Technology Programme Placement 2024

A 12-month masterclass in Software Development.

That's one good thing.

At Capital One, we're on a mission: to change the world of credit for better – one small, good thing at a time. You might think of us as a credit card company. But the truth is, we're just as much a technology business. And we're here to make a positive difference – to our customers, our colleagues and society as a whole.

One of the happy consequences of making finance easier for our customers is that Capital One is an inspiring place to launch your career. Join us for a 12-month placement, and you can expect real responsibility as you take on meaningful work in collaborative teams.

We are committed to creating a level playing field and seek to create teams that are representative of our customers and the communities we serve. We’d love to hear from you if you identify with an under-represented group in our industry and are particularly keen to hear from women, the LGBTQ+ community and ethnic minority candidates.

We want to help you grow. That’s why we invest heavily in your learning and development. We’ve got a great track record of hiring graduates and enabling them to reach their full potential. Just look at our CEO, Lucy Hagues. She started as a graduate and now leads the UK business. And that’s just one of many success stories.

Technology at Capital One

Our Software Developers challenge the status quo and make an impact on millions of customers every single day. And that's what makes a placement year in tech here like nowhere else. This is a 12-month masterclass in Software Development. You will get the option to either spend your full 12 months in one team, or split your time across two teams, with six months in each. Either way, you'll be working on real life projects, and you'll get to see the impact of the work you do.

As part of our Technology Programme, you will have the opportunity to work within one (or two) of our core tech teams. You could be working on customer journeys across our apps and website, creating backend APIs alongside our Services teams. You could be working with the Data teams that ensure all the information we store is safe and secure, but ready to be accessed at a moment's notice. Or with the Cloud Productivity Engineering teams in building and developing our class-leading shared capabilities and pipelines.

Along the way, you’ll learn how to build great platforms, tools and frameworks. Depending on the team you are in, you will get to use the latest JavaScript frameworks for web development, develop with native iOS and Android toolchains on mobile, deploy Cloud-hosted microservices and so much more!

And it isn’t just about honing your technical skills. There's plenty of scope for personal development too. You'll be assigned a manager, mentor and buddy to support and advise you along the way. You can also get involved in social events run by our dedicated GradComms team or give back to the community through any of our corporate social responsibility initiatives.

What you’ll need

Baseline coding skills (in any language) are important, but you don't need a background in Computer Science. We've hired graduates from Psychology, Maths and many other disciplines. Because you'll be working across multiple channels, we’ll want to see the flexibility and aptitude for learning it takes to master lots of different tools and technologies.  

As much as we'll be looking at your current coding skills, we also want to see your potential and strengths. We understand this may be your first role, or that you might not have experience within a professional tech environment. And that’s okay, we don’t expect you to be an accomplished developer – just enthusiastic and a quick learner.

The recruitment process

To ensure a flexible and accessible process, every stage will be conducted virtually. You'll also have a dedicated recruiter to support you throughout and answer any questions you might have.

• Step 1: After your initial application, if you meet the hiring criteria you will be sent out online testing to complete, which consists of a coding assessment and a situational strengths assessment.
• Step 2: Next up, you will be invited to complete a one-way video interview.
• Step 3: You’ll get to (virtually) meet with two members of our tech team during the assessment day, which consists of a pair programming exercise and a presentation and strengths-based interview.
• Step 4: The final interview, you will be invited to (virtually) meet with one of our Senior Software Managers, and if successful we’ll offer you a place on the programme!

What’s in it for you?    

• The chance to contribute to the future roadmap of our organisation
• Exciting (and diverse) opportunities for career development
• Outstanding learning and development through our Capital One University training programmes (and appropriate external providers)
• Core benefits including a pension scheme, bonus, generous holidays and private medical insurance
• Flexible benefits including season-ticket loans, cycle to work scheme and enhanced parental leave
• Open-plan workspaces and accessible facilities designed to support and inspire you, including a fully serviced gym, subsidised restaurant, mindfulness and games rooms.

What you should know about how we recruit

We pride ourselves on hiring the best people, not the same people. Building diverse and inclusive teams is the right (and the smart) thing to do. We want to work with top talent: whoever you are, whatever you look like, wherever you come from. We know it’s about what you do, not just what you say. That’s why we make our recruitment process fair and accessible.

We also partner with organisations including the Women in Finance and Race At Work Charters, Stonewall and upReach to find people from every walk of life and help them thrive with us. We have a whole host of internal networks and support groups you could be involved in, to name a few:

• REACH – Race Equality and Culture Heritage group focuses on representation, retention and engagement for associates from minority ethnic groups and allies
• OutFront – to provide LGBTQ+ support for all associates
• Mind Your Mind – signposting support and promoting positive mental wellbeing for all
• Women in Tech – promoting an inclusive environment in tech
• EmpowHER - network of female associates and allies focusing on developing future leaders, particularly for female talent in our industry

Capital One is committed to diversity in the workplace.

Where and how you'll work

This is a 12-month placement based in our Nottingham office. But you should know we’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working model - one that creates the opportunity to work both remotely and in our offices, which provide great spaces for in-person collaboration.

Our core office days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but the number of days you actually spend in the office will be led by your team, the work you’re doing. Many of our associates have flexible working patterns, so we’re open to discuss flexible working arrangements with you.

Helping you to succeed

We want to create an interview environment that allows you to feel confident that you can perform at your best and understand that this may be different for everyone. If we can make any arrangements or adjustments to support you during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing ukrecruitment@capitalone.com. 

For technical support or questions about Capital One’s recruiting process, please send an email to careers@capitalone.com