Accounts Payable Assistant in Harrogate

The Power of Long-Term Relationships in Recruitment

One of our core values at Sharp Consultancy is Relationships, and recently I was reminded exactly why that matters. We recently won a competitive recruitment tender with a key client across the region. Whilst our experience and market knowledge played a huge part, I genuinely believe the deciding factor was something much harder to replicate – trust. I've known the senior finance leader for several years before there was ever a recruitment project to discuss. During that time, we've met regularly for coffee, shared market insights, talked about the finance landscape and discussed the challenges businesses were facing. Most of these conversations didn't lead to a recruitment assignment, and that was never the point. For me, relationship building isn't about waiting for someone to have a vacancy, it's about being present, staying relevant and adding value over time. Sometimes that's sharing insight into the market, offering a different perspective on a hiring challenge or simply taking the time to understand what's happening in someone's business. These conversations build credibility long before there's a commercial opportunity. So, when the recruitment opportunity came around, I wasn't introducing myself or trying to prove we understood the business in a single meeting. We've already built that understanding over years of honest conversations and consistent support. We knew what was important to them, the challenges they faced and how they wanted to approach recruitment. Winning the work was a fantastic result, but more importantly, it reinforced what I believe great recruitment is all about. The best recruitment partnerships aren't built when a role becomes live, they're built in the months and years beforehand. Trust develops through consistency, honesty and a genuine interest in helping people succeed, not through one conversation or one successful placement. That's why Relationship is one of our values at Sharp Consultancy. Because when trust comes first, opportunities tend to follow. The piece of recruitment may have been the outcome, but the relationship was the foundation that made it possible.

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Job description

We are looking for an Accounts Payable Assistant to join a finance team on a 10 month fixed-term basis to provide maternity leave and holiday cover. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with at least one year of Accounts Payable experience who is looking to further develop their finance career within a supportive and collaborative environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Processing high volumes of supplier invoices accurately and efficiently
Matching invoices to purchase orders and resolving discrepancies
Managing supplier statement reconciliations
Handling supplier queries and maintaining positive working relationships
Preparing payment runs and ensuring payments are made on time
Assisting with month-end accounts payable processes
Maintaining accurate financial records and documentation
Supporting the wider finance team with ad hoc duties as required

To be successful in this role, you'll have:

A minimum of 1 years’ experience within an Accounts Payable role
Strong attention to detail and high levels of accuracy
Good organisational and time management skills
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
Confidence working with finance systems and Microsoft Excel
A proactive and positive approach to work

What's on Offer?

Salary of up to £25,000 per annum
Hybrid working arrangement
Friendly and supportive team environment
Valuable experience within a busy finance function

If you're an organised and detail-oriented Accounts Payable professional looking for your next opportunity, we'd love to hear from you.

Sharp Consultancy is a finance and accountancy recruitment specialist assisting accounting and finance divisions of businesses in the Yorkshire and Derbyshire area. With over 30 years' experience we pride ourselves on sourcing excellent finance professionals across all divisions of an accounts function.

Candidates must be eligible to work in the UK full time without restriction. To apply please send your CV to the e-mail address stated, quoting our reference and specifying which website you saw this position advertised on. Due to the high volume of applications, we receive it is not always possible to respond to unsuccessful applicants. Therefore, if we have not responded to your application within seven days, please note that on this occasion your application has not been successful.