Practice Recruitment Solutions
For candidates, there is genuine movement in the market and firms are competing harder than before to attract and retain good people. But not every firm that says the right things in an interview actually delivers on them.
Career progression that materialises rather than gets deferred is what separates the firms worth moving to from the ones worth leaving.
MCS Group recruits for accountancy firms of all sizes, recognising that no two firms or hiring needs are the same. With a dedicated team and deep industry experience, we provide a trusted, tailored approach to every search.
Placing the Right Person in Your Firm
We recruit across all areas of public practice. Each specialism has its own candidate market and its own pressures.
The audit market across Belfast, Ireland and the UK continues to evolve, with increased regulatory scrutiny and growing demand for high-quality financial reporting. As a result, audit recruitment has become increasingly competitive, particularly for firms looking to strengthen client delivery and meet compliance requirements.
Firms are seeking audit professionals who can combine strong technical expertise with commercial awareness and the confidence to manage client relationships. From Audit Assistant and Audit Senior to Audit Manager and Partner level, demand remains high across practice.
Candidates with sector specialisms, exposure to complex audits and the ability to lead engagements are particularly sought after. This has led to longer hiring processes, counteroffers and increased movement within the audit jobs market.
As firms look to build and retain high-performing teams, securing the right audit talent is a key priority. MCS Group supports audit recruitment across Belfast, Ireland and the UK, connecting firms with experienced candidates who are not always active on the open market.
The tax market across Belfast, Ireland and the UK is highly specialised, with distinct areas including personal tax, corporate tax, VAT and employment tax. As a result, tax recruitment requires a targeted approach, with limited crossover between candidate skillsets.
Ongoing regulatory change, including Making Tax Digital (MTD), has increased demand for tax professionals who can support both compliance and advisory work. Firms are seeking candidates who can deliver technical expertise while building strong client relationships.
From Tax Assistant and Tax Senior to Tax Manager and Director level, competition for experienced tax candidates remains high. This has led to longer hiring processes, counteroffers and increased movement across the tax jobs market.
MCS Group supports tax recruitment across Belfast, Ireland and the UK, connecting firms with specialist tax talent, including candidates who are not actively seeking new opportunities.
Accounts and advisory teams are evolving as firms place greater emphasis on delivering value beyond compliance. Across Belfast, Ireland and the UK, accountancy recruitment is increasingly focused on candidates who can combine technical expertise with commercial insight.
From Accounts Assistant and Part-Qualified Accountants to Client Managers and Directors, demand remains strong for professionals who can manage client portfolios, support business growth and provide proactive financial advice.
This shift towards advisory-led services has increased competition within the accounts and advisory jobs market, particularly for candidates with strong communication skills and the ability to build long-term client relationships.
MCS Group delivers accounts and advisory recruitment across Belfast, Ireland and the UK, helping firms secure candidates who can contribute both technically and commercially.
The payroll and forensic accounting markets continue to evolve, with increased regulatory scrutiny and growing demand for accuracy, compliance and specialist expertise. As a result, hiring within these areas has become more competitive, particularly for businesses looking to strengthen control, governance and reporting processes.
In payroll, firms are seeking professionals who can manage end-to-end processes, ensure compliance and handle increasingly complex workforces. Within forensic accounting, demand is driven by the need for individuals who can combine technical expertise with investigative skills, supporting areas such as dispute resolution, fraud analysis and financial investigations.
As businesses look to strengthen these functions, securing the right talent is a key priority. MCS Group supports recruitment across payroll and forensic accounting, connecting organisations with experienced professionals who can deliver from day one and are not always active on the open market.
How MCS Group Supports Practice Hiring
Firms cannot find the staff to deliver work
The pipeline of newly qualified candidates entering practice has not kept pace with demand, and competition between firms for experienced people has intensified across every specialism and every firm size.
MCS Group fills most public practice roles through direct search and referral rather than advertising. We maintain active relationships with qualified and part-qualified candidates across audit, tax and accounts, which means we are approaching the right people with the right opportunity rather than waiting for applications that may not come.
