About the role
Start Your Finance Career with DS Smith
Are you a recent Finance or Accountancy graduate looking to kick-start your career with a global organisation? At DS Smith, we're offering an exciting opportunity to join our Business Services Finance team as a Assistant Accountant at our Business Service Centre in Caerphilly.
This is more than just your first finance role. It's an opportunity to gain hands-on experience across the full accounting cycle, work alongside experienced finance professionals, and build a strong foundation for a successful career in finance within a FTSE-listed business. With a structured development pathway and full study support towards a professional qualification (ACCA, CIMA or equivalent), we'll help you develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to thrive.
What you’ll be doing
As an Assistant Accountant, you'll support the delivery of a high-quality accounting service to our UK business while gaining exposure to a wide range of financial processes and stakeholders.
You'll have the opportunity to:
Assist in preparing monthly management accounts and financial reports for operational teams
Support the production of Profit & Loss statements and Balance Sheets
Gain exposure to Group and Divisional reporting requirements within a global business
Analyse financial performance and investigate variances to help support decision-making
Work closely with Finance Business Partners and operational teams across the business
Support annual budgeting, forecasting and financial planning activities
Process accounting journals and maintain accurate financial records
Reconcile general ledger accounts and help ensure strong financial controls
Collaborate with colleagues across Purchase to Pay, Credit & Collections and other finance teams to understand end-to-end finance processes
About you
A degree in Accountancy, Finance, Economics or a related subject
Strong analytical and numerical skills
Good Microsoft Excel skills and confidence working with data
A proactive approach and willingness to learn
Strong communication and organisational skills
The ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
A team-oriented mindset with a positive attitude
Ideally, some experience within a finance or accounting environment gained through an internship, placement year, industrial placement, part-time role or similar industry experience
Benefits
Competitive salary
Discretionary bonus
Study support towards a professional qualification
25 days holiday, plus bank holidays
Pension, life assurance and income protection
Sharesave scheme
Employee Assistance Program
Digital GP and Health Checks
Retail and leisure discounts
Cycle to work scheme
Location: This role is based at our Caerphilly office on a hybrid basis - 3 days a week in the office and 2 at home
About us
We are DS Smith, together with International Paper, we are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre-based products. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. We employ more than 65,000 colleagues in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), who are experts in innovation, manufacturing, design, sales, sustainability, supply chain, and much more. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Become part of a world-leading organisation and do your best work with us!
Fair recruitment at DS Smith
To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.
Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria
#LI-CE
Skills Required
- IT literate with good knowledge of Microsoft Excel
- Accountancy or Finance related degree or qualification
- Willingness to learn and develop skills through individual and team work
- Excellent time management skills
- Previous experience providing accounting or reporting services
- Experience of using SAP or a similar ERP system
DS Smith Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about DS Smith and has not been reviewed or approved by DS Smith.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered okay to good across many roles, with some plants indicating competitive or above‑market hourly rates for operators and similar positions. This supports a broadly fair perception of base pay even as experiences vary by site.
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Healthcare Strength — U.S. offerings include day‑one medical/vision and dental, employer HSA contributions, and 100% company‑paid life and short/long‑term disability, alongside an EAP. Some role descriptions also highlight mental‑health and fertility options.
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Retirement Support — Packages commonly reference a 401(k) with company match and, in some locations, pension eligibility or company‑funded retirement contributions. This positions retirement benefits as a meaningful component of total rewards.
DS Smith Insights
What We Do
DS Smith provides innovative packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services with a commitment to sustainability and a circular economy. Our core purpose is to Redefine Packaging for a Changing World, and our expert teams work closely with like-minded partners to incorporate renewable resources for products that minimize our environmental impact, reduce complexity and increase profitability through supply chain optimization
