What is changing and how to hire well?
The family office world is changing fast. Teams are becoming more structured, investment strategies more complex, and expectations around governance and performance higher than ever. Yet, the people who can thrive in these roles remain incredibly hard to find.
At Achieve Professionals , we work closely with family offices, family investment companies, and UHNW principals to identify and recruit exceptional talent across finance, legal, investment, and operations.
Here’s what we’re seeing across the market right now.
The state of hiring in 2025
Broader, more strategic roles
Family office structures are becoming far more sophisticated, and with that comes a shift in how roles are defined. Gone are the days when a Finance Director or Chief of Staff worked within narrow boundaries.
Today, these roles sit at the crossroads of strategy, operations, and family governance. A Finance Director might now oversee treasury, reporting, and technology, while also contributing to investment decisions or succession planning. A Chief of Staff may be coordinating estate operations, managing professional advisers, and handling the administrative side of private investments.
In short, the modern family office professional needs to think like a commercial leader, operate like a trusted adviser, and serve with the empathy and discretion expected in a private household.
It’s a unique blend of boardroom sharpness and personal understanding the kind of duality that defines excellence in the family office world.
Institutional standards meet personal values
As highlighted in Coutts’ recent research family offices are increasingly mirroring the discipline of institutional investment houses. Introducing governance frameworks, ESG oversight, and digital reporting tools that rival those of large funds.
Yet what makes a family office distinct is its human core. The culture remains deeply personal – discretion, loyalty, and emotional intelligence are non-negotiable.
The people within these teams must be comfortable working in close proximity to principals, often blurring the lines between business and family life. The most successful offices are those that achieve balance with professional standards but without the corporate coldness, structure without rigidity, and accountability built on mutual respect.
It’s this balance between institutional excellence and personal trust that will define the leading family offices of 2026 and beyond.
Demand for hybrid experience
Many family offices now prioritise candidates who’ve experienced both the institutional and private worlds. Individuals who have trained in a top 10 accounting firm, investment fund, or private bank, and then made the move into a more bespoke family office environment. This combination of backgrounds offers a rare balance of rigour and realism. These professionals bring with them the structure, governance, and analytical discipline of larger organisations, but apply it in a setting that requires discretion, adaptability, and a hands-on mindset. They understand how to navigate complex reporting, manage external advisers, and maintain compliance standards without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.
Families value this blend because it delivers both confidence and agility. The ability to act decisively while keeping the family’s interests protected.
As the family office landscape matures, this hybrid profile is quickly becoming the benchmark for future leadership talent.
Location and flexibility
Most families still value a visible, hands-on team and presence builds trust, collaboration, and alignment with the principal’s goals. However, with top talent is increasingly global and roles often span multiple jurisdictions such as London, Gibraltar, Miami, Geneva, Dubai, and Monaco, hybrid working has become the practical norm.
The key is setting clear expectations from the start. Defining what “in-person” really means, establish structured communication, and maintain accountability regardless of where people sit.
Family offices that strike the right balance between flexibility and face time tend to attract stronger candidates and enjoy greater long-term commitment.
Retention matters more than ever
Hiring is only half the battle and keeping the right people is where long-term value is created. In 2025, the most successful family offices weren’t just competing on salary; they created environments where talented professionals feel trusted, supported, and part of something meaningful. That starts with clear expectations, measurable objectives, and regular feedback.
It continues with development, through mentoring, access to professional networks, and investment in ongoing learning across finance, governance, and leadership.
Transparency is equally critical. When family principals communicate openly about priorities, strategy, and performance, it builds loyalty and reduces uncertainty.
Finally, families who introduce structured reviews and recognition, even in small teams send a strong message that their people matter. In short, retention isn’t about grand gestures; it’s about consistency, communication, and care. The family offices that master this will enjoy stability, stronger culture, and far greater return on their human capital.
Roles in highest demand
The demand for talent in family offices has never been broader or more competitive. As wealth structures grow more sophisticated, families are building out professional teams that mirror the best of institutional finance but with a greater emphasis on trust, agility, and long-term alignment.
The following roles are shaping the 2026 landscape:
Finance Leadership:
CFOs, Heads of Finance, and Group Financial Controllers remain at the top of every search list.
These leaders oversee complex, multi-jurisdictional structures covering everything from consolidated reporting and investment accounting to tax, treasury, and liquidity management. They increasingly expect to play a strategic role by partnering with principals on capital deployment, risk, and governance. Many of these positions now require fluency in international tax regimes and the ability to integrate cloud-based systems for real-time visibility.
Investment & Portfolio:
Investment Analysts, Directors, and CIOs are in short supply especially those who combine analytical depth with sound judgement.
Family offices are diversifying into private equity, venture capital, real estate, and impact investments, creating demand for professionals who can manage direct deals and co-investments with fund-level discipline.
The modern investment professional must balance detail and discretion. They should be good at building financial models and doing due diligence. They need to explain complex opportunities clearly. This should connect with the principal’s personal goals, not just focus on the numbers.
Legal & Governance:
In-house Counsel, Compliance Leads, Paralegals, and Company Secretaries are becoming indispensable as family offices navigate an increasingly regulated global environment. These professionals ensure structures remain compliant, contracts watertight, and reputations protected. But beyond legal technicality, the real value lies in judgement knowing when to push for structure and when to enable flexibility.
