August 2025
Future-Proof Your Investor Relations Career
The classic role focused on earnings calls, reporting, and maintaining investor relationships is expanding. Today, IR professionals are expected to handle more complexity, contribute to strategic decisions, and communicate across a wider set of stakeholders. If you're looking for your next IR role, understanding where the function is headed will help you position yourself for the right opportunities.
Boards and leadership teams now expect IR to do more than distribute updates. They want proactive insight, sharper messaging, and the ability to manage risk through effective market communication. AI, regulatory pressure, and growing demands from institutional investors are all reshaping expectations for IR teams.
Here’s what job seekers need to know about the new landscape and how to stay competitive.
Strategic Investor Relations
Investor Relations used to sit squarely between finance and communications. Now it’s becoming a key part of shaping corporate strategy and managing how the market views long-term value.
IR professionals are getting pulled into broader conversations around capital allocation, investor targeting, and performance messaging. In private and pre-IPO companies, IR often overlaps with fundraising and stakeholder management. In public companies, your ability to influence the equity story (not just repeat it) is becoming a key differentiator.
If you're used to reporting cycles and reactive communication, it’s time to think about how you can contribute earlier and more proactively. Strategic thinking is now a core part of the IR skill set.
What IR hiring managers want
At Selby Jennings, we’re seeing a clear shift in how employers assess IR candidates. They’re not just looking for clean reporting or strong presentation skills. They want professionals who can read the market, anticipate investor concerns, and shape the messaging that leadership delivers.
IR teams are expected to do more with leaner resources. Hiring managers are prioritising people who can build trust with senior executives and the board, prepare for difficult investor Q&A sessions, work independently with minimal oversight, and contribute to governance and disclosure planning.
If you’ve supported a CEO through challenging market conditions, shaped guidance strategy, or helped frame a turnaround story, those experiences matter. Companies want IR professionals who are steady under pressure and commercially aware.
Get ahead on ESG and AI
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues are now a central part of investor conversations. IR is increasingly expected to lead ESG messaging and reporting, even when sustainability sits elsewhere in the business. That means aligning with frameworks, anticipating investor questions, and integrating ESG into capital markets materials.
At the same time, AI is quietly changing how IR teams work. Predictive analytics are being used to target investors. Large language models help summarise analyst reports, draft Q&A, or flag sentiment in earnings transcripts. These tools won’t replace you, but they are raising expectations around speed and responsiveness.
If you're applying for IR roles now, you don’t need to be a data expert. But you should understand how these tools work and where they add value. Showing that you’re curious and adaptable with new tech can set you apart.
Sharpen your technical toolkit
IR job descriptions are now more likely to mention platforms like FactSet, Q4, Bloomberg, or IR-focused CRM tools. Employers want candidates who can build investor decks, manage cap table scenarios, and work comfortably with market data.
Technical fluency matters more than it used to. Excel is still essential, but experience with tools that streamline IR operations is a plus. If you’ve worked with targeting tools, built dashboards, or automated parts of your reporting process, highlight it.
Finance knowledge is still a must. Understanding valuation models, reading analyst assumptions, and answering equity performance questions are all part of the job. But hiring managers now want to see how you apply that foundation with flexibility and execution.
Improve how you tell the story
Strong communication has always mattered in IR. What’s changing is how that skill is used.
Top candidates write clearly, present confidently, and tailor their message across formats and audiences. It’s not just about formal investor presentations anymore. It’s about prepping leaders for media interviews, aligning teams internally before announcements, and tightening the language in statements and disclosures.
If you’ve led on messaging during a rebrand, supported activist engagement, or handled internal communications during M&A, those are valuable experiences. IR teams are being pulled into broader communications work, and companies want people who can hold their own across departments.
Look beyond the obvious roles
Many IR professionals limit their search to public companies in familiar industries. But there’s growing demand elsewhere.
Private equity portfolio companies are building IR functions earlier, especially as LPs push for more transparency. Pre-IPO and late-stage growth companies are hiring IR leads to manage market engagement before a listing.
