Barden is partnering with a well-established organisation to recruit an Accounts Payable Specialist.

This full-time, permanent role is ideal for a motivated finance professional with 1+ years’ AP experience looking to take ownership of supplier accounts and payments within a collaborative finance team.

Key Responsibilities

• Process supplier invoices and raise payments
• Manage key supplier accounts and resolve invoice queries
• Perform monthly reconciliations and support audits
• Assist with improvements to AP processes and workflows
• Support other finance tasks as needed

What We’re Looking For

• 1+ years’ experience in Accounts Payable or similar finance role
• Solid understanding of accounting principles
• Strong Excel skills and experience with accounting systems
• Hands-on, self-motivated, and organised
• Confident liaising with management and suppliers

For more information, get in touch with Phonsie Irwin in Barden (Phonsie.irwin@barden.ie).

Barden are delighted to be partnering with a highly regarded facilities services organisation to recruit a Finance Business Partner.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Part Qualified Accountant to move into a visible, commercially focused role where you will work closely with senior leaders and play a key role in shaping business decisions and driving performance.

Location: Dublin (Office-based)

Type: Full-time, Permanent

The Opportunity

In this role, you will:

• Act as a trusted finance partner to operational leaders.
• Deliver clear, insightful financial analysis to support decision-making.
• Own month-end close activities, including P&L and balance sheet analysis.
• Explain performance against budget and forecast.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and long-term planning.
• Identify trends, risks, and opportunities to improve margins and performance.
• Challenge and influence key commercial decisions.
• Contribute to ongoing improvements in reporting, processes, and systems.

About You

• Part Qualified Accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA).
• Experience in a commercial finance or business partnering role.
• Strong business acumen with the confidence to engage and influence stakeholders.
• Analytical, detail-focused, and commercially curious.
• Experience in an operational or services environment is a strong advantage.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious finance professional to step into a role with real influence and clear progression.

For more information, please contact Phonsie Irwin (phonsie.irwin@barden.ie) or apply via the link below.

The question I asked on a recent LinkedIn poll was:

Are you planning to move jobs externally in 2026?

• 44% said yes
• 39% said no
• 17% said maybe

44% of people in the market are actively considering moving roles externally. That seems quite a high proportion. Another further-reaching piece of data we have from LinkedIn Talent Insights shows that job-seeking behaviour in Ireland stands at 12.5%. That means 12.5% of people on LinkedIn in Ireland are demonstrating job-seeking behaviour: actively reviewing job descriptions, updating their LinkedIn profiles, and so on. A further data point is that 8.9% of the talent pool changed jobs in the past year.

The key point here is the difference between those who are thinking about moving jobs and those who actually move. There’s a big gap between those numbers. Why?

Earned Flexibility

People naturally believe the grass is greener somewhere else, but when they explore the external market, reality often kicks in. Flexible working is a big part of that. Many professionals have earned flexibility in their current role: hybrid arrangements, trusted hours, autonomy, and quickly realise how difficult that is to replicate with a new employer where trust hasn’t yet been built. Ultimately, flexibility is such an important variable for talent that it alone can prevent people from moving jobs. People talk about moving jobs, show light job-seeking behaviour, and remain curious, but ultimately decide they have it pretty good where they are – back to that “better the devil you know…” sentiment!

Barriers to Entry

Procrastination is also at play here. Life gets in the way. There’s never a perfect week to update a CV, never a perfect day to start looking for a new job, and often no clarity about which roles to apply for or what salary expectations to set. These small barriers create a large gap between the idea of moving jobs and the action of doing something to achieve it. That’s exactly what the data reflects: 44% considering a move versus 12.5% actually taking steps.

The Odds are Ever in Your Favour

What’s interesting is what happens once people do take action. If roughly 12.5% of professionals are actively job-seeking, and 8.9% of the overall talent pool changed jobs last year, that implies that once someone commits to the process, there’s roughly a 70%+ chance they will secure a new role. Those are pretty good odds.

Many people simply don’t know how or where to start. There’s one very easy way to do that: identify a talent advisor who recruits specifically within your space and send them an email.

A Note for the More Ambitious Professional

Regardless of how content someone is in their current role, after about two years, ambitious people naturally become more curious about opportunities, both internally and externally. At a more senior level, C-suite or C-1, ambitious people are almost always market-aware. They should know what’s happening in the marketplace, what opportunities exist with competitors or organisations in their supply chain. Relevant senior roles don’t appear every day, so smart executives stay informed about what’s happening externally, even when they’re happy where they are.

