Grant Thornton

Overview

Grant Thornton is a leading U.S. professional‑services firm offering audit & assurance, tax and advisory services to public, private and not‑for‑profit organisations. Founded in Chicago in 1924, the firm positions itself as client‑centric and innovation‑focused — combining deep sector knowledge with technology (AI, automation and audit analytics) and its Auxis nearshore delivery capability to turn transformation into measurable results. The firm is part of the Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL) network, reporting $2.4 billion in revenues for the fiscal year ended 31 July 2023 and operating at scale across the U.S. with a nationwide office footprint and global access through 156+ markets.

• Headquarters: Chicago (171 N. Clark Street)
• Founded: 1924
• Lawyers: 9K+ (U.S. professionals)
• Offices: 46
• Revenue: $2.4 billion

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Corporate & M&A
• Banking & Finance
• Capital Markets
• Tax
• Financial Services & Regulation
• ESG & Sustainability
• Technology & Digital
• Data Protection & Privacy
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Real Estate
• Infrastructure & Projects
• Retail & Consumer
• Pensions

Geographic Focus: Strong national footprint across the United States with 46 U.S. offices and deep sector coverage for domestic clients. Grant Thornton operates within the global Grant Thornton network (GTIL) to serve international needs across 156+ markets; common client strategies include nearshore delivery (Auxis), cross‑border advisory using network members, and industry‑specialist teams in sectors such as technology, healthcare, energy, financial services and manufacturing.

Training Contract

Grant Thornton's early career approach emphasises internships, growth programmes and multi‑seat/rotational exposure within service lines rather than a law‑firm style training contract. Students and early career hires are placed into advisory, audit & assurance, tax or internal client services functions and receive multi‑level coaching, mentoring and structured development through the firm's educational platforms and local office programmes.

Seat Options

• Advisory
• Audit & Assurance
• Tax
• Internal Client Services

Mentorship

Structured multi‑level coaching with buddies, coaches and mentors is provided in internships and early career programmes. Employee resource groups and local office mentorship initiatives (including BRG‑led mentoring) complement formal mentoring.

Apply on the Grant Thornton website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What Grant Thornton Looks For

Key Competencies

• Curiosity and creativity (industry 'disrupters')
• Commercial awareness and client focus
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Adaptability and agility
• Analytical and technical aptitude (data/technology/AI interest)
• Leadership potential and initiative
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to inclusion and community impact

Evidence Signals

• Relevant internships or meaningful work experience in audit, tax, advisory or technology
• Demonstrable commercial awareness (case studies, project results, internships)
• Experience or interest in data, automation and AI initiatives
• Leadership in student or community organisations and participation in resource groups
• Participation in mentoring or Train the Trainer style programmes

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Hybrid work environment with flexible arrangements
• A minimum of 9 paid holidays plus 1 floating holiday annually (site references 10 paid holidays in places)
• Paid flexible time off
• Minimum of 72 hours paid sick time
• 24/7 counselling services for employees and family
• 24/7, 365 mental well‑being support
• Senior care solutions
• 30 days each year of backup childcare
• Fitness memberships and virtual workouts
• Lifestyle Spending Account benefits and reimbursements for fitness equipment, cooking classes and home office upgrades
• Family planning and fertility treatment benefits
• Industry‑leading retirement plan with 4% annual contribution and 401(k) with company match
• Reimbursement accounts for eligible medical, dental, vision and dependent care expenses
• Adoption and surrogacy reimbursement (up to $10,000)
• $100 pet adoption reimbursement
• Student loan refinancing
• Commuter spending accounts
• Insurance options including identity theft, legal services, auto and home
• Military leave policy including up to 32 weeks paid leave for active military members
• International secondment opportunities
• Access to online learning platform, multi‑level coaching and mentorship

Wellbeing

Comprehensive mental‑health resources including 24/7 counselling and mental well‑being support, senior care solutions, backup childcare, fitness membership options, virtual coaching and a Lifestyle Spending Account to support healthy choices.

Awards & Recognition

• Forbes: One of America’s Best Employers for Diversity 2024 (ranked 36 out of 500)
• Quantum Workplace: Employee Voice Award — Magnetic Culture category (2024)
• Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index: 100% score (seven years running)
• Newsweek: America’s Greatest Workplaces for Entry Level 2026
• Seramount: 20 consecutive years on the 100 Best Companies list
• Glassdoor: Best Places to Work (listed on careers pages)
• Vault: 100 Best Internships
• EcoVadis: Gold Medal Sustainability Rating

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Public commitments to DEI through partnerships, sponsorship of conventions and membership engagement; the firm reports sustained investment in resource groups, inclusive benefits and mentorship programmes and has produced a firm DE&I report. The Grant Thornton Foundation committed $500,000 to TMCF over five years.

• 10 employee‑led resource groups (3,600+ members)
• Annual Inclusion conference
• Train the Trainer programme (partnership with Thurgood Marshall College Fund)
• Empower student programme
• Arrupe apprenticeship programme (Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago)
• Partnership with ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals for America)
• Partnership with Ascend (Pan‑Asian professional organisation)
• Partnership with Disability:IN
• Partnership with NABA (National Association of Black Accountants)
• Partnership with Out & Equal
• Partnership with Tanenbaum
• Partnership with Thurgood Marshall College Fund (Grant Thornton Foundation committed $500,000 over five years)

Pro Bono

A strong local community focus with employee volunteer programmes and partnerships with charities such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Shoulders Fund and local partners (for example the San Diego Center for Children). The firm empowers local offices to lead community impact initiatives; specific firm‑wide hourly pro bono targets are not listed on the captured pages.

Innovation

Grant Thornton embeds technology across audit, tax and advisory work: digital audit uses ledger analytics and AI to test full populations and generate insights, the AI Factory moves use cases from pilot to production with governance and measurable ROI, and partnerships (Microsoft, Oracle, UiPath, Exabeam, OpenAI and others) underpin solutions. The firm combines advisory strategy, data engineering, automation and nearshore delivery (Auxis) to operationalise AI and drive measurable client value; trainees and early career hires are exposed to these programmes through Fullstax and project work.

• alyx® (proprietary platform)
• AI Factory (production model to scale AI use cases)
• Fullstax technology upskilling programme
• Auxis (nearshore outsourcing and AI/automation delivery)
• Exabeam partnership and Exabeam solution management service (SMS)
• Audit innovation toolset (patented ledger analytics, machine learning, generative AI and linguistic/text analysis)

Quick Application Angles

• Reference Grant Thornton’s culture journey and CLEARR values in your application and give a short example showing curiosity, collaboration and a time you changed how a team approached a problem.
• If you have data, automation or AI experience, highlight it: call out a measurable outcome (hours saved, error reduction, revenue impact) and mention willingness to join programmes such as Fullstax or the AI Factory.
• Demonstrate commitment to inclusion and community impact (BRG involvement, volunteer leadership or partnership experience e.g., with HBCU outreach) — the firm publicises DEI partnerships and mentoring programmes.
• Show commercial awareness of Grant Thornton’s integrated advisory + nearshore delivery model (Auxis) — explain how you would help clients scale solutions across advisory and delivery rather than only delivering theory.
• Use concrete examples of teamwork and client exposure: Grant Thornton emphasises early client contact and multi‑level coaching, so reference situations where you worked directly with senior stakeholders or delivered client‑facing output.