BD & Marketing Accountancy Market Insights Q4 2018

Published on 1^st October 2018

Whilst many would expect the summer quarter to be the quietest of the year, the accountancy sector saw the biggest uplift in jobs.

Senior level opportunities are at a peak, with both replacement and newly created roles generating an interesting mix of opportunities for experienced individuals to consider. The expected knock-on effect has ensured that the accountancy sector is a great place to look for a new role.

Many firms are looking intensely at their go to market approach. Many are restructuring to improve efficiencies and internal communication and to make sense of their positioning in the market. As such, many of the roles we’ve been seeing are full mix roles, encompassing a mixture of ROI led marketing and business development, as well as an appreciation for either a sector/industry, region or service line.

It can be hard to find individuals with a full mix of marketing and business development skills. This means firms have been battling it out for talent among a much smaller pool of people, and some job seekers have managed to secure large salary increases as a result of this.

Firms are also beefing up their marketing technology teams across CRM systems, digital and design, often looking for talent outside of the industry to bring creativity and innovation. As well as this, firms are looking for specific systems understanding in order to assist in the changeover or creation of better CRM systems, content management systems and internal intelligence libraries.

Wider Professional Services

There has been a constant stream of Assistant and Executive level roles across the market in Q3. At this level, firms are generally more flexible and open to hiring candidates from out of sector who have transferable skills from prior client-facing BD roles.

Digital marketing positions have had more of a drive on analytics and marketing roles have continued to have a keen focus on content production.

Regional Opportunities

Regional opportunities particularly in Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester and the South Coast are increasing our assertion that moving out of London or starting a career elsewhere can be a great move.

It remains the case that the best senior opportunities tend to be London based but even then, flexibility and agility are on the rise with PWC leading the way in the overt announcement of them enabling their staff to choose their own hours.

Predictions for Q4

We often expect the first part of the final quarter to be the busiest, with roles petering out towards December. With the obvious political climate, much of the market is wondering what next year may bring, making now an excellent time to move roles if you are considering doing so in the next year.

We have seen an increase in firms hiring in continental Europe and there remains a reasonably small pool of talent out there if you are considering a move abroad. However, professional services remain an excellent career option in the UK with law firms and accountancy firms at the forefront of any legislative or regulatory changes.

BD, Marketing & Communications Salaries Q4 2018*