There’s also demand for hybrid roles that combine IR with corporate strategy, ESG, capital markets, or fundraising. If you’ve only worked in large companies, you may find more autonomy and visibility in smaller or scaling businesses.
Be open to industries where you can apply your core skills, even if the product or market is new. Energy, life sciences, and financial services are hiring, with a strong interest in candidates who can manage risk and influence perception.
Be ready before the market picks up
The candidates who land the best roles are usually the ones who are prepared before hiring ramps up. Now’s the time to tighten your resume, highlight outcomes, and back up your experience with clear metrics. Be specific about where you influenced decisions, improved investor engagement, or helped navigate uncertainty.
Stay active in the market. Read what investors read, attend relevant events, and speak to recruiters who know the IR space. Most roles aren’t publicly advertised. They go to people already in the right conversations.
Find your next IR role with Selby Jennings
If you're exploring your next move in Investor Relations, focus on what hiring managers value now: strategic thinking, strong communication, and the ability to operate across tools, teams, and channels. The best candidates combine credibility with adaptability.
We’re currently hiring for IR roles at public companies, PE-backed firms, and pre-IPO businesses. If your experience matches what our clients are looking for, one of our consultants will be in touch.
Fill out the form below to share your details. If we have an active mandate that fits your background, we’ll reach out to talk about roles, current hiring trends, and how to position yourself effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
While many IR professionals come from backgrounds in finance, accounting, or communications, certifications can strengthen your profile. In the UK, the Certified Investor Relations Professional (CIR) from the IR Society is a common starting point. Finance-heavy roles may benefit from the CFA, while chartered accountancy qualifications such as ACA (ICAEW), ACCA, or CIMA can also be valuable. ESG-focused roles may require training in frameworks like SASB, GRI, or the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing. These credentials signal commitment and technical grounding, especially in competitive processes.
You don’t always need deep sector experience to move into a new industry. Employers often prioritise IR fundamentals, strategic thinking, and communication skills. However, some regulated industries like life sciences, energy, or financial services may expect quicker onboarding to sector context. If switching sectors, be ready to show how your current knowledge applies to investor priorities in the target space.
If you're currently in finance, FP&A, strategy, or corporate comms, you're already close to the IR skill set. To make the shift, focus on building exposure to investor messaging, earnings prep, or stakeholder engagement. Shadow IR processes, work with your company’s IR team on deliverables, or support internal briefings. Highlighting crossover work can strengthen your move.
Compensation varies by geography, company size, and whether the firm is public or private. In general, IR roles offer competitive base salaries, with bonuses linked to company and personal performance. Equity or LTIPs are common in listed or growth-stage companies. Heads of IR or Director-level roles in high-growth firms can attract total compensation packages that compete with other senior corporate functions.
Some flexibility exists, especially for analyst work or reporting functions, but many IR roles are becoming more hybrid than fully remote. In-person presence is often needed for earnings, investor days, board prep, or direct interaction with leadership. Candidates should expect to be physically present during key moments in the reporting and investor calendar, especially in senior roles.
Early IR roles often lead to Head of IR positions, and from there into senior leadership roles in finance, strategy, or corporate development. Some move into the buy-side or corporate advisory. Others take on broader roles in ESG, treasury, or capital markets. IR can be a strong launchpad for executives who want visibility across the business and exposure to the C-suite.
Focus on skills development, visibility, and keeping relationships active. Sharpen your financial modelling skills, upgrade your tech stack, and learn ESG frameworks. Publish short articles or posts on investor trends, reporting best practice, or market commentary. Speak at webinars, panels, or internal town halls to stay visible in the industry. Volunteer for cross-functional projects that involve messaging, disclosure, or leadership preparation.
Maintain contact with past hiring managers, colleagues, and recruiters by sharing relevant industry insights, commenting on their work, or offering quick perspectives on market moves. This keeps your expertise front of mind without reaching out only when you need a role. Where possible, offer help on ad hoc projects or provide advice when someone in your network is short on IR capacity. Even small contributions can leave a lasting impression and position you as someone who adds value before opportunities arise.
Recruiters and hiring managers often remember professionals who stay active, visible, and helpful well before a role becomes available.