The best legal and governance professionals act as quiet protectors of the family’s interests, safeguarding confidentiality while supporting long-term continuity and succession planning.
Operations & Lifestyle:
Behind every smooth-running family office is a strong operational backbone. The people who quietly make everything happen. Chiefs of Staff, Estate Directors, and Executive or Personal Assistants to Principals are often the unseen engine that keeps the entire structure cohesive.
They connect the family, advisers, household teams, and business interests. They ensure that every detail receives careful and consistent attention.
These roles demand more than just organisation. They require absolute discretion, emotional intelligence, and calm under pressure.
These professionals manage many tasks. They oversee multiple properties, handle private travel, and coordinate charity projects. They also lead household staff in different locations. They bring order and care to busy and important situations.
This is also where Achieve Hospitality comes in. As a leading international recruitment firm for private households, estates, yachts, and luxury hospitality settings, Achieve Hospitality has spent years sourcing the exceptional talent who make the private world run seamlessly.
That experience gives us and our partners at Achieve Professionals a unique insight into the intersection between lifestyle and leadership.
The same calibre of individual who can manage a principal’s residence or private team often becomes indispensable within the family office itself.
Increasingly, families are seeking operational leaders who can manage with both warmth and precision, people who protect privacy, uphold standards, and deliver excellence quietly in the background. These are the individuals who turn complexity into calm and make the modern family office not just functional, but exceptional.
Together, these roles form the foundation of the modern family office, blending technical mastery, strategic thinking, and the quiet confidence that defines the very best in private capital talent.
Summary
The family office hiring landscape in 2026 is defined by broader, more strategic roles, higher expectations, and a growing need for professionals who combine technical skill with emotional intelligence.
Family offices are becoming more organised and connected around the world. Still, trust, discretion, and personal alignment are key to every successful appointment.
Across finance, investments, legal, governance, and lifestyle operations, families are seeking individuals who bring both rigour and realism. People who can operate with the precision of an institution but the warmth and adaptability of a trusted partner.
In a market where top-tier talent is scarce, families that move with clarity, transparency, and speed will continue to attract and retain the very best people.
How Achieve Professionals Can Help
We’ve built a specialist division within Achieve Professionals focused purely on family office and private client recruitment. Our consultants partner with families across the UK, Europe, US and the Middle East to source:
- Finance Directors and CFOs
- Investment Analysts and Portfolio Managers
- In-house Legal and Compliance professionals
- Chiefs of Staff, PAs, and Director of Operations
Each search is discreet, data-led, and fully tailored to your structure and values. Our process blends industry insight with emotional intelligence ensuring the people we place align with your family’s ethos as well as your operational goals.
If your family office is expanding, restructuring, or preparing for succession, our advisors can provide a confidential consultation and benchmarking report covering compensation, talent trends, and team design.
Contact the Family Office Division at Achieve Professionals to learn how we can help you build a world-class, discreet, and high-performing team for 2026 and beyond.
At the centre of our Family Office team is Andrew Bell, who leads the division with deep expertise in private client and family office recruitment. Andrew has supported a diverse range of single and multi-family offices, private investment firms, and UHNW principals, helping them build high-performing teams across finance, legal, investment, and operations.
Known for his calm, consultative approach and meticulous market knowledge, he understands the nuances of trust, confidentiality, and cultural alignment that define successful family office hires.
Whether the brief is for a CFO to oversee multi-jurisdictional reporting or a Chief of Staff to streamline operations, Andrew and his team deliver every search with precision, integrity, and absolute discretion.
How Achieve Hospitality Complements This
Achieve Hospitality is our luxury hospitality and private staffing partner supporting households, estates, yachts, and private residences with exceptional talent across the lifestyle and operations spectrum. With deep roots in service excellence and discretion, our team understands what it takes to run private environments seamlessly.
From House Managers, Butlers, and Private Chefs to Estate Directors, Travelling PAs, and Lifestyle Managers, Achieve Hospitality recruits the individuals who uphold the standards and culture that define UHNW and family office life.
At the heart of our client partnerships is Laura (O’Connor) Reeves , who leads our client relationship and onboarding function with exceptional care and attention to detail.
As Client Relations Executive, Laura ensures every family, estate, or private household we represent receives a seamless, personalised experience from the very first conversation. She manages all aspects of client onboarding, relationship management, and service delivery, working closely with our recruitment team to ensure each search reflects the family’s culture, standards, and expectations.
Together, Achieve Hospitality and Achieve Professionals deliver a complete recruitment solution. From the boardroom to the household ensuring your family, business, and lifestyle are supported by the very best people at every level.
If you’d like to discuss your hiring plans, upcoming projects, or simply gain a clearer view of the current family office and private client talent landscape, please get in touch.
Contact any of our offices worldwide:
London: +44 (0)20 3409 4664
Dublin: +353 1 270 9424
Palm Beach, FL: +1 (561) 725 5881
New York, NY: +1 (646) 558 7154
Los Angeles, CA: +1 (213) 559 1116
Geneva: +41 22 518 0328
Monaco: +377 800 94552
Milan: +39 02 9475 3459
Sydney: +61 2 7908 9892
Whether you’re growing your team, planning succession, or exploring your next leadership hire, our consultants at Achieve Professionals and Achieve Hospitality are here to support you – confidentially, globally, and with the highest level of care.
