Operational Excellence Graduate Programme 2025

About our Operational Excellence Graduate Programme

Our programme sits within the Operations & Business Services (OBS) area of the organisation. OBS is a diverse area of the bank that includes Group Change, Capability and Efficiency, Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain Management, Workplace Operations, Customer Services and Group Resilience. We support the Bank's purpose by providing efficient, resilient operations, best-in-class customer service delivery and coordinated strategic change.

In OBS, you’ll create valuable connections, expand your network, and fuel personal and team development. We provide comprehensive support, further education, volunteering opportunities, and engaging events – ensuring your time with us is not just productive but an exceptional experience.

Our programme offers diverse experiences across different teams to ensure our graduates develop key skills that will accelerate the growth and drive the future success of our business.

Our graduates work and rotate across several areas in OBS that are key to the Bank’s strategy, having the opportunity to influence their choice of rotation within OBS.

Outside of the day job, our programme offers graduates extensive extracurricular opportunities. Engage in community-driven initiatives and vibrant networking events, connect and collaborate with industry leaders, take part in skill-building workshops and so much more. Our programme encourages exploration, so our graduates not only excel in their roles in AIB, but also flourish in terms of their professional journey and personal development.

What does a past graduate make of their programme experience?

Please click here to hear from Anthony about his experience as an Operational Excellence graduate at AIB.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary
• Agile & remote working opportunities
• Rotations across different teams
• Support for further education
• Strong emphasis on work-life balance
• Structured learning & development programme
• Considerable pension benefits
• 21 Days annual leave + 2 additional volunteer days
• Healthcare Options
• Variable Remuneration Scheme

Entry Requirements:

• Achieved or expected to achieve a minimum 2.1 Honours Degree (or equivalent for universities outside of Ireland) is a prerequisite for those joining the AIB graduate programme.
• Candidates must be fully authorised to work in Ireland or hold a valid work permit for the full duration of the 23-month contract (September 2025 – August 2027).

Confirmation of these will be sought if successful for the role.

The Closing Date for applications to this programme is 05/01/2025

Please click here to view all other available AIB graduate programmes.

Please click here for more information about AIB’s Early Careers suite and what we have to offer.

About our Graduate Programme

AIB’s award-winning Graduate Programme offers you the opportunity to gain a diverse set of experiences and capabilities to accelerate your career and personal growth. Our Learning & Development Programme has been designed to support your career journey, blending social, on the job, and formal approaches to learning.

All AIB graduates are assigned a designated People Leader who is there to help support you in your day-to-day role and responsibilities – you’re not expected to know everything!

We will have a group of graduates starting as part of our 2025 Operational Excellence programme, along with graduates from previous years, who you will get to meet and work with throughout the programme.

We also have a wider network of supports to avail of, such as our Employee Assistance Programme & Mentor Her, to ensure you feel comfortable and confident in your new role.

Please click here for further information about AIB’s PACT – Our Commitment to You.

Life at AIB

At AIB, we have a clear purpose - to empower people to build a sustainable future. We want to be at the heart of our customers’ financial lives by giving them an exceptional experience. That goes for our employees too.

We are building a culture that breaks the conventions of what our customer and employees expect of a bank.

We are committed to offering our colleagues choice and flexibility in how we work and live. Our hybrid working model enables our people to balance their time between working from home and their designated office, subject to their role, the needs of our customers and business requirements. More details on our hybrid working arrangements and expected office attendance for your role will be provided to you during the recruitment process.

AIB is an equal opportunities employer, and we pride ourselves on being the first bank in Ireland to receive the Investors in Diversity Gold Standard accreditation from the Irish Centre for Diversity. We celebrate diversity and believe in a culture of inclusion where all our employees can succeed. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees. Should you have a reasonable accommodation request please email the Talent Acquisition team at Grads@aib.ie .

AIB’s Commitment to Building a Sustainable Future

AIB’s Purpose – Empowering people to build a sustainable future – puts sustainability at the heart of our Group strategy.

Through our €30b Climate Action Fund, we are greening our business and supporting our customers as they transition to a cleaner, greener future. Our commitment to taking appropriate steps in creating more sustainable communities is strongly reflected in our target to become Net Zero in our own operations by 2030, as well as our ambition for 70% of all new lending to be green or transition by 2030.

For further info on all of AIB’s sustainability strategies and targets, please follow the link to view our latest Sustainability Report