Making Tax Digital is creating urgent demand for digitally capable tax professionals
MTD for Income Tax is now live for sole traders and landlords above the income threshold and the scope continues to expand. Firms need tax professionals who can manage the transition for their clients, not just handle traditional compliance work. A tax senior who is technically strong but unfamiliar with MTD workflows is increasingly difficult to deploy effectively, and practices that have not yet addressed this gap are starting to feel it.
We recruit tax seniors and managers who combine technical knowledge with digital capability. MTD readiness is now a standard part of how we brief tax roles, not an afterthought.
The advisory shift is changing what firms need
As compliance work becomes more automated, firms are building out advisory services. Management information, performance insight and business advisory are growing revenue lines for practices of all sizes. That means hiring people who can move between technical and advisory work, hold a client conversation and bring something beyond the year-end pack. That profile is harder to find than a purely technical one and harder to retain once found.
We understand the difference between a candidate who is technically strong and one who can genuinely grow a client relationship. That distinction shapes every brief we take and every candidate we put forward.
Candidates are moving for culture, not just salary
Audit salaries have increased faster than almost any other accountancy specialism, reflecting how intensely firms are competing for experienced auditors. But salary alone is not what drives movement in public practice. People who feel they have been promised development and advisory exposure that never materialised are actively looking for firms that will actually deliver. Retention risk is highest in the two to four years post-qualification, when candidates have the most options.
We advise both sides honestly. For firms, we are direct about what candidates currently expect beyond base salary. For candidates, we know which firms have a genuine culture of development and which ones are still making promises they are not keeping.
Roles We Place in Public Practice
We place Audit Managers to run engagements, lead teams and deliver client work
We recruit Audit Seniors to manage fieldwork, supervise junior staff and liaise with clients
Processing payroll accurately, ensuring compliance with regulations and handling employee queries across the full payroll cycle.
MCS Group recruits Tax Directors and Tax Managers to oversee portfolios, advisory work and Making Tax Digital requirements
We place Tax Seniors to handle compliance and advisory, with increasing demand for MTD capability
We recruit Personal Tax and Corporate Tax specialists across all levels
We place Accounts Managers and Client Managers to own client portfolios, relationships and billing
We recruit Accounts Seniors responsible for accounts preparation, management reporting and client contact
Supporting day-to-day finance tasks while gaining practical experience alongside professional studies.
MCS Group recruits Practice Managers to oversee operations, workflow and team performance
We place Bookkeepers to manage cloud accounting, VAT returns and client relationships
Contributing to reporting, analysis and month-end processes while progressing through professional qualifications.
Finding the Right Firm for Your Career
A move within public practice is one of the most consequential decisions you can make in the early stages of your career. The firm you join shapes your technical development, your client exposure and your options further down the line.
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Thinking about your first move post-qualification?
Get In TouchThe two to four years after qualifying are when your options are widest. You have the qualification, enough experience to be genuinely valuable, and most firms will be interested. The question is whether you are moving to a firm that will develop you further or simply moving for a salary increase that could have been negotiated where you are. We will give you an honest view of what each opportunity actually looks like rather than just selling you a role.
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Looking to move into more advisory-focused work?
See Our ResourcesIf you are a strong technical accountant who wants to do more advisory work and your current firm keeps moving that possibility further away, you are not alone. This is one of the most common reasons candidates in practice come to us. We know which firms are genuinely investing in their advisory capability and which ones are still running on compliance alone. If advisory work is what you want, we will find you a firm where it is actually on offer.
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Considering a move from a larger firm to a smaller one?
Speak To Our ConsultantsMoving from a large national firm to a regional or independent practice is something many candidates think about and fewer do than should. The client exposure is often broader, the progression faster and the culture meaningfully different. If you are thinking about it, we can give you a realistic picture of what to expect and where the right opportunities are at your level.
Why Work With MCS Group
Placing finance professionals well requires a strong understanding of the market and the people within it. We have built a network of individuals we know, have assessed and have worked with over time, rather than relying on CVs or job titles alone.
For businesses, that means introductions we can stand behind, not candidates who simply look right on paper. For those considering their next move, it means access to opportunities that align with your experience, ambitions and long-term progression.
