Trainee Accountant - Waverley Court

Trainee Accountant - fixed term until 31/01/2030 Waverley Court

Salary: £30,188 - £34,452 Hours: 36 per week 

Graduate Trainee Accountants will undertake a range of placements across a number of teams within the Finance function. The work is likely to include:

• Management accounting
• Budget preparation
• Financial accounting
• Financial control
• Project work
• Internal auditing

There may also be opportunities to gain some experience in the following areas: 

• Treasury management
• Procurement
• Payment processing
• Financial information systems

Graduate Trainee Accountants will be required to show measurable improvement in their performance over the specified three and a half year training period. Objectives will be set at the start of each placement and assessed at the end of each placement.  At the end of the three and a half years fixed-term contract, a position with the Council is not guaranteed, although candidates will be encouraged to apply for internal positions towards the end of their placement. If at the end of the three and a half year period a position has not been secured, candidates will leave the organisation.

The post offers new entrants to the labour market the chance of paid employment combined with the opportunity to be trained in the relevant occupational area. The post includes the opportunity to gain valuable work experience, to contribute to the work of the department and to gain a nationally recognised accountancy qualification. 

In the early stages of employment, Graduate Trainee Accountants are closely supervised, however, as you gain more experience, you will be expected to carry out duties on your own or as lead officer on occasion and to be able to prioritise your workload appropriately.

You will follow a well-established structured training programme which has achieved Best Practice Employer accreditation. The trainee programme takes approximately three years.

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone feels valued and able to be their best. We particularly encourage applications from women for senior roles, as well as people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities or neurodivergent people, care experienced people, carers and LGBT+ people across all levels of the organisation, all of whom are currently underrepresented. All applicants will be considered fairly based on skills and experience. Disabled and care-experienced applicants who meet the minimum job criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Find out more about our commitment to equalities https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/work-us/inclusive-edinburgh/4 [https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/work-us/inclusive-edinburgh/4]

As part of our goal to improve organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure we're recruiting the best people. We’re interested not only in your skills and experience but also in your approach to work. Therefore, part of our interview process will be an assessment of how you would bring Our Behaviours of Respect, Integrity and Flexibility into your ways of working.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council [https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/work-us/behaviours]

Our salary range typically reflects the initial starting salary and annually increases until it reaches the top of the range.

Happy to talk flexible working.

Follow us on X at @edincounciljobs  

View Trainee Accountant job description [https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/39756/trainee-accountant-cec999-jd] 

View Trainee Accountant person specification [https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/39757/trainee-accountant-ps-13-05] 

THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL

About Us:

Are you keen to shape the future of Scotland’s capital city? The City of Edinburgh Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to work with us and deliver key services across our capital city. We’re the second largest local authority in Scotland with a workforce of over 19,000 who all play a crucial role in maintaining and supporting vital services to over 500,000 residents. We offer an incredible variety of career opportunities across a broad range of sectors. Join us and you’ll find a role where you can make a difference and grow your career.

Our Culture:

Our Behaviours, respect, integrity, and flexibility guide everything that we do, and we strive to make sure all colleagues feel valued and have a sense of belonging in the workplace. We want to make sure that we bring people into our roles who demonstrate Our Behaviours and are dedicated and committed to our purpose of serving our community. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service to meet citizens needs and make the city a better place.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council [https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/work-us/behaviours].

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We recognise the benefits that diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds bring to our organisation, and we’re committed to employing a workforce that represents the population of the city we serve. We particularly encourage applicants from under-represented groups including women, LGBT+ people, racially minoritised groups, people with disabilities and people who are neurodivergent.

As part of our commitment to inclusive recruitment, we're delighted to announce that we have extended our guaranteed interview scheme to include all applicants who are or have been care experienced, and who meet the essential criteria for the post. This extends our current arrangements of being a Disability Confident Employer, that guarantee an interview to applicants who meet the criteria for the post and who declare a disability.

Happy to talk flexible working.

Colleague Support and Wellbeing

As outlined in our People Strategy 2024-27, we aim to nurture a healthy workforce where we can all thrive. We offer regular events, initiatives and learning opportunities covering a range of different health and wellbeing topics.

We’re committed to supporting employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. There are several policies in place to support this ranging from flexible work options to career breaks. Our full suite of employment policies can be found here.

We have a range of support options available including access to counselling, a mental health support service, an occupational health service, speak up supporters and a colleague listening service.

Reasonable Adjustments:

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience at work for all our colleagues and we’ll work hard to ensure that we meet the changing needs of colleagues throughout their time with us. We’re also geared up to support all candidates who may require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Candidates invited for interview, should let the hiring manager know what they need, and they will do everything they can to accommodate your request.