Industry report · October 2026
State of finance recruitment in Leeds
Leeds employers and agencies advertised 221 finance jobs across the roles we track in the 30 days to 6 October 2026. Finance Manager leads with 47 live adverts, and 73% came direct from the employer.
Updated 6 October 2026 · Live adverts, last 30 days · Next update 1 November 2026 · Baseline edition: month-on-month changes start next month
The 10 most in-demand finance roles in Leeds
Ranked by live adverts in the 30 days to 6 October 2026. Direct adverts were posted by the employer itself rather than an agency.
| # | Role | Live adverts | Direct | Last 7 days | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance Manager | 47 | 37 | 8 | Get leads |
| 2 | Management Accountant | 28 | 17 | 7 | Get leads |
| 3 | Finance Business Partner | 27 | 21 | 6 | Get leads |
| 4 | Credit Controller | 22 | 17 | 7 | Get leads |
| 5 | Financial Controller | 21 | 8 | 5 | Get leads |
| 6 | Payroll Administrator | 19 | 16 | 3 | Get leads |
| 7 | Finance Director | 18 | 12 | 2 | Get leads |
| 8 | Financial Analyst | 16 | 13 | 4 | Get leads |
| 9 | Financial Accountant | 14 | 11 | 1 | Get leads |
| 10 | Purchase Ledger Clerk | 11 | 9 | 0 | Get leads |
Titles counted for each role
- Finance Manager
- Senior Finance Manager · 9Accounting Manager · 2Assistant Finance Manager · 1Finance Lead · 1
- Management Accountant
- Assistant Management Accountant · 5Senior Management Accountant · 3Cost Accountant · 0
- Finance Business Partner
- Senior Finance Business Partner · 6Financial Planning and Analysis Manager · 3FP&A Manager · 0
- Credit Controller
- Collections Specialist · 2Senior Credit Controller · 1Accounts Receivable Clerk · 0Accounts Receivable Coordinator · 0Accounts Receivable Specialist · 0
- Financial Controller
- Group Financial Controller · 3Assistant Financial Controller · 0Senior Financial Controller · 0
- Payroll Administrator
- Payroll Specialist · 6Payroll Assistant · 4Payroll Officer · 3Payroll Supervisor · 1Payroll Analyst · 0Payroll Coordinator · 0Senior Payroll Administrator · 0
- Finance Director
- Director of Finance · 7Head of Finance · 4Group Finance Director · 1VP Finance · 0
- Financial Analyst
- Finance Analyst · 13Financial Planning and Analysis Analyst · 0FP&A Analyst · 0Junior Financial Analyst · 0Senior Financial Analyst · 0
- Financial Accountant
- Assistant Financial Accountant · 3Staff Accountant · 1Group Accountant · 0Senior Financial Accountant · 0
- Purchase Ledger Clerk
- Accounts Payable Specialist · 4Accounts Payable Clerk · 3Accounts Payable Administrator · 1Accounts Payable Assistant · 0Accounts Payable Coordinator · 0Accounts Payable Officer · 0Senior Accounts Payable Clerk · 0
Each role counts its own title and the related titles employers use for it, and an advert matching several of them counts once. Per-title counts overlap ("Senior Data Engineer" adverts also match "Data Engineer"), so they add up to more than the role total.
161 Leeds finance adverts came straight from the employer.
Behind each one is a hiring manager. OutputX turns adverts like these into named decision makers you can contact, with outreach written in your voice, in about ten minutes.
What the numbers say
- Finance Manager leads with 47 adverts, 79% of them direct.
- Financial Controller is the outlier: only 38% of its 21 adverts come direct.
- Payroll Administrator adverts are 84% direct, 16 of 19.
What it means for recruiters
73% of Leeds finance adverts are posted direct, so most hiring managers are reachable without an agency in the way. The exception is financial control, where agencies place most of the adverts.
Questions recruiters ask
How many finance jobs are advertised in Leeds?
221 live finance job adverts were posted in Leeds and nearby towns in the 30 days to 6 October 2026, across the roles in this report and counted once each. 73% came direct from employers.
Which finance role is most in demand in Leeds?
Finance Manager, with 47 live adverts. Next came Management Accountant (28) and Finance Business Partner (27).
How does Leeds compare with other UK cities for finance jobs?
Leeds ranks third of the 5 cities we cover for finance adverts; London has 9.7× its volume. London: 2,140, Manchester: 327, Leeds: 221, Birmingham: 213, Bristol: 150.
How many finance adverts in Leeds come direct from employers?
161 of the 221 (73%) were posted by the employer itself; the rest came through recruitment agencies and other intermediaries.
Is finance hiring in Leeds speeding up or slowing down?
19% of the month's adverts were posted in the last 7 days, against about 23% in an even month, so finance hiring in Leeds looks steady.
Finance across the cities we cover
| # | City | Live adverts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 2,140 |
| 2 | Manchester | 327 |
| 3 | Leeds | 221 |
| 4 | Birmingham | 213 |
| 5 | Bristol | 150 |
More reports for Leeds
- Tech recruitment in Leeds · 358 adverts
- Legal recruitment in Leeds · 99 adverts
How we measure
Live job adverts posted in the 30 days to 6 October 2026 in Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Halifax, Dewsbury, Batley, Castleford, from licensed job-advert data, each counted once per role. These are adverts, not vacancies: one vacancy can be advertised by several agencies. Full method →
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