2026 Finance Apprentice - Cheadle
THALES UK LIMITED
Stockport (SK3 0XB)
Closes on Thursday 12 February 2026
Posted on 3 November 2025
Contents
Summary
We have an exciting opportunity to join a Finance Apprenticeship within our UK business. We have opportunities within Corporate and our Thales UK business lines.
- Wage
-
£24,000 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
• Performance related pay uplifts • Pension - Thales match, plus 1%, with a maximum contribution of 7% • Health Insurance - 50% of salary for 5 years
- Training course
- Accounts or finance assistant (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday – Friday, Shifts to be confirmed.
37 hours a week
- Start date
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Monday 7 September 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 3 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
You can expect to be involved in a wide range of activities, gaining significant exposure to the business and building a broad professional network.
Key responsibilities will vary depending on which team you are sitting within, but may include:
- Liaising with various stakeholders to understand, challenge and report the overheads and headcount of the business
- Providing accurate, timely and reliable overhead and cost information, and analysis to senior management
- Utilizing Thales tools to develop internal reporting and ensure consistency across the UK
- Supporting cost centre reviews
- Assisting in the budgeting cycle where required
- Managing data cleanse activities including balance sheet reconciliation
- Supporting projects in maintaining forecast invoicing dates and improving cash forecasting
- Supporting Project Managers and Business Controllers in timely cost transfers
- Assisting in Project Closure activities.
- Ad hoc tasks, reporting and analysis as required by Financial Controller/Director
- Supporting preparation and distribution of monthly financial results, ensuring tight deadlines are achieved
- Supporting monthly overhead, headcount and DLU (Direct Labour Utilisation) reviews
- Supporting the preparation and review of monthly Cost By Nature (CBN) and Functional Cost Report (FCR) reports, including commentary and analysis as may be requested by Group, UK or business management
- Support the overhead multi-year budget (MYB) process
- Support the overhead reforecasting process
- Provide information on headcount evolution
- Provide specific analytical reports to cost centre managers
- Support the preparation and posting of journal vouchers, including accruals, prepayments, corrections etc.
Where you'll work
Dolphin House
Ashurst Drive
Stockport
SK3 0XB
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE APPRENTICE ACADEMY LIMITED
Training course
Accounts or finance assistant (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Record transactional data.
- Use the organisation’s standard tools and processes to examine data to identify transactional issues such as, reconciliations and inconsistencies between invoices.
- Recognise and rectify routine errors, escalating as necessary.
- Plan and review accounting and finance tasks.
- Communicate with stakeholders to deliver accurate and timely results, avoiding jargon, using language tailored to the audience and different media methods with an appreciation of the risks and benefits to the business of social media and other digital applications.
- Use finance and accounting software packages to accurately input and manage data to contribute to routine accounting tasks.
- Handle data and digital technology in line with cyber and data security requirements, using data securely and safely, including backing up data.
- Record transactional data.
- Use the organisation’s standard tools and processes to examine data to identify transactional issues such as, reconciliations and inconsistencies between invoices.
- Recognise and rectify routine errors, escalating as necessary.
- Plan and review accounting and finance tasks.
- Communicate with stakeholders to deliver accurate and timely results, avoiding jargon, using language tailored to the audience and different media methods with an appreciation of the risks and benefits to the business of social media and other digital applications.
- Use finance and accounting software packages to accurately input and manage data to contribute to routine accounting tasks.
- Handle data and digital technology in line with cyber and data security requirements, using data securely and safely, including backing up data.
Training schedule
- You will start by enrolling onto a Level 2 Accountant Assistant Apprenticeship with our award-winning training partner
- Delivered via a virtual delivery model over 15 months, the apprenticeship will introduce you to day-to-day accounting activities and will help you to build the competence to deliver these successfully
- On completion of the programme, you will achieve an AAT Level 2 Diploma in Accounting
More training information
On completion of the Level 2, you will be supported to progress onto the Level 3 Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship (18 months) and the Level 4 Professional Accountant Apprenticeship (17 months) to achieve your AAT qualifications
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- IT skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
About this employer
Together, we create the ingenious technological systems and innovations that impact and improve people's lives every single day. Even if you haven't heard the name Thales before, you've definitely benefited from our inventiveness. We reinvest 20% of our sales in Research & Development in the UK. Together we supply invention across 4 core areas: Aerospace, Space, Defence and Security, Digital Identity and Security.
https://careers.thalesgroup.com/global/en/united-kingdom-careers#Uk-Future-talent (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
• 201 hours annual leave (plus a company day and bank holidays) • Healthcare Cash Plan • 80 hours (10 days) volunteering in your first 2 years depending on length of programme • Discount Portal
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
- You will be expected to progress onto higher level learning and will become an account assistant in our finance team
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THALES UK LIMITED
Thales Future Talent Team
SuppEarlyCar@uk.thalesgroup.com
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000349262.
Apply now
Closes on Thursday 12 February 2026
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