More candidates are moving, roles are broadening, and organisations are asking a sharper question: will this person deliver in our environment? Our latest Governance, Risk, Compliance and Audit market update explores the move from capability on paper to proof in practice.
More candidates. Harder choices.
Technology is making it easier to apply for roles and build initial longlists. Genuine fit remains harder to establish. Experience developed in a mature, well-resourced organisation may not translate directly into a leaner team or a different operating model.
Test transferability: look beyond whether someone has done the job before. Assess adaptability, judgement, stakeholder style and relevant operating experience.
Understand the motivation: progression, responsibility, leadership, flexibility and remuneration can all drive a move. Clarifying what matters helps manage expectations on both sides.
Candidate volume and talent availability are not the same thing.
Broader roles need realistic expectations
Leaner teams and changing operating models are increasing demand for practitioners who can work across adjacent disciplines. As AI and automation become more established, that breadth is expected to become even more relevant.
Risk: increasingly intersects with operational resilience, technology and third-party risk.
Compliance: can include financial crime, regulatory change, privacy, conduct and operational risk.
Governance: may stretch across company secretariat, legal and broader governance responsibilities.
The challenge is to keep role design, titles and remuneration realistic as responsibilities expand. Getting more from available resources requires a clear view of both capacity and capability.
Not every capability gap needs another headcount
Permanent and fixed-term recruitment remain important, but they are not always the most practical answer to a defined need. Interim resources, specialist consultants and fractional capability can provide different ways to access the experience required.
What capability do we need, for how long, and what outcome are we expecting it to deliver?
Start with the outcome: define the problem and the period of support needed before choosing the workforce model.
Access experienced practitioners: PX Resources’ Flexible Workforce solution can support immediate delivery and practitioner oversight without a permanent headcount commitment.
The Practitioner’s Corner: from ownership to action
Malka Bakes asks why risk ownership can still break down when everyone agrees that the business owns risk. The issue is often whether people understand what that responsibility means in their day-to-day work, particularly after a restructure or change in role.
Consistency over intensity: regular conversations help people work through changing responsibilities. Initial framework training or an annual RCSA cannot be assumed to cover every subsequent change.
Explain the why: connect controls and process changes to what could go wrong and what the organisation is trying to protect, rather than simply referring people to a framework.
Help advice become action: agreement with a recommendation is not the same as knowing how to implement it. Good practitioners collaborate with the business to make change work.
Understand before challenging: consider operational pressures, customer impacts and the reasons behind workarounds before treating a response as resistance.
“Before I call it resistance, I want to be sure I’ve understood what I’m asking the business to change.”
Selection matters. Candidate management is critical.
Strong candidates have options, and enthusiasm can shift while meetings, leave and competing priorities stretch a process. A candidate who is engaged today may be advanced elsewhere two weeks later.
A good recruitment process must do more than assess capability. It needs to maintain interest, manage expectations and keep momentum. In a market shaped by increased information and automation, candidate management is more important, not less.
