A market in motion: How professional services hiring is rapidly evolving

Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen more change in the professional services talent market than in the previous decade combined.

What’s striking isn’t any single trend in isolation – whether that be internationalisation, consolidation, private equity, technology or shifting candidate expectations. None of these are new.

What is new is the way they are converging at speed. Together, they are reshaping how firms are structured, how leadership operates, and how critical talent decisions are made.

Internationalisation is redefining opportunity

One of the most significant shifts we’ve seen, particularly over the last year and a half, is the rapid internationalisation of professional services firms. Firms that historically operated through local or country-based teams are now moving towards global functions, regional hubs and centres of excellence.

From a hiring perspective, this means that roles are becoming far more location-agnostic. Many firms are now genuinely open to hiring talent in any of their key office locations, rather than anchoring roles to a single location.

This has unlocked opportunities in regions and European countries that would previously have been limited to domestic roles.

This has also created challenges. At leadership level, managing remote and distributed teams requires a slightly different skillset - including clarity of communication, cultural fluency, and the ability to drive alignment across time zones.

International exposure and remote leadership experience are increasingly seen as valuable assets in today’s environment. As a result, experience running international teams or operating in global environments is increasingly becoming a key requirement for senior roles.

Market consolidation

We’re also seeing significant market consolidation, driven by sustained M&A activity across accounting, legal and the wider professional services landscape. Inevitably, this brings restructuring and changes to role design, responsibilities and reporting lines.

Importantly, this isn’t translating into widespread redundancies or a meaningful contraction in headcount. Instead, consolidation is changing the nature of roles rather than eliminating them.

Roles are being re-scoped, expectations are shifting, and the ability to adapt and pivot is becoming increasingly valuable.

Nor is consolidation resulting in fewer opportunities overall. While there may be fewer standalone firms, we’re seeing a steady emergence of newly created positions as businesses evolve, integrate, and scale.

Private Equity is changing the talent equation

PE investment has been a major driver of both consolidation and international expansion, particularly in the accounting sector, and increasingly within legal as well.

What that means in practice is that mid-tier firms are scaling at pace, and boutique firms are gaining the capital and infrastructure to internationalise and compete more directly with the largest players. Alongside that growth, we’re also seeing shifts in governance, decision-making speed and, in some cases, culture.

From a talent perspective, expectations are evolving. Firms backed by private equity often look for individuals who are comfortable operating in faster-moving environments, who can navigate ambiguity, and who are commercially focused and outcomes-driven.

There is a clear premium on senior professionals who can add value quickly, those who can build revenue, win and retain clients, and contribute from day one.

That applies across fee-earning roles, business development and sales, client relationship management, and specialist functions such as pricing. Positions that directly influence client acquisition, retention and revenue growth are firmly in demand across both accounting and legal markets.

Shifting talent pipelines and a senior-led hiring focus

Where we have seen slightly less consistent hiring has been at entry level, although it certainly hasn’t stopped. In fact, at the start of this year there was a noticeable uptick in demand for “second jobbers” and early-career professionals.

Most firms are still grappling with the question of how best to build and sustain their talent pipelines i.e. where future leaders come from and how they’re developed through the firm.

It wouldn’t be accurate to suggest there’s a lack of opportunity in the market. Rather, the emphasis has shifted. The majority of hiring is currently focused on senior executive level and specialist skill sets, reflecting the more strategic priorities firms are navigating.

Interim and fractional talent is the next growth area

One of the more notable shifts we anticipate is continued growth in interim and fractional appointments. Within professional services, this market is still relatively underdeveloped compared to other sectors, where interim talent has long been part of the resourcing model.

Traditionally, in accounting and legal, interim hires have been more commonly used for maternity cover or short-term leave. That is starting to change.

With markets evolving quickly and with ongoing M&A activity, consolidation, and broader uncertainty around what firms may look like in the next few years, businesses are increasingly engaging talent on a fractional or interim basis to deliver against specific mandates or transformation projects.

This is creating a distinct and growing segment of opportunity.

At Ambition, we have dedicated interim and contract specialists, and it’s an area we expect to grow and develop over the coming years as firms seek greater flexibility and access to targeted expertise.

AI is influencing roles but not replacing them (yet)

AI remains a prominent theme across the market. It’s not fundamentally redefining the core skill sets firms are hiring for, but it is beginning to influence expectations.

In areas such as business development, finance and fee-earning roles, firms are increasingly looking for at least a baseline level of AI literacy and an openness to using technology to drive efficiency and insight

Where the impact is perhaps more visible is at the more administrative end of the spectrum. Tasks that are process-driven or repetitive are naturally being reviewed through a technology lens, with firms exploring how AI can streamline or automate elements of that work.

The broader effect is a gradual shift in role design. Positions are becoming more specialist, more value-focused and, in many cases, more senior in scope as technology takes on certain lower-level tasks. It hasn’t radically altered hiring profiles overnight, but the influence is building and beginning to shape how firms think about talent.

Evolving senior leadership titles

Over the past 18 months, professional services firms have increasingly diversified job titles for senior business professionals.

Roles such asChief of Staff, Chief Growth Officer, Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Client Officer, Chief Pricing Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, and Chief Strategy Officerare now far more prevalent across the market.

In some cases, these titles reflect genuinely new leadership functions and a step-change in the skills firms require. In others, they represent a re-framing of existing roles, with responsibilities largely unchanged.

However, this re-labelling is often a more accurate reflection of the role’s strategic impact, helping firms clearly articulate the value, remit, and purpose of senior leaders.

Overall, this evolution has created new opportunities for individuals and has been a positive development for business professionals. As functions have grown in sophistication, business teams have gained greater influence and are having a more tangible impact on firm strategy and performance.

That said, these leadership roles are highly competitive. As a result, it is more important than ever for existing professional services leaders to continue evolving their skillsets and proactively re-market their strengths and experience, ensuring they are perceived as relevant, credible, and in demand.

A job-rich, candidate-short market

At a broader level, hiring volumes remain strong. The market is still candidate-short, particularly when it comes to specialist, hard-to-find talent. More generalist skill sets, which may be more readily available, are attracting comparatively less attention as firms prioritise niche expertise and immediate impact.

There is ongoing restructuring across many organisations, but this isn’t translating into widespread redundancy programmes. Instead, roles are evolving and being reshaped rather than removed altogether.

Overall, it remains a job-rich, candidate-short market. Activity levels are high across most major cities globally, including London and the wider UK, key European hubs, the US, and across our APAC offices.

Firms are showing limited flexibility on role briefs and expect new hires to add value at pace. This is intensifying talent shortages, with firms competing for a small pool of proven candidates. As a result, salary levels continue to rise, especially where firms target similar talent and struggle to differentiate their employee value propositions.

The market isn’t slowing down. It’s evolving. The firms that recognise that, and hire accordingly, will be the ones that stay ahead.

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About the author

Matthew Gardner is Managing Director at Ambition, where he leads the UK, Europe and Middle East recruitment divisions.

With over 16 years of experience in legal and professional services business services recruitment, Matthew has worked across markets including the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.

He focuses on C-suite appointments within legal and professional services business services teams, while also overseeing the day-to-day running of Ambition’s UK business.

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