Finance Graduate

BriefYour role

L3 salary: Not published yetSalary figures open with the salaries section.
Upcoming dated changes: 2 changes aheadNext: 1 Jan 2027
Where the changes come from
Each change in the Regulatory calendar comes from an official text, linked on its page.
A change affects this role directly when it names a process that is one of the role's main tasks.
Top critical skills: Accounting fundamentals (double entry)
Financial statement analysis and ratios
Advanced Microsoft Excel

What the role does

Finance Graduate is a role in Finance, Accounting & Control. The family covers accounting, controlling, planning, treasury and finance roles inside companies. The core skill is accounting fundamentals (double entry), and the main work is financial reporting and accounting and reconciliations.

This is a brief profile written from the catalogue. A full profile with a day in the life, level descriptions and the effect of AI is being written.

Levels

L1 Starting out 0-2 years
L2 Independent 2-5 years
L3 Senior or specialist 5-9 years
L4 Leads a team or an area 8-14 years
L5 Leads the function 12+ years

Full level descriptions and job titles

The EFO level names are the common scale; job titles differ between employers.

Levels of Finance Graduate
Level	What the work looks like	Typical years	Typical job titles
L1 Starting out	Learns the job; executes defined tasks with supervision	0-2	Banks: Analyst, Junior Analyst, Associate (asset servicing), Trainee, GraduateAsset servicers: Junior, Specialist (entry), Officer
L2 Independent	Owns a process end to end; trains L1; first contact for the team's clients	2-5	Banks: Analyst / Senior Analyst, AssociateAsset servicers: Specialist, Senior Specialist, Senior Officer
L3 Senior or specialist	Deep expertise; handles exceptions and change; represents the function in projects	5-9	Banks: Senior Associate, AVP, Assistant ManagerAsset servicers: Senior Specialist, Expert, Team Lead (small team)
L4 Leads a team or an area	Manages people or a large process; owns budgets or controls; escalation point	8-14	Banks: VP, Manager, Senior ManagerAsset servicers: Team Lead, Manager, Head of Section
L5 Leads the function	Accountable for the function in a legal entity or region; sets priorities and standards	12+	Banks: Director, Executive Director, Managing Director, Head of functionAsset servicers: Head of Department, Director

Specialisations

Specialisations share most of the role and differ in the skills listed here.

Finance Graduate (Banking)

Critical skills: Accounting fundamentals (double entry), Financial statement analysis and ratios, Advanced Microsoft Excel

Matches your search

Skills

The percentage is the skill's share of the role; the bars are drawn relative to the anchor skill, which is shown full.

Critical 4

The job cannot be done without these.

Accounting fundamentals (double entry)Weight 14.6%Anchor skillExpected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Financial statement analysis and ratiosWeight 9.8%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Advanced Microsoft ExcelWeight 9.8%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you
Period-end close and reconciliationsWeight 9.8%Expected level: practitionerRelevant to you

Important and supporting skills 17

Important 8

Needed in most positions.

International accounting standards (IFRS)Weight 4.9%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Financial planning and forecastingWeight 4.9%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Attention to detailWeight 4.9%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Professional written communicationWeight 4.9%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Fast learning abilityWeight 4.9%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Organisation and prioritisationWeight 4.9%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Control mindset (what could go wrong)Weight 4.9%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Management reporting and commentaryWeight 4.9%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you

Supporting 6

Help in many positions.

Querying data with SQLWeight 2.4%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Microsoft PowerPointWeight 2.4%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Collaboration and teamworkWeight 2.4%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Working to tight deadlinesWeight 2.4%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Commercial acumen and business senseWeight 2.4%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Variance analysis (price, volume, mix)Weight 2.4%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you

Useful 3

Occasionally useful.

SAP enterprise systemsWeight 0.8%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Visualisation tools (Power BI, Tableau)Weight 0.8%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you
Intellectual curiosityWeight 0.8%Expected level: working knowledgeRelevant to you

Processes

The work the role takes part in.

What each process covers

Financial reporting and accountingMainClosing the books and producing financial statements under IFRS or local rules.
ReconciliationsMainMatching positions and cash between internal records and external statements.
Planning, budgeting and controllingSupportingBudgets, forecasts, cost control and management reporting.

Dated changes for this role

1 Jan 2027CSRD scope narrowed by Omnibus I; second wave reports from financial year 2027Relevant to you
10 Jul 2027European Single Access Point opens to the publicRelevant to you

See all 2 in the Regulatory calendar

Salary snapshot

Salary figures are not published yet

The L3 salary range for this role, with its sources, will appear here when the salaries section opens.

Certifications

ACCA Qualification ACCA
CIMA CGMA AICPA and CIMA
CFA Program Level I CFA Institute
ACA Chartered Accountant ICAEW

Concepts to know

All 16 concepts

Neighbouring roles

Roles that need many of the same skills, by weighted skill overlap, with the skills you would need to add.

General Accountant

60% skill overlap

To add: Revenue recognition, Statutory accounts and local GAAP conversion

Your role

Group Reporting Accountant

57% skill overlap

To add: Group consolidation, Revenue recognition, Statutory accounts and local GAAP conversion

Your role

Accounts Assistant / Bookkeeper

49% skill overlap

To add: Order to cash and procure to pay operations, Accounting software operations, Indirect taxes (VAT, GST, sales tax)

Your role

External Audit Associate

42% skill overlap

To add: Audit methodology, Internal controls and risk oversight, Assessing the quality of sources

Your role

Business Controller

41% skill overlap

To add: Building and managing a budget, Cost accounting and product costing, Profitability analysis (margins, contribution)

Your role

Tax Associate

41% skill overlap

To add: Corporate taxation, Intercompany transfer pricing, Legal research and regulatory interpretation

Your role

Do this job? Suggest a correction

Sources

The EFO role catalogue, with skills, levels and processes. How it is built
ESCO classification of the European Commission (external site) for job titles