The US Risk Talent Market in 2026: Hiring Outlook

The US risk talent market is becoming more complex due to developing regulatory expectations, advancing technology, and increased demand for professionals with both technical and compliance expertise. Organizations are under growing scrutiny from regulators and are integrating AI and automation into risk frameworks, which requires adaptable talent capable of managing this change.

As Anthony McCann, Executive Director and Head of Risk Management USA at Selby Jennings, explains, “we're helping clients figure their hiring needs out in real time."

Artificial intelligence has not yet transformed the USA’s risk function, but its presence is growing. 

Demand for risk professionals remains strong, particularly in hybrid roles that combine technical knowledge such as data science, programming, and modelling, with a deep understanding of regulatory and compliance mandates. This convergence is reshaping hiring strategies for risk professionals across financial services, fintech’s, and alternative asset managers.

Download the US Risk Management Talent Report for detailed hiring insights

Key market drivers

Several key factors are influencing risk hiring in 2026, from regulatory pressure to the need for more technically skilled professionals:

• Stricter Regulatory Oversight: Regulatory pressure remains a consistent driver of hiring, particularly in credit risk, liquidity risk, and model risk. Firms continue to invest in talent to meet evolving standards from the Fed, OCC, and global frameworks.
• Rise of Hybrid Technical-Regulatory Roles: There's growing demand for professionals who can operate at the intersection of data, analytics, and compliance, with skills in Python, R, or SQL increasingly seen as baseline requirements.
• AI and Automation Risk Governance: As financial institutions deploy AI across lending, trading, and operations, model validation and AI governance teams are expanding to mitigate new categories of risk.
• Fierce Competition for Key Skill Sets: High-caliber professionals in model risk, enterprise risk, and operational resilience are fielding multiple offers, especially in financial hubs such as New York, Charlotte, and Chicago.

Challenges for employers

Risk hiring remains competitive, and many employers face internal hurdles that limit their ability to secure top talent efficiently. Some of those challenges include: 

• High-Demand Roles Create Offer Competition: Professionals with experience in stress testing, ALM, or fraud risk often receive competing offers, making it more difficult for slower-moving firms to secure top talent.
• Hiring Bottlenecks Slow Down Results: Lengthy interview cycles, inconsistent communication, or unclear job specs lead to talent drop-off. In a candidate-driven market, firms that move decisively win.
• Expanded Candidate Expectations: Risk professionals now weigh total compensation, career trajectory, and hybrid flexibility equally when considering new roles. Transparent progression and structured onboarding are key differentiators.

View US compensation benchmarks for risk professionals

How employers can prepare

To stay competitive, employers need to take a more strategic and proactive approach to risk hiring in 2026. Our advice is to: 

• Proactively Plan Your Workforce: Anticipate future capability gaps across your risk teams, especially in areas like model risk, data science, and liquidity risk.
• Get Clarity in Role Definition and Value Proposition: Clearly outline responsibilities, reporting lines, and career advancement to keep candidates engaged and reduce offer rejection risk.
• Improve Process Efficiencies and Candidate Experiences: Streamlining decision-making and consolidating interview feedback helps reduce time-to-hire, which can be decisive in competitive markets.

Request a call back with our consultants to discuss your hiring strategy.

Submit your open roles today to start your search.

Acting early and strategically is essential for securing business-critical risk talent. With competition intensifying and skill requirements becoming more specialized, the firms that succeed will be those that treat talent planning as a forward-looking function, not a reactive one.

Download the full 2026 US Risk Management Talent Report for in-depth insights and market data.