FUND SERVICES RECRUITMENT IN A CANDIDATE’S MARKET

For companies hiring fund services professionals, the market is challenging in 2025 as high demand meets constrained supply. A shortage of specialised talent for roles including fund accountants, fund administrators and compliance officers means that more firms are competing for a smaller field of talent.

There are multiple factors at play here: post-pandemic shifts in work expectations, increased regulatory burdens such as AIFMD and ESG reporting and the shift in technical skills required by new fund structures and technologies. As a result, having the proper support in place to locate and attract niche professionals to fill key roles is increasingly mission-critical. 

COMMON PAIN POINTS FOR EMPLOYERS

As competition intensifies for specialist roles, employers may find that traditional recruitment strategies are no longer effective. Niche, highly-skilled roles can quickly get lost in the noise of major job boards – and high volumes of poor-match applications only serve to overload already busy HR teams. 

Proactive headhunting is one way to bypass this issue. However, in many cases, although internal hiring teams have unmatched insight into the job requirements and a clear picture of their ideal candidate, they lack the deep, sector-specific network needed to find professionals that fit the bill – especially individuals who are not currently active in the job market.

The risk isn’t just leaving a position unfilled – it’s filling it with the wrong hire. The cost of making the wrong hiring call in a technical and client-facing sector like fund services can be significant — not just financially, but also in terms of damaged team productivity and morale, impact on valuable client relationships, and increased compliance/regulatory risk.

WHAT DO TOP CANDIDATES LOOK FOR?

In a candidate’s market, firms that want to attract the top-level talent have to offer more than just an attractive salary. Career progression is a key factor that frequently surfaces in our discussions with candidates – most are seeking a multi-year pathway that demonstrates clear progression through upskilling, certifications, and other opportunities for professional development. Tech stack is another sector-specific area of focus for candidates. Top professionals want to work with modern, efficient systems, not legacy software. A firm’s investment in technology is a signal of its commitment to the future.

Flexibility and work-life balance are other common priorities: even in highly competitive sectors, professionals are increasingly recognising the value of a supportive environment that takes into account their commitments and responsibilities outside of working hours, and allows them to plan working locations, commutes, and schedules to fit. This can include flexible remuneration, such as designing benefits packages that deliver genuine improvements in quality of life. And as always, culture matters too: candidates for fund services roles value transparent leadership and a collaborative team environment.

For further insights on compensation packages, see the Victus Search 2025 Remuneration Report

WHY WORK WITH A SPECIALIST ON FUND SERVICES RECRUITMENT?

In a competitive market, precision matters. Working with a specialist fund services recruitment partner, like Victus Search, helps focus your search on the professionals who will make the difference to your firm. Through our high-trust global network, we reach passive, high-calibre candidates you won’t find on job boards, and position your opportunity with the details top professionals care about: modern tech stacks, exposure to complex fund structures, progression pathways, and culture.

We run a streamlined, candidate-centric process with clear timelines, structured assessment, consolidated feedback, and a single point of contact—reducing drop-off and de-risking hires. The result is a better fit, faster time-to-hire, and new talent that adds value quickly. If you’re looking to fill niche roles in fund services, contact us today for a confidential discussion about your needs.