Final Thoughts

If you are curious about moving jobs in 2026, find a talent advisor who recruits in your area. Send one email. The rest will be taken care of.

At Barden, our advisory team works with clients on a case-by-case basis to develop controls tailored to their specific processes and needs. If this would be helpful, reach out to me at ed.heffernan@barden.ie

Barden’s Recently Qualified Accountants Team (most of whom are qualified accountants, just like you) are here to help you make your very best first step as a qualified accountant.

Below you’ll find out more about each of the team. Drop an email to one of our team, and they will take care of you from there…

Siobhán Sexton ACA | Associate Director | Recently Qualified Accountants | Barden Munster

Siobhán Sexton ACA is the Associate Director of the Recently Qualified Accountants practice of Barden’s talent advisory and recruitment firm in Munster.

After completing a Bachelor of Business Studies at UL, Siobhán began her career by training with KPMG’s tax department, achieving her ACA qualification in 2017. Following her time at KPMG, she transitioned into the realm of recruitment, joining Barden’s Recently Qualified Accountants team in Dublin in March 2017.

In July 2018, she embarked on an 18-month sabbatical to live in Canada, where she gained invaluable international recruitment experience and also did some travelling in Southeast Asia and South America. Upon her return to Ireland in April 2020, Siobhán rejoined the Barden team, this time in Munster, where she has since progressed to the position of Associate Director, supporting recently qualified accountants.

Connect with Siobhán at siobhan.sexton@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.

Conor Murphy ACA | Consultant | Recently Qualified Accountants | Barden Munster

Conor Murphy ACA is a Consultant in the Recently Qualified Accountants practice of Barden’s talent advisory and recruitment firm in Munster.

Conor holds a degree in Economics from UCC and an MSc in Corporate Finance. He began his career at KPMG in Cork, working in audit and completing his ACA exams. After qualifying, he spent four years in Australia as a Finance Business Partner for a ski resort while living in Melbourne. Post-COVID, Conor relocated to London and transitioned from finance to recruitment.

Conor joined the Barden team in May 2024 to support Jonathan Olden in developing the emerging practices division and transitioned into the Recently Qualified team in November 2025. His background in Big 4 and industry accounting positions him perfectly to transition into this new role and advise recently qualified accountants on their next career steps.

Connect with Conor at conor.murphy@Barden.ie or via LinkedIn.

Aideen Murphy ACA CTA | Partner | Tax & Practice | Barden Munster

Aideen Murphy is a Partner within the accounting and tax talent advisory and recruitment practice in Munster, leading the Tax and Practice area of the business.

She trained through a Big 4 firm, qualifying as an accountant, and further went on to study tax, in which she qualified in in 2012. Aideen spent a number of years, post qualification, working in both practice and industry before moving to recruitment in 2015.

Aideen is a subject matter expert in tax and accounting careers, is an active member of the Women in Tax in Ireland (WiTii) committee and regularly contributes to publications on the tax profession. Aideen advise leadership teams within Accounting Firms along with CFOs and tax leadership teams in Munster on attracting and retaining world class teams.

Connect with Aideen at aideen.murphy@barden.ie or vis LinkedIn.

Get in Touch With Us

Barden is where recently qualified accountants go before they start looking for a job.

When you meet Barden you will be meeting Ireland’s most experienced talent advisory and recruitment team, many of whom are themselves accounting and tax qualified.

Your future is too important to leave to chance. Take control, get informed and plan your professional future with Barden. Drop us an email at hello@barden.ie and we will get in touch to arrange a time and date that suits you to start planning your professional future.

Barden has been engaged exclusively by a well‑established Irish PLC with a strong track record and a growing finance function. The business is headquartered in Dublin and offers a collaborative, professional environment with a clear focus on continuous improvement and high‑quality financial governance.

About the Role

The Finance Manager will play a key role within the group finance team, partnering closely with senior leaders and managing the end‑to‑end financial operations of several group entities.
This position also leads a small team and provides oversight of financial reporting, statutory compliance, budgeting and operational finance.

This is a Dublin City based role with an expectation to collaborate in the office 3 days a week.

Key elements include:

• Full ownership of month‑end, statutory accounts, audit and tax deliverables
• Preparation of budgets, reforecasts and financial commentary for leadership
• Oversight of operational finance processes, including cash management
• Supporting group cash modelling and ad‑hoc financial analysis
• Managing and developing two direct reports

The Ideal Person

• Qualified Accountant with at least 4 years PQE.
• Proven track record within a large Irish PLC or detailed experience from practice audit of PLC clients.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge of accounting principles and procedures essential.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence at all levels.

