Finance Industrial Placement 2027

Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks.

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.

What to Expect

We are recruiting for an Industrial placement Intern to join our Product Development Finance team at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey. As a Product Development Finance Intern, you’ll gain hands-on experience supporting the financial management and cost control of McLaren’s vehicle programmes, playing an important role in helping ensure our products meet performance and quality targets within budget.

This is a 12-month full-time Industrial Placement, designed for university students undertaking a placement year as part of a relevant degree programme. You will work alongside experienced, financial analysts, Cost Engineers and programme managers to gain practical exposure to real-world challenges and solutions in automotive cost management.

Please note this is an on-site position.

What You'll Do

During your Industrial Placement, you’ll spend the year embedded in one of our core specialist teams, gaining meaningful, project-based experience and contributing to key operational and strategic objectives.

• As part of the Product Development Finance team, you will support a variety of projects and tasks across key areas including: 
• Assist with month-end activities, including preparing journals and supporting monthly management accounts commentary. 
• Support budgeting for vehicle programmes and minor projects, helping track progress against financial targets. 
• Help maintain reporting structures and adapt to changes, working with large volumes of data under guidance. 
• Contribute to capital budget management by assisting with documentation and approvals. 
• Prepare and update programme key performance indicator (KPI) reports for review by senior team members. 
• Participate in the preparation of monthly internal forecasts, learning how these feed into wider business planning. 
• Collaborate with Programme Management, Engineering, and Purchasing teams to understand how finance supports product development. 
• You will learn as you go, with exposure to multiple areas of Product Development Finance. 
• Interns are encouraged to explore different aspects of financial support, reporting, and analysis, gaining a broad understanding of how finance drives business decisions. 
• You’ll receive mentorship and guidance from a diverse Product Development Finance team, ranging from early-career professionals to senior experts. This provides a unique opportunity to learn from colleagues with a wide variety of skills and experience, helping you build your own capabilities and confidence. 
• Training will be provided in key systems (e.g., SAP, MS Excel) and reporting tools.

You will also take part in intern development workshops, training sessions, and networking opportunities across the wider business.

What You'll Bring

• Currently studying towards a degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, Mathematics, or a related discipline, and predicted to achieve a 2:1 or above at a UK university. 
• Strong communication and organisational skills. 
• A genuine interest in the automotive industry and commercial operations. 
• Some familiarity with SAP, Microsoft Excel, and business tools (e.g., Power BI, CRM platforms) is beneficial. 
• You must also bring a passion for cars, and a desire to work at the cutting edge of the automotive industry within our Finance business area. 

Personal Attributes:

We’re looking for motivated individuals with the mindset and behaviours to thrive in a fast-moving, high-performance automotive environment. The most desirable attributes include:

• Eagerness to learn and take on new challenges. 
• Strong communication and teamwork skills. 
• Attention to detail and willingness to ask questions. 
• Adaptable and flexible working style. 
• Passion for the automotive industry and a drive to contribute to team success. 
• Comfortable using AI tools ethically and effectively to support learning, productivity, innovation, and problem-solving.

What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:

• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days.
• Enhanced company pension scheme.
• Discretionary annual bonus award.
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan.
• Life assurance benefit.
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping.
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice.
• Opportunities to experience our fantastic cars.

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