What is a graduate programme?
On our Graduate Leadership programmes, you’ll learn at pace and gain exposure to senior leaders and a variety of projects and teams. You’ll get everything you need to be a future leader at our bank, all whilst working towards a relevant professional qualification.
When is the next intake?
Here’s everything you need to know about our next Graduate Leadership programmes.
11 September 2023
(for 2 or 3 years)
£29,500
Hybrid working
(in our newly refurbished Manchester city centre office, and working from home)
What do I need?
To apply, you’ll need to be eligible to work in the UK, and to:
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Have or be on course for a degree
You must have achieved, or be projected to achieve, at least a 2:1 bachelor’s degree, or a 2:2 master’s degree, in any discipline.
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Have five GCSEs (or equivalent)
You must have at least five GCSEs (or equivalent), including Maths and English at grade C or above (or level 4 or above).
Application window
Applications are now closed. Please check back soon for details of next year’s graduate opportunities.
Recruitment process
Application form (online)
First interview (online)
Assessment centre (in-person in Manchester)
Final interview (in-person in Manchester, or by video call)
What will I be doing?
You’ll work on several placements, each designed to develop your:
- Commercial and strategic thinking
- Negotiation, influencing and leadership skills
- Understanding of how our bank works
- Knowledge and experience.
We’ll ask you for your areas of interest and take these into consideration, along with our business needs, when deciding which placements you’ll work on.
How will I be supported?
There’s much more to our graduate programmes than on-the-job experience.
We’ll give you all the tools we can to help drive your career and develop you as one of our future leaders. You’ll have access to all the support you need, including guidance on how you can shape your own development.
Your business sponsor will review and appraise your performance, providing feedback and coaching at every step of the way, to ensure your success and personal growth.
Your senior leader mentor will work with you on a personal development plan, and ensure you get the right technical, personal and professional learning, to help you grow your skills and gain a relevant apprenticeship.
Would I be a good fit?
Working in our bank involves looking at problems analytically and creatively. We’re looking for people from all backgrounds and with different skillsets.
You don’t need to ‘tick each of these boxes’, but some great attributes that we look for in candidates include that:
You're analytical
You’re good with numbers, or you enjoy problem solving
You’re creative
You’re interested in how you can develop innovative solutions to problems
You enjoy new challenges
You’re a fast learner
You have a business mindset
You have good knowledge of commercial considerations or customer relations
You’re empathetic
You’re good at ‘putting yourself in someone else’s shoes’, or you’re passionate about making a difference
You're a leader
You’re a confident communicator, or you’re skilled in persuasion
Technology graduate programme (2 years)
IT is an integral and growing part of our business. Our customers and colleagues rely on us to keep up with the pace of change across the industry and keeping them safe in a world full of digital threats.
You’ll get first-hand experience from several teams on your placements, which could include working on:
- Learning how we develop and improve our systems and culture to prevent, detect and respond to cyber attacks
- Making technical changes and developing customer and colleague educational programmes
- Overseeing changes, managing key supplier relationships and supporting with incident resolution and root cause analysis
- Project development and delivery, including working towards our strategic outcomes, and ensuring our projects are delivered safely and to our high standards.
You’ll work towards a qualification through the Digital and Technology Solutions Professional apprenticeship.
Where could this programme take me?
You could work in a variety of roles – some of our previous graduates went on to become Cyber Security Analyst, Junior Architect, Supplier and Service Manager, Cryptographic Technology Adviser, and Project Delivery Lead.
Digital graduate programme (2 years)
Digital solutions can make banking faster, smarter and much more personal. We’re blazing a trail and pushing possibilities to the limit. We’re working to meet the future needs of our customers, connect in brand new ways, and make our user experience the best it can be.
You’ll learn how to manage and optimise retail sales, and see how we support the bank’s broader activities.
You’ll get first-hand experience from several teams on your placements, which could include working on:
- Developing digital marketing or social media campaigns
- Digital strategy, planning and project management
- Analysing the performance of our website, mobile app, and specific products and campaigns
- Designing new or updated elements of our website and mobile app
- Optimising user journeys on our website and mobile app
- Running research into our website and mobile app, to test how easily users can use and understand them.
You’ll work towards a qualification through the Digital and Technology Solutions Professional apprenticeship.
Where could this programme take me?
You could work in a variety of roles – some of our previous graduates went on to become Junior Architect, Delivery Lead, Senior Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Digital Content and Journey Manager.
Product graduate programme (2 years)
We design, manage and promote the products our customers need, and build lifelong connections across a range of marketing channels.
You’ll explore how we design our products, taking into consideration our customer needs and the commercial needs of the business.
You’ll get first-hand experience from several teams on your placements, which could include working on:
- Developing propositions with product managers and getting you involved all the way from idea generation to delivery
- Developing product policies, and understanding how we support our risk colleagues, gain exposure to product regulations, compliance and risk reporting in the process
- Sharpening your commercial skills by supporting our pricing teams with changes that will increase their appeal and drive income
- Marketing and digital projects, learning how our product offering reaches our customers and how you can shape improvements to make it easier and simpler for customers to engage with us.
You’ll work towards a relevant qualification.
Where could this programme take me?
