Finance Graduate Scheme 2025

Company Description:

Who are McDonald’s? 
McDonald’s has run its business in the UK since 1974 and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The business currently operates over 1500 restaurants across the UK and Ireland, serving almost four million customers each day. McDonald’s is one of the UK’s largest private sector employers, employing over 170,000 people.

McDonald’s UK & Ireland has a proven track record of investing in the development of its employees and offering flexibility as part of its dedication to being a modern and progressive company. Every year, it invests over £40 million in developing people, giving every one of its employees the opportunity to take part in structured training.

McDonald’s buys ingredients from over 23,000 British and Irish farmers and spends over £1.1billion annually on its food and packaging requirements. McDonald’s is committed to supporting British and Irish farmers to ensure it can continue to source many of its ingredients from the UK and Ireland.

 McDonald’s is a market leader in its field, striving for the highest standard of quality, speed and restaurant experience. Re-generation of our restaurant infrastructure, covering digital ordering, re-imaging and dual-point service make working at McDonald’s more exciting than ever!

We are dedicated to using our scale for good: good for people, our industry and the planet. From bold recycling initiatives and sustainable sourcing efforts to our partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities, we see every day as a chance to have a genuine impact on our customers, our people and our partners.

We're a people business just as much as we are a restaurant business. We strive to be the most inclusive brand in the world by building diverse teams who create delicious, feel good moments that are easy for everyone to enjoy. Joining McDonald's means thinking big every day and preparing for a career that can have impact around the world.

 

Company Vision and Culture

Our Global vision is to build a better McDonald’s and in the UK and Ireland, we are working hard to be the UK & Ireland's best-loved restaurant company.

McDonald’s is defined by its culture. Our culture shapes and informs everything we think and everything we do. Our culture influences the way we interact with each other, and how we interact with customers, franchisees and suppliers. Our culture motivates and inspires us to attract and retain great talent, creating positive, energising, exceptional working environment for us all.

Our values drive our culture and shape our beliefs, our priorities and our actions. They influence the decisions we make, how we treat one another and how we show up as a brand to the world.

Serve: We put our customers and our people first

Inclusion: We open our doors to everyone

Integrity: We do the right thing

Community: We are good neighbours

Family: We get better together

Job Description:

Please submit your CV with a cover letter which answers the following question:

"Given the impact of the cost of living crisis in the UK, which has affected business profitability and reduced disposable income for families, how can McDonald's create additional value for its customers whilst also driving sales growth? What strategies or innovations would you suggest to enhance the customer experience, drive guest count growth and increase revenue?"

Please ensure all submissions are included on the same document.

 

The Opportunity 
The McDonald's Finance Graduate Scheme is open for applications now! The successful person will start in September 2025. This is an exciting time to join the McDonald's Finance Graduate Scheme.  The role is a structured, broad three-year rotational scheme specifically crafted for final year undergraduates looking to join a robust Finance team. As part of the scheme, McDonald’s will fund your accounting qualification and you will complete up to 16 exams over a 3-year period, in order to gain accreditation to a chartered accounting body of your choice (ACA/ACCA/CIMA).

 

What will my role be?

The scheme will provide continuous rotational opportunities and is an outstanding opportunity for an aspirational graduate to gain experience across a number of the following areas:

Global Business Services (GBS) - Accounting & Finance - As an accounting and finance subject matter specialist,  you will ensure that all accounting transactions are recorded timely, accurately and with compliance to relevant standards and principles. You will provide support and mentorship across the organisation on all financial matters and seek opportunities to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of processes to ensure the robustness of the financial documents and reporting.

Operations Finance - As part of the Operations Finance team you will  work closely with our community of Franchisees to drive the business' long-term strategy, support growth and ensure the future financial strength of the business. You will partner with our Director’s of Franchising, working closely to ensure that we understand the financial position of each of our franchisees and where we play a role in influencing this.

Strategic & Financial Planning - As part of Strategic & Financial Planning you will help drive business growth and strengthen the McDonald's brand by developing strategic growth drivers and proactively managing Franchisee sentiment. In particular, the Strategic Finance team supports the development of long-term pricing, delivery, pay and supply chain strategies in partnership with various internal and external stakeholders.

Financial Reporting & Controls - As a trusted finance adviser for the entire organisation. Providing in depth financial analysis of how our business has performed and helping drive future decisions to grow our business. You will also be hands on in learning and guiding on technical accounting and reporting standards.

Real Estate Finance - You will business partner primarily with our Property department; working together to ensure our new restaurant pipeline is profitable, and ensuring that we obtain optimal real estate deals, to secure the future of sites where we want to trade.

Upon completion of the scheme there are significant opportunities within the Finance team to grow in to a range of increasingly strategic and senior leadership roles. The scheme offers an extraordinary start to a career within Finance, with previous trainees who have finished the scheme going on to hold senior management positions across the business, such as CFO, Finance Director, VP of Operations, Delivery Director and our Head of GBS Finance.

 

 What Team will I be a part?

The new Trainee will initially rotate through roles within the GBS Finance team, based in Sutton Coldfield (near Birmingham). They will then move to our Head Office in East Finchley, North London where they will complete their training and qualify as a chartered accountant.

Qualifications:

What background do I need to have?

We are looking for a results-oriented, self-motivated and hardworking graduate to join our fast-paced Finance team. The successful candidate will have graduated, or is expecting to graduate with a 2:1, and should expect to get going quickly! The candidate should have at least 3 Bs (or equivalent UCAS Points) at A-Level and a passion for Finance.

 

To apply:

Please submit your CV with a cover letter which answers the following question:

"Given the impact of the cost of living crisis in the UK, which has affected business profitability and reduced disposable income for families, how can McDonald's create additional value for its customers whilst also driving sales growth? What strategies or innovations would you suggest to enhance the customer experience, drive guest count growth and increase revenue?"

Please ensure all submissions are included on the same document.

 

Benefits include:

• Competitive Graduate Salary with London living allowance upon the move to London
• Fully provided for CIMA/ ACCA/ ACA training and up to 20 days' study leave per year
• 28 days' Annual Leave per year, plus bank holidays
• 2 additional days of annual leave, upon completion of three years of service
• Private Health Insurance
• ‘Dress for your day’ Casual attire when working in our offices
• Plus discounts at major UK retailers
• Free lunch every day

Additional Information:

At McDonald’s we are People from all Walks of Life... 

People are at the heart of everything we do, and they make the McDonald’s experience. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture that means people can be their best authentic self in our restaurants and offices, which helps us to better serve our customers. We have a strong heritage of diversity and representation within our communities, which we are proud of. The diversity of our people, customers, Franchisees and suppliers gives us strength.

We do not tolerate inequality, injustice or discrimination of any kind.  These are hugely important issues and a brand with our reach and relevance means we have a very meaningful role to play.

We also recognise our responsibility as a large employer to continue being active in our communities, helping to develop skills and drive aspirations that will help people to be more aware of the world of work and more successful within it, whether with McDonald’s or elsewhere."