ability to analyse problems, build insight and propose innovative solutions
• Passion to work in partnership to achieve common goals
• Resilience when faced with setbacks and enthusiasm to achieve
• Ability to flex approach to ensure effective communication
• Motivation to drive career and seek experiences to support ambitions
• Passion and excitement for a career in the food industry and FMCG (fast moving consumer goods)
• Right to work in the UK, but globally mobile as required

Location and Salary

The location of this role be based at several of our UK&I locations over the 2 years. The first rotation starting September 2025 will be based at our Liverpool Binns Road site, home to some of our Global Finance Team as well as our HR Service Centre and IT teams. Further rotations could be based at any of our 7 manufacturing sites and our Global Head Office which is based in Chiswick Park, west London. There will also be a requirement to complete an international assignment which will be based outside of the UK for a period of time in the 2nd year.

As part of our emerging talent programme, you will need to be flexible to travel to other sites across the UK and internationally for both the role and training. There may also be the requirement of relocation for rotations, therefore flexibility important.

The working pattern for this role is at minimum an agile 3,2 pattern, which means 3 or more days are worked from the office, and no more than 2 days worked from home each week. There may be an expectation during some rotations to be in the office up to 5 days a week.

The starting salary is £35,000 with a joining bonus equivalent to one month's base salary to help you prepare for the scheme, which includes moving and other expenses. This would need to be repaid should you decide to leave within 12 months of the programme start date.

Our Purpose

Bring happiness with every bite

It’s a purpose that every one of our colleagues, all around the world believes in. And while we’re all unique, we also share the same values.

Each of our values is important on its own. In combination they’re incredibly powerful.

Our values have deep personal meaning to us. They’re part of who we are and what we stand for as an employer. Living our pladis values is a key part of success, look out for questions in your interview that link to these key pladis values.

Our Values

Purpose led – We’re energised and guided by our purpose to bring happiness with every bite

Agile – We’re ever evolving, we never stand still, always improving for our customers and our consumers.

Positive – We’re highly motivated optimistic, courageous, and we inspire each other to be better

Resilient - We’re persistent in the face of setbacks, quick to adapt, learn and move forward

Collaborative – We gain strength from operating as one pladis, winning and succeeding together

Best mix of ingredients

pladis is an equal opportunities employer, like every great recipe we’re a thoughtful mix. A happy and inclusive place to work that’s as diverse as our consumers and the communities we support, live and work in, all around the world. Where every voice is heard, and difference is celebrated. Where fresh perspectives and new ideas help us grow and thrive.

We want you to have every opportunity to bring your whole-self and show us your talents.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform key job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Application Process

The application process for pladis’ Finance Graduate Programme will close on 20th December 2024.

The process is as follows:

• Complete initial screening to give us more information on yourself and motivation for joining the finance team at pladis. After this is reviewed you will be invited to complete some online assessments.
• The next stage following successful completion of the assessments will be a video interview, to allow us to find out more about you and your interest in pladis’ Emerging Talent Graduate Programme.
• Finally, if successful, you will be invited to the final stage of the recruitment process which is to deliver a presentation. This will be held in person at Chiswick Park towards the end of February.