Please note this is a fixed term contract with expected duration of 12 – 14 months.

Flexibility, strong cultural identity and genuine progression opportunities are the three most common things senior Finance professionals are looking for in their next career move right now. This role ticks all the boxes, and more.

We are thrilled to be partnering exclusively with this leading pharmaceutical business to help identify an Associate Director. Roles of this calibre are unique to the Cork market. This would be ideal move for an ambitious finance professional looking to elevate their career within an innovative global business. This is a key role within the Finance team, the Associate Director will have oversight of financial and statutory reporting, compliance, and internal controls as well as business partnering with the wider business.

Reporting to a charismatic and personable senior leader, the ideal person will be a solution driven individual who demonstrates superb leadership and business partnering capabilities.

Sound interesting? Please contact myself on caroline.frawley@barden.ie or my colleague Denis Galvin on denis.galvin@barden.ie for further information.

ABOUT THE ROLE

• Provide day-to-day leadership, direction, and coaching of the team
• Oversee accurate and timely month end close activities, ensuring compliance with US GAAP principals
• Manage the preparation and filing of statutory financial statements as well as supporting group consolidation under IFRS
• Ownership of financial and SOX compliance for all entities
• Drive collaboration and engagement by bringing the team together regularly through 1:1’s and team meetings
• Partner with stakeholders including FP&A, treasury, tax and the wider business for successful solutions and change implementation
• Contribution to the establishment of a continuous improvement culture
• Ad hoc duties and projects to support the growing needs of the business

“We are committed to our future in Cork, a key location for us in our global footprint. Headcount continues to grow and with this, comes opportunity. We are seeking a high calibre individual who can excel in a growth business” – VP Finance

ABOUT THE PERSON

• Qualified Accountant with 5-10 years PQE
• Strong people management skills with a proven track record in managing a team
• Excellent communication skills
• Proven ability to influence at all levels in the organization
• Positive attitude with a high level of personal integrity
• Ability to prioritise workload to meet deadlines

We are delighted to be partnering with our client on an opportunity for an experienced Debtors leader to take ownership of a critical function and make a real commercial impact.

If you’re an experienced Accounts Receivable professional ready to lead, influence and add value at a senior level, this role may be for you.

This senior role is responsible for leading the debtors function end-to-end, setting credit strategy, optimising cash flow, and managing complex, high-value accounts. You’ll lead a team, influence senior stakeholders, and drive continuous improvement across systems and processes.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

• Lead and oversee the full debtors function, including credit control policies and payment terms
• Manage invoicing, statements, collections, reconciliations and allocations
• Monitor debtor ageing and follow up overdue balances
• Handle sensitive payment discussions and key accounts
• Prepare and present weekly and monthly debtor reports
• Analyse debtor trends and recommend risk-mitigation strategies
• Support system implementations and process improvements
• Ensure compliance with Irish financial regulations and audit requirements
• Approve credit limits, payment plans and escalation strategies

ABOUT THE PERSON:

• Significant senior-level experience in debtors management, credit control or accounts receivable
• Proven people management and leadership capability
• Strong commercial acumen and cash-flow expertise
• Confident communicator and negotiator
• Comfortable managing complex, high-value accounts

Barden’s Recently Qualified Accountants Team (most of whom are qualified accountants, just like you) are here to help you make your very best first step as a qualified accountant.

Below you’ll find out more about each of the team. Drop an email to one of our team, and they will take care of you from there…

Brian O’Connor ACA | Team Lead | Accounting & Finance | Recently Qualified Appointments | Barden Leinster

Brian O’Connor ACA is the Team Lead of the Recently Qualified Accountants division of Barden’s talent advisory and recruitment firm in Leinster.

After completing his BComm and MAcc at UCD, Brian completed his training contract with Deloitte’s FS Audit team. There, he worked on fund and reinsurance audits and achieved his ACA qualification. Post-contract, Brian moved to Melbourne, where he diversified his experience through various industry roles, including financial reporting, project accounting, and fixed assets.

After returning from Australia in January 2020, Brian decided to leverage his ACA qualification in an advisory capacity by joining Barden. He was promoted to Partner in January 2026 and assumes a leadership role, guiding the Recently Qualified Accountants practice with a blend of expertise, insight, and a commitment to delivering excellence. These values extend to serving clients, newly qualified accountants and our partners in CASSI and Chartered Accountants Ireland as well as fostering a culture of growth and collaboration within the Barden team.

