AAT Finance Apprenticeship
Salary: £18,900 rising incrementally to £23,186
Location: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire
Hours: Full-Time
Contract: Fixed Term Apprenticeship for 3 years
Closing Date: Monday 24th March 2025
Interviews: Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd April, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire
Start Date: August 2025

With a strong interest in launching a career in finance, we know that you want to use your talent, skill, and dedication to make a difference. At UKRI, you will get the opportunity to do just that. Our finance teams support world-leading science and innovation and enable ground-breaking research that will inspire, shape and define our future.

UKRI is the largest public sector funder of research and innovation with an annual budget of over £8bn. With a Finance team of just over 150 people across our UK sites, we have responsibility for enabling the delivery of high-quality financial services to ensure public funding for research and innovation is spent efficiently and effectively. We are part of the Government Finance Function with the ambitious vision to “put finance at the heart of decision making; driving the agenda, not just keeping score.”

Our impact is felt across the whole organisation where we work with policy makers, leadership teams, researchers, programme and project managers, engineers and scientists, to share perspectives and expertise, influence decisions, and put forward creative solutions to problems.

We are looking to recruit two AAT Finance Apprentices to start in August 2025 based within the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire. The role will incorporate an AAT Level 3 and Level 4 Accountancy/Taxation Apprenticeship, delivered by First Intuition, alongside a challenging but rewarding role.

Apprentices will undertake a programme as follows:

Year 1-2: Level 3 Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship
Year 3: Level 4 Professional Accounting or Taxation Professional

Both levels of programme will incorporate AAT Diploma qualifications at Level 3 and Level 4. Apprentices will be required to attend in-person classroom sessions, typically in 1 week blocks, at First Intuition Reading RG1 8LS.

About an Apprenticeship at UKRI

With training and support from experts in their fields, you’ll relish the opportunity to develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours whilst making a real difference in your role.

If working with innovative technologies on world-leading research isn’t enough, you will be able to develop both professionally and as a critical member of the team in an environment you won’t find anywhere else.

We will support you every step of the way, helping you make the most of your opportunities and to achieve the goals you already have – and those you have yet to discover!

We provide an opportunity to really pursue your interests and passion, with access to a dedicated UKRI Early Careers Network. UKRI offers the following:

A benefits package designed to provide an excellent work/life balance including 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege holidays and an exceptional pension scheme
You’ll get the chance to work on innovative projects with a broad range of Stakeholders
Cycle-2-work scheme
Discount vouchers for high street stores and attractions

A full list of our benefits can be found here: https://www.ukri.org/about-us/work-for-us/working-at-ukri/

Key Responsibilities

Apprentices will be based within one of the Finance teams providing accounting support to the STFC Finance function, while tackling other work from different functional areas within the broader UKRI Finance function to provide an all-round experience in finance and accounting.

The role will include a range of core financial and accounting activities similar to the activities listed below:

Assist with financial reporting, including the creation of monthly project and other reports as required
Cost centre and project budget setup and maintenance
Assist with monthly departmental forecasting by monitoring income and expenditure
Research Council, Service Level Agreement (SLA) management and grant administration
Creation and posting of Project and General Ledger Journals; including collating backing papers and evidence to maintain an audit trail
Support prepayment requests by providing financial risk analysis
Creation of Sales Invoices and Revenue Accruals
Supporting Asset Management, recording and physical verification
Provide assistance to the Governance team on the internal audit programme

The role will be based within the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory with a minimum expectation of three days onsite days per week. Apprentices may be required to travel occasionally to other UKRI locations in the UK.

Person specification

To apply for this apprenticeship, your CV and/or cover letter will need to demonstrate that you meet the following criteria:

Where indicated, criteria will be assessed through shortlisting (S), at Interview (I) or both (S&I)

Essential:

Achieved, or predicted to achieve, two A-Levels at A*- C (or equivalent qualifications) (S)
Achieved Grade C/4 or above in GCSE English and Maths (or equivalent qualifications) (S)
CV and Cover Letter that clearly demonstrates your motivation to undertake this apprenticeship within UKRI, paying particular attention to the essential and desirable criteria (S&I)
Good ICT skills, including MS Office (S&I)
Self-motivated; willing to undertake the work required with the training provider and in the workplace (I)
Has a clear vision of what they want to achieve and demonstrates a willingness to succeed (I)
Experience of being part of a team or group (S&I)

Desirable:

A-Level qualification in Accounting (S)
Work experience, either through voluntary / unpaid roles or part-time employment (S&I)

Candidates who meet the minimum criteria will be asked to complete an online exercise to assess numerical competence. Full instructions, including deadlines for its completion and return will be provided after the closing date.

Important Information – PLEASE NOTE:

1. To be eligible for the apprenticeship, you will need to evidence the qualifications listed in the Person Specification. For those completing their A Levels (or equivalent qualifications) in Summer 2025, we would need evidence of your predicted grades.
2. When applying for an apprenticeship, there is a set residency eligibility criteria that must be met by the applicant. To check your eligibility please click here.
3. The training provider will also ask you to complete an initial assessment during the application process. If you already have a qualification in this subject area or similar please include, as an attachment, your transcript outlining the grade/s achieved and modules covered. By applying for this apprenticeship, you are giving permission for your details to be shared with the relevant training provider.
4. Applicants must not be currently accessing government funding for an education course such as university degree, masters, skills boot camps in any subject, that will continue after August 2025.
5. Applicants who have completed or partially completed AAT qualifications at Level 3 or Level 4 would be ineligible for this apprenticeship.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, therefore we strongly encourage you to submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

We will be in touch after the closing date however please email apprenticerecruitment@ukri.org quoting the vacancy title and reference number if you have any questions.

About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. Together we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit Benefits of working for UKRI.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

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