Specialists in public practice recruitment across audit, tax, accounts and advisory
Permanent and interim recruitment at all levels
Direct search and referral, not volume advertising
Honest advice to firms and candidates on culture, progression and market reality
Active relationships with candidates who are not publicly looking
Your Questions Answered
What public practice roles does MCS Group recruit for?
We recruit across audit, tax, accounts and advisory at all levels, from semi-senior through to director and partner. This includes audit seniors and managers, tax seniors and managers, accounts seniors, client managers, practice managers and bookkeepers.
How long does it take to fill an audit or tax role in public practice?
For a qualified permanent role in practice, a focused search typically takes four to eight weeks from brief to offer. Audit and tax roles requiring specific technical experience can take longer depending on candidate availability. We give a realistic timeline at the start of every search.
Why is audit recruitment so difficult right now?
Audit is the most understaffed specialism in public practice. The pipeline of candidates coming through has not kept pace with demand, firms are competing intensely for the same pool of experienced auditors, and salaries have moved faster at this level than almost anywhere else in accountancy. Most strong audit candidates are in employment and not applying to adverts. They are reached through direct approach.
Do you recruit for tax roles that require Making Tax Digital experience?
Yes. MTD capability is now a standard part of how we brief tax roles. We recruit tax professionals who combine MTD knowledge with technical compliance and advisory capability. As the scope of MTD expands, this is increasingly a requirement rather than a preference for firms hiring at senior level.
I am a qualified accountant in practice thinking about moving firms. Where do I start?
Start by being clear about what you actually want from the move, not just what you want to leave behind. Better progression, more advisory work, a different culture, a step up in responsibility. Once we understand that, we can give you an honest view of which firms match what you are looking for and which are unlikely to deliver it. We know the difference between how firms present themselves and how they actually operate.
Do you recruit for public practice roles outside Northern Ireland?
Yes. We recruit for public practice roles across multiple markets. Our network spans firms of all sizes and geographies.
Struggling to find the right people or considering a move in practice?
In a market this tight, access and timing make the difference. We connect firms with hard-to-reach talent and help candidates find roles that genuinely deliver on progression. Start a conversation with our team today.
The People Behind Your Finance Hires
Name: Adam Macklin
Job Title: Head of Accountancy & Financial Services
Team: Financial Services
Years Experience: 15+
Adam leads our accountancy division, which focuses on recruiting for positions spanning both accountancy practice and industry & commerce markets. He oversees recruitment efforts for roles at both the Qualified & Transactional level, whether on a permanent or temporary basis. With a specialisation in Senior level appointments, Adam brings expertise in recruiting across all sectors within the Industry & Commerce market in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Name: Brad Dempster
Job Title: Specialist Recruitment Consultant
Team: Accountancy Practice
Years Experience: 6+
Brad joined MCS Group in October 2024. In his role as a Specialist Recruitment Consultant, he works closely with accountancy practices and finance professionals across Belfast and the Greater Belfast area, supporting both clients and candidates through the recruitment process. His day-to-day focus is on understanding hiring needs within practice firms and matching them with talent at the right level, from early career through to senior leadership. Brad specialises in the accountancy practice market, covering areas including audit, tax, payroll, accounts, advisory and bookkeeping. He works across a wide range of roles, from trainee accountants and accounts technicians through to director and partner level appointments.
Name: Ruth Cox
Job Title: Recruitment Manager - Part Qualified & Transactional Finance I&C
Team: Accountancy and Finance
Years Experience: 6+
As a Recruitment Consultant for MCS Group, I specialise in the Part Qualified and Transactional Finance Space. 73% of job seekers say the process of looking for a job is one of the most stressful events in life. My role is to ensure professionals are furthering their careers to full potential without worrying about the process. Together we can dig deep to understand the best career fit by accessing current ability, personal aspirations, and motivations for the future. I take the stress out of the recruitment process by being there every step of the way and building genuine long-term relationships with professionals and clients.
Adam Macklin
Head of Accountancy & Financial Services
Brad Dempster
Specialist Recruitment Consultant
Ruth Cox
Recruitment Manager - Part Qualified & Transactional Finance I&C