By Caitlin De Alwis, Sales Analyst, Accountancy & Finance, Stanton House

For years, salary has been viewed as the primary lever for attracting senior finance talent. When organisations struggle to hire, the instinct is often to review the compensation package and assume a higher offer will solve the problem.

In my experience, that is only part of the story.

Salary remains important and will always influence whether a candidate is willing to engage in a conversation. However, once remuneration reaches a broadly competitive level, most senior finance professionals begin evaluating something much bigger. They assess the entire employment proposition.

I have seen candidates reject higher-paying opportunities because they preferred the leadership team elsewhere. I have seen finance professionals withdraw from processes because of inflexible working arrangements. I have also seen roles generate exceptional engagement because candidates could clearly see how the opportunity would accelerate their long-term career.

This shift matters because competition for experienced finance professionals remains strong. As we explore in our 2026 Accountancy & Finance Salary Guide, employers continue to seek finance leaders who can combine technical excellence, commercial judgement, leadership capability and transformation expertise. At the same time, candidate expectations have evolved considerably, with hybrid working, career development and organisational culture now playing a central role in decision-making.

The organisations attracting the strongest talent are increasingly the ones that understand this change.

Salary Gets Candidates Interested, But It Rarely Closes the Deal

Salary remains one of the first topics candidates want to discuss.

That is hardly surprising. Senior finance professionals want confidence that a role reflects their market value and aligns with their financial goals before investing time in a recruitment process.

Yet once that baseline is established, the conversation quickly broadens.

Candidates want to understand what their day-to-day experience will be like and what the opportunity means for their future. Questions such as "What does success look like?", "How visible is this role?" and "What opportunities could this create over the next few years?" often influence decisions more than a marginal salary difference.

For employers, the message is clear. Competitive pay remains essential, but organisations competing on salary alone often find themselves losing candidates to businesses offering a stronger overall proposition.

Hybrid Working Has Become Part of the Expected Employment Proposition

One of the most consistent themes in my candidate conversations today is flexibility.

Hybrid working is frequently raised within the first discussion about a role. Importantly, this does not mean candidates are unwilling to spend time in the office. Most senior finance professionals recognise the importance of collaboration, relationship building and mentoring.

What has changed is the expectation.

Flexibility is no longer viewed as a perk. It has become a normal part of professional working life.

Across the senior finance roles we work on, I typically see employers asking people to spend around two to three days a week in the office. Once that requirement moves towards four or five days, attracting candidates can become noticeably more difficult.

I have worked with candidates who were genuinely excited about a role. The salary was attractive, the responsibilities aligned with their experience and they liked the organisation. Yet they chose not to proceed because five days a week in the office simply did not work for them.

One candidate put it simply:

“I really liked the company, but five days in the office just wasn't realistic for me.”

The lesson is not that every organisation must offer maximum flexibility. Different businesses and roles have different requirements. However, employers do need to recognise how significantly candidate expectations have shifted. For organisations competing for experienced finance talent, the working model is now part of the employment proposition, not an afterthought.

Candidates Are Buying Into a Career, Not Just a Job

Many employers still focus heavily on responsibilities, reporting lines and compensation. While those factors matter, they do not necessarily explain why a candidate should choose one organisation over another.

Increasingly, candidates want to understand where a role could take them.

They ask:

• What does success look like?
• How will this role evolve?
• What opportunities might emerge over the next two to five years?
• Will I gain broader commercial exposure?
• How realistic is progression into leadership?

One recent assignment demonstrated this perfectly.

The role itself was comparable to several others in the market. However, the organisation clearly communicated that the successful individual would have a genuine opportunity to progress into a CFO position over time.

Candidate engagement was significantly stronger than for similar vacancies.

The difference was not salary. It was visibility of future opportunity.

Candidates could picture themselves building a long-term career rather than making another sideways move. That made the role more compelling from the outset.

Employers often underestimate how influential a credible progression story can be. Roles that clearly communicate future opportunities consistently stand out in a competitive market.

Leadership, Culture & Stability Influence Final Decisions

While salary may open the conversation and progression may sustain interest, leadership and culture often determine whether a candidate ultimately accepts an offer.

Senior finance professionals are increasingly selective about the environments they join. Candidates want to understand who they will work for, how decisions are made and whether the organisation aligns with their values and ways of working.

They look for evidence of supportive leadership, collaborative teams and investment in people. And in uncertain economic conditions, business stability has become particularly important. Many candidates want reassurance about growth plans, strategic direction and the organisation's long-term outlook before committing to a move.

I frequently find that candidates ask as many questions about their prospective manager and leadership team as they do about the role itself.

Employer brand also plays a role, but not through marketing messages alone. Candidates place greater value on what employees experience every day than what companies say about themselves externally.

Attracting Talent Is Only Half the Challenge

The factors that attract candidates are often the same factors that encourage them to stay.

Organisations that offer flexibility, visible progression opportunities, strong leadership and positive workplace cultures are typically better positioned to improve both hiring outcomes and retention.

This is particularly important in senior finance, where experienced professionals continue to have options and employers are competing for individuals who can make a measurable impact.

Rather than viewing recruitment and retention as separate challenges, organisations should think about the broader employee experience. The strongest employee value propositions support people throughout their careers, not just during the hiring process.

A Final Thought for Employers

The question employers should be asking is no longer whether their salary offering is competitive.

The more important question is whether the overall experience they offer is compelling.

The organisations consistently attracting and retaining the strongest finance talent understand this. They recognise that candidates are not simply choosing their next job. They are choosing an environment in which they can build their future.

Continue The Conversation

If you would like to discuss your finance hiring strategy, benchmark candidate expectations or explore how your organisation can strengthen its employee value proposition, get in touch. I’d be happy to share what I’m seeing in the market and talk through how these trends are shaping senior finance hiring.