Finance Graduate Programme 2025

Job summary

In Musgrave, we support thousands of retail and foodservice family businesses. Every day we feed one in three people in Ireland through 18 market-leading food and beverage brands that include SuperValu, Centra, Daybreak, MACE, Frank and Honest, and Musgrave MarketPlace. At Musgrave our values and purpose challenge and inspire us to do the right thing, with a focus on practicing good, fair and honest business, a commitment to profit with purpose and working relentlessly to innovate and lead the way in our market.

Our Finance teams play a key role in contributing to the development, implementation, and governance of an effective business strategy that increases sustainable shareholder value, is aligned with our retail partnership model and strategy, and is in keeping with the long-term vision and values of the company. These teams drive business performance through analysis and commentary, working closely with internal stakeholders and our independent retail partners.

The role is exciting and varied as you will rotate around different areas of our finance department including retail and credit control, trading finance, and financial control. In addition, you will develop the business skills to understand and apply your technical skills in a business context; the relevant people skills to influence the decisions, actions, and behaviours of business stakeholders through effective communication, and leadership skills to lead your peers and teams to deliver business objectives. The career opportunities at the end of the programme are varied and successful graduates have taken various career pathways.

To support your professional development, you’ll be supported financially to achieve the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) professional qualification. This will be undertaken via the CGMA Finance Leadership Programme, an online learning programme, similar in scope and rigour to a master’s degree, that teaches you the finance, business, people, and leadership skills that you need to succeed in the finance team of the future. All your learning, assessments, and Case Study exam preparation take place within the comprehensive FLP platform.

The professional experience you will complete in the rotations is aligned with the CIMA Competency Framework and counts towards the professional experience requirements criteria to become a CGMA designation holder. Successful achievement of the CGMA Finance Leadership Programme is a requirement of the Finance Graduate Programme. Depending on your undergraduate and/or postgraduate qualification, you may have exemptions for some stages on the CIMA pathway.

Our Finance Programme consists of 3 x 12-month rotations across key finance teams in our retail and wholesale business. These rotations may be based across Dublin, Cork, or Belfast and you must be flexible to rotate location as part of the Programme. The Finance rotations are aligned to give you the range of technical, accounting, and finance skills that management accountants need to do their jobs.

Finance graduates will rotate across three different teams during the Programme and the following activities provide an overview of the typical activities within key areas. Other rotational experiences may arise due to business requirements and details of typical activities and responsibilities would be provided at that point.
Financial Control and Business Partnering

• Complete the period end accrual workbooks, collate inputs and post all accruals on monthly basis
• Complete balance sheet recs as assigned, getting a clear understanding of what each is for and ensure process notes completed.
• Report on exceptions as part of the month end process, establish what causes these exceptions, how they can be prevented.
• Prepare and post all weekly journals for the Balanced Scorecard.
• Providing relevant insight and analysis to the business to help drive performance via weekly, monthly, and quarterly reporting on sales and margin. Support the business on requests for information to drive operational changes as required.
• Delivery of KPI decks, quarterly accounts and supporting information for relevant stakeholders to support the profit and growth agenda.
• Support the delivery of the forecasting and budget process using best in class supporting technology such as Anaplan.
Commercial (Trading) Finance – activities will vary based on business unit
• Support the finance team in developing and enhancing the brand profitability reporting.
• Provide analysis and support through reporting on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to our Trading/Commercial team and wider business, understanding and driving customer profitability. Analyse trends and report anomalies
• Provide insightful financial information through reporting on weekly, monthly and quarterly basis and providing support to the Financial accountant. Be responsible for maintaining the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Scorecard at a high level of accuracy and detail versus forecasts, budget and prior year
• Provide support and input into the wider team engagement and development
• Work closely with the Range Planning team to provide insights and performance benchmarking on the planogram process.
• Provide reporting and analysis on range performance to the Range Planning team and stores to identify areas of improvement.
• Become proficient in use of relevant systems for range planning to build/edit reports and develop data modelling skills.
• Improve customer choice and business profitability by continuously monitoring Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) count, sales, margin, and customer buying behaviour.
Retail Finance – this team is a business partner to SuperValu and Centra Retailers, supporting on business plans as required
• Support the Retail Accountants in delivering profit improvement plan for our retail partners by regular engagement with the Retail Finance Team to assess needs and through monthly KPI reports presented at the Profitability steering meeting
• Maintain weekly trackers for sales and margin
• Provide analysis of retail accounts using benchmarking templates
• Participate in ongoing retailer profitability projects as required and provide ad hoc support for reporting requirements.

Essential Qualifications
• Honours Degree (Level 8); accountancy degree or accountancy modules are a distinct advantage
Essential Skills and Knowledge
• Motivation to study for, and obtain, CGMA Professional qualification
• Desire to work in a commercially focused role in the food and beverage retail/wholesale industry
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use data to inform decision making
• Strong influencing skills and the ability to manage challenging discussions for win/win outcomes
• Microsoft Office experience
• Experience in using Excel
• Ability to deliver to aggressive targets and timelines
• Prioritisation skills to manage workload and competing demands

Salary

Starting salary is €31,000 and increases to €33,000 after 12 months subject to performance. Your salary when moving into a role on completion of the Programme will be commensurate with the market and experience.

Salary scales will vary in Northern Ireland

5% Programme completion bonus

Additional benefits include:
• Full educational assistance for CGMA subscription, study and exams and paid study leave
• WorkSmart@Musgrave – hybrid working
• 23 days holidays
• Market Leading Pension Scheme
• Subsidised Cafeteria
• Be Well Work Well: our health and wellbeing programme including online yoga and HIIT classes
• Employee Assistance Programme: Free, independent and confidential advice on mental health, wellbeing, financial or legal issues
• Employee discount in Musgrave MarketPlace
• Award-Winning Development (gradireland Graduate Employer of the Year in 2019 and 2021, Best Training and Development Programme – Business/ Management in 2020 and 2022)
• Online learning and development courses
• Individual coaching
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Bike to Work scheme
• Free parking
• Digital Doctor
• Home office equipment
• Employee Resource Groups

Location

We enjoy a flexible hybrid way of working which allows us to focus on our outcomes and contributions. Work Smart @Musgrave is our hybrid approach which gives us the option to alternate our time between connecting and collaborating in the office and working remotely. Working this way allows us to enjoy the best of the remote working experience while also giving us the opportunity to connect in person and work together onsite. Across Musgrave, our roles allow for different levels of flexibility.

Hybrid arrangements are currently 2 days in the office. Office locations are in Cork, Dublin or Belfast, subject to your rotation. You must be flexible to rotate location as part of the Programme.

Number of positions 2
Start date details 25th August 2025