Niall O’Keeffe ACA | Business Lead | Recently Qualified Accountants & Aircraft Leasing Advisor | Barden Leinster

Niall O’Keeffe ACA is a Business Lead in the Recently Qualified Accountants team, and Aircraft Leasing Advisor, at Barden’s talent advisory and recruitment firm in Leinster.

Niall successfully qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2021, having completed his training contract with the Audit team in Deloitte Ireland. Before this, Niall completed an accounting degree and an accounting master’s at University College Cork.

Niall works directly with the recently qualified team in Dublin to support recently qualified accounting professionals in Leinster. He also specialises in careers in the aircraft leasing sector.

Jack O’Regan ACA | Associate | Recently Qualified Accountants | Barden Leinster

Jack O’Regan ACA is an Associate in the Recently Qualified Accountants division of Barden’s talent advisory and recruitment firm in Leinster.

After studying Commerce at UCC, Jack began his trainee contract with the Deloitte Dublin audit department. During his time there, he worked with large PLCs, giving him great exposure to complex financial environments and helped him build a strong technical foundation.

Once he had finished his contract and achieved his ACA qualification, Jack moved to Australia, where he worked in two different contract roles in property accounting. On his return to Ireland, Jack became increasingly curious about exploring new ways to apply his qualification beyond traditional accounting roles. Barden’s people-first approach strongly resonated with Jack, reaffirming that Barden was exactly the kind of organisation he wanted to be part of.

Jack works with the recently qualified team in Dublin to support recently qualified accounting professionals in Leinster.

Aoibhín Byrne | Associate Director | Tax, Treasury & Practice | Barden Leinster

Aoibhín Byrne is Associate Director of the Tax, Treasury & Practice division within Barden’s talent advisory and recruitment firm in Leinster. In this capacity, she supports professionals through career transitions while complementing business recruitment strategies across tax, treasury, audit and consulting.

After graduating from UCC with a BComm in French, Aoibhín started her professional journey with KPMG’s tax department. During her time there, she supported multinational businesses across a variety of industries in the provision of corporate tax compliance and advisory services.

Aoibhín joined Barden Leinster in October 2019 as an Associate, progressing into the role of Associate Director in January 2025. She is passionate about helping Barden’s clients build the best teams, actively engaging with them to discern their requirements, preferences, and aspirations while sharing key market insights.

Get in Touch With Us

Barden is where recently qualified accountants go before they start looking for a job.

When you meet Barden you will be meeting Ireland’s most experienced talent advisory and recruitment team, many of whom are themselves accounting and tax qualified.

Your future is too important to leave to chance. Take control, get informed and plan your future with Barden. Drop us an email at hello@barden.ie and we will get in touch to arrange a time and date that suits you to start planning your professional future.

Let me start with a question: after a hybrid team meeting ends and the screen goes blank, what happens in the room if you’re in the office with your colleagues?

You chat. You walk out of the meeting room, brainstorming on how to tweak the proposal you just went through in the meeting, talking about your weekend plans, or chatting about the soccer game that happened last night.

Those few minutes before and after meetings are highly valuable for building relationships and for influencing decision-making. These simple social interactions create chemistry, strengthen relationships and deepen trust. Relationships can be maintained online, but they cannot be built to the same level in a virtual environment.

Opportunities for Learning

We learn by osmosis. Being present and engaged in office life enables us to pick up small nuggets of information all the time, and this wisdom compounds over time. One small new learning this week doesn’t feel like much. Still, new learning every week for five or ten years amounts to in-depth insights into an organisation, ways of working, technical knowledge, and interpersonal skills.

Learning doesn’t always come from the top down. Often, emerging technologies are better understood by grads and younger people, allowing senior leaders to collect their weekly nuggets of information from their junior colleagues.

Purposeful Presence

Presenteeism is not the goal. Employees should not be in the office if their core team isn’t there or if there is no real value in doing so. Mandating presence for the sake of it is counterproductive. There must be a purpose and value to being in the office, and a critical mass of people should be present to enable meaningful, dynamic interaction. If one person goes into the office on a Friday and nobody else is there, the value is lost. Similarly, if an employee is sitting alone in a meeting room for eight hours to write a report, they may as well be working from home. Being in the office should provide opportunities for interaction, learning, and collaboration.

Takeaway

In-person presence matters when it creates connection, learning, and collaboration. Time in the office should be purposeful, not just procedural.

Padraig Ryan (LinkedIn>>>) is the Managing Director of Navitise Consulting. Navitise is a boutique consulting firm that combines big-firm expertise with a personalised approach, delivering strategy, operational excellence and transformation solutions.