You could work in a variety of roles – some of our previous graduates went on to become Product Manager, and Senior Product Owner.
Finance graduate programme (3 years)
We support every aspect of our bank. And we’re moving fast to make the most of our enormous potential and shape the ethical bank of the future.
You can expect to work on both high-impact and business-as-usual projects. We won’t limit your choices; all kinds of career paths will open up to you. This means you’ll get plenty of variety, coaching and opportunities to lead projects, as you drive your own development to become a well-rounded finance leader.
You’ll get first-hand experience from several teams on your placements, which could include working on:
- Month-end processes
- Key financial controls
- Year-end results
- Maintaining good quality in our finance data
- Establishing good links across the finance teams.
You’ll work towards a qualification in finance, such as from Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) or Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Where could this programme take me?
You could work in a variety of roles – some of our previous graduates went on to become Financial Accountant, Regulatory Reporting Specialist, Financial Performance Analyst, Investor Relations Analyst and Financial Planning, and Economics Analyst.
Audit graduate programme (3 years)
We’re an independent voice, and provide assurance for the bank by calling out risks and ensuring effective controls are always in place to protect our customers, keep the bank safe, and support us in meeting our strategic ambitions.
You’ll get first-hand experience from several teams on your placements, which could include working on:
- Providing risk-based assurance on the bank’s operations
- Providing assurance on large changes and strategic projects, such as the implementation of a new product or system
- Providing assurance in specialist areas, such as finance, prudential risk or IT.
You’ll work towards a qualification from the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
Where could this programme take me?
Our previous graduates went on to become Senior Internal Auditors.
Risk graduate programme (2 years, with option to extend to 3 years)
We help the bank manage all kinds of risk. You’ll explore how our Risk Management Framework supports us to identify, quantify, assess and mitigate the risks of doing business with our customers, as well as internal risks.
You’ll get first-hand experience from several teams on your placements, which could include working on:
- Managing credit risk by understanding who we should lend to and what do we do if our customers cannot pay it back
- Managing compliance by understanding how we treat customers fairly within a regulatory framework
- Managing financial crime by understanding how we spot suspicious activity and prevent money laundering and fraud
- Managing operational risk by understanding how we manage the risk of loss from failed processes, people, systems or external events
- Managing capital risk by understanding how we ensure the bank can operate safely given internal and external risks (such as climate change)
- Managing model risk by understanding how we ensure that we consistently measure the risk of our banking operations, including our lending
- Managing liquidity risk by understanding how we ensure the bank is able to meet its funding needs
- Managing regulatory affairs by understanding good market practice, and how we embed it into our systems, processes and interactions with our customers.
You’ll work towards a qualification through the Senior Compliance and Risk Specialist apprenticeship.
Where could this programme take me?
You could work in a variety of roles – some of our previous graduates went on to become Impairment Senior Analyst, Anti-Money Laundering Oversight Senior Analyst, Capital and Regulatory Submissions Senior Analyst, Senior Credit Risk Analyst, and Senior Compliance Oversight Analyst.
Business Banking graduate programme (2 years)
We understand what makes our business customers ‘tick’. We deliver exceptional customer experience, and meet their needs with the right products and services.
You’ll explore how we design our customer journeys, interact with the customers and develop our products.
You’ll learn to take into consideration our customers’ needs and our business needs.
You’ll get first-hand experience from several teams on your placements, which could include working on:
- Developing propositions which are both commercially and customer focused – from idea generation to delivery
- Sharpening your commercial acumen - getting out and about with our relationship managers to support our larger business customers and drive the growth of our customer base
- Transforming the customer experience within our digital team – delivering new innovative solutions to make banking easier for our customers
- Spending time in customer delivery teams to learn first-hand what our customers want and how we can best meet their banking needs.
You’ll work towards a qualification through the Financial Services Professional apprenticeship.
Where could this programme take me?
You could work in a variety of roles – some of our previous graduates went on to become Relationship Manager, Business Development Manager, Pricing Performance and Analytics Manager, and Product Manager.
Banking Leadership graduate programme (2 years)
The Banking Leadership programme will challenge and stretch you. We’ll support you to grow professionally so you can become one of our future leaders. We don’t expect you to know where you want to specialise, so our placements are designed to help you explore your different interests and the different opportunities available.
It’s the perfect grounding for aspiring leaders, supporting you to add value and take on real responsibility from day one.
You’ll get first-hand experience from a number of teams on your placements, which could include working on:
- How we support our customers in our branches and contact centres and how we can best service their banking needs
- How we provide and ensure the day to day delivery of trusted data, management information (MI) and reporting across the bank
- How we continue to make our bank a great and inclusive place to work, where everyone is able to fulfil their potential
- Sustainability projects that can help us to achieve our environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals
- Business operations activities that allow our bank to run effectively
- Business critical projects in our finance and commercial teams, requiring in depth research, analysis and collaboration with different stakeholders across the bank.
You’ll work towards a qualification through the Financial Services Professional apprenticeship.
Where could this programme take me?
You could work in a wide variety of roles – some of our previous graduates went on to become Business Manager, Product Manager, Communications and Sustainability Manager, Strategy and Governance Manager, and Operational Resilience Senior Analyst.
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Contact our support team