Giant Leap Trainee, Finance Process and Workflow Automation Trainee

Are you close to graduating from your Master’s studies and interested in how finance processes can be improved with automation and smart digital solutions?

Are you ready to take a Giant Leap? We’re looking for a Finance Process and Workflow Automation Trainee for our Giant Leap program – a project-based internship in our HQ in Vantaa. This project focuses on developing and automating finance processes in practice. You will work on a limited-scope, end-to-end finance process automation pilot using RPA or low-code workflow tools (such as Microsoft Power Automate or UiPath) for a selected Finance & Controls process, and contribute to drafting a practical Process Automation roadmap to support future development and scaling of automation within Finance & Controls. As a Giant Leaper, you will get your own project to lead for three months, starting in May or June.

Vaisala is a global leader in measurement instruments and intelligence helping industries, nations, people, and the planet to thrive. From predicting hurricanes to optimizing renewable energy production, our technology is used where it matters the most – from data centers, windfarms and laboratories to airports, the Arctic and even the surface of Mars. For a second year running, Vaisala got recognized in TIME Magazine's World's Best Companies in Sustainable Growth 2026 study. Our team of close to 2,500 experts and 62 nationalities around the world is committed to taking every measure for the planet. Driven by our shared purpose, curiosity, and pioneering spirit, we stay ahead and make a difference. At Vaisala, you don't have to fit in to belong.

Giant Leap is a unique opportunity for you to be the project manager of your own project, with the support of your teammates and project supervisor. Every year, these projects are carefully selected by our leadership teams, meaning that you get to work on real-life questions that are important for us as a company.

We invest in your growth with training sessions throughout the summer. Along with lessons from your own field and work life in general, you have a chance to learn, for instance, presentation skills, project management and problem solving. Connections built with fellow Giant Leapers, Vaisala’s brilliant experts and our leadership form an invaluable network for your career. Many of our former Giant Leapers have also gone on to build impressive careers at Vaisala after the program.

What will your summer look like?

As the trainee, you will run a hands-on Finance & Controls process and workflow automation project end-to-end. You will take ownership from analysis through delivery, working closely with business and technical stakeholders.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Mapping the current (“as-is”) Finance & Controls workflow and identifying automation opportunities
• Co-designing and agreeing the target (“to-be”) process together with the process owner and key stakeholders
• Building and delivering a limited-scope automation pilot using RPA or low-code tools (for example Microsoft Power Automate or UiPath), including build, testing, and a controlled production run
• Delivering one concrete, production-ready automation pilot (final process area agreed in spring), and
• Turning the learning from that pilot into a clear, business-owned view of what to automate next
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In parallel with the pilot, you will contribute to drafting a Finance & Controls Process Automation roadmap, which includes:

• Identifying and sizing further automation opportunities across Finance & Controls
• Clarifying dependencies, prerequisites, and constraints
• Proposing a realistic sequencing and governance model to support scaling automation after the internship
• Supporting process owners, when needed, in articulating solution needs and requirements towards IT
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This work is important for Vaisala, as it supports the efficiency, quality, and scalability of finance operations, while also strengthening internal control maturity by ensuring that approvals, documentation, and audit trails are embedded into automated workflows from the start.

Expected results from the internship include:

• A production-ready automation pilot (limited scope), including a run-book and defined control design
• A draft Finance & Controls Process Automation roadmap with opportunity sizing and prioritized next steps
• Measurable pilot outcomes, such as reduced cycle time and manual steps, improved on-time approvals, shorter exception aging, or improved audit trail completeness

You will work closely with Finance & Controls process owners and subject matter experts, and collaborate with other stakeholders as needed (for example data or technology specialists) to ensure the solution is both feasible and scalable. Your supervisor will be Erika Grönroos, Head of Internal Controls. You will be supported through clear milestones and regular check-ins, while still having real ownership to drive the work forward.

During the summer, you can expect to:

• Learn how finance processes work end-to-end in a global organization
• Understand how automation impacts risks, controls, and auditability
• Develop practical skills in stakeholder collaboration, project execution, documentation and handover, benefits measurement, and translating pilot insights into a scalable roadmap

This position is based at our Vantaa office, with the possibility of hybrid work depending on the phase of the project.

What kind of skillset are we looking for?

We are looking for a student in the final stage of their Master’s degree (MSc) in a relevant field such as Finance, Accounting, Industrial Engineering, Business Analytics, Information Systems (for example business information technology), or a similar discipline.

You are a good fit for this role if you:

• Have a basic understanding of finance processes and a strong interest in hands-on finance process development and automation
• Have gained relevant experience through studies, case work, thesis work, summer jobs, or trainee roles
• Are familiar with finance workflows such as approvals, reconciliations, reporting, or control-related processes (an advantage)
• Are interested in how automation and digital workflows can improve finance processes, including approvals, evidence handling, and audit trails, from both efficiency and controls/quality perspectives
• Can structure and document processes clearly, work with data, and collaborate effectively with process owners and other stakeholders
• Have some exposure to building small automations or workflows (for example using Power Automate, UiPath, or similar low-code tools), or are highly motivated to learn these in practice
• This role focuses on finance process and workflow automation (such as approvals, reconciliations, and control-related workflows), not on operational automation in areas like manufacturing or logistics.

You are curious, analytical, and proactive, enjoy taking ownership, and are comfortable driving work from ambiguity to concrete outcomes. You communicate clearly, collaborate well with different stakeholders, and are comfortable working in English.

Are you ready to take a Giant Leap?

Please apply by February 1, 2026, and include your CV.
We’d also love to hear what inspired you to apply for this role and to Vaisala in a brief cover letter.

Schedule and steps of the recruitment process:

• Application period: January 12 – February 1
• Invitations to the interview events: during week 6
• Interview events at Vaisala, Vantaa (F2F): week 7
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If you want to know more, feel free to reach out to the project supervisor Erika Grönroos via email first.last@vaisala.com. Please note that applications sent via email cannot be processed due to privacy reasons.

Kindly note that we are not able to provide support in relocation or work permit-related matters.