Hire Family Office Staff
Your family office recruitment success depends on building a team of professionals who mix world-class expertise with discretion and trust. We specialize in finding exactly those people.
Building a great family office starts with finding people who understand both the money matters and the personal touch that wealthy families need.
We know family office recruitment for High Net Worth Individuals and families inside out because our founders actually worked as private service professionals before starting Morgan & Mallet.
- Every year, we help over 1,200 talented people find their perfect role in household and family office positions.
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- Typically, you’ll find 8-12 dedicated staff in a family office, while the really substantial ones might have 25 or more people working together.
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- People working in family offices typically stay for about 7 years – much longer than the 4-year average you see in corporate jobs.
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- Roughly 70% of our clients are PAs, accountants, and financial advisors who trust us to be their family office recruitment agency.
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- When families need senior leadership, we typically have someone excellent in place within 2-3 weeks, while others often take months.
DISCLAIMER
We might not find your ideal family office member right away, despite having offices in 8 cities and over 12,000 household staff profiles worldwide.
When that happens, we’ll tell you directly that it’s going to take more time.
Our 96% success rate comes from being patient and finding the right fit, not just filling spots quickly.
This honest approach is why so many families have trusted us year after year since 2015.
We’ve learned this approach leads to better long-term partnerships from day one.
What is a Family Office
and How is it Structured?
A family office is a private company that manages wealth and personal affairs for ultra-wealthy families.Â
Single-family offices serve one family exclusively, while multi-family offices serve several unrelated families.
Most family offices handle investments, taxes, legal matters, estate planning, lifestyle coordination, and charitable giving.
Larger offices add specialized roles like art curators, aviation managers, and cybersecurity experts.
Single-family offices offer complete customization and privacy. Multi-family offices let you share costs and resources while learning from other successful families.
Key Insights From Our Family Office Recruitment Agency (2025)
100%
All the family office directors we recruit in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, London, and Dubai are experienced in or trained in: Confidential oversight – Discretion – Regional compliance
91%
Nearly all of our Los Angeles family office directors bring multi-property oversight expertise.
90%
A huge amount (90%) of the London fmaily office directors we recruit bring expertise in multiple properties
84%
Most New York Directors manage urban, multi-staffed offices the highest among all cities we recruit family office staff in.
76%
This amount of Dubai family office directors manage multi-staffed offices the lowest among surveyed cities we place family office staff in but uniquely bring Sharia-compliant governance expertise.
How Many Employees
Does a Typical Family Office Have?
8-12
Average Offices
The average family office employs 8–12 full-time professionals, with larger offices managing over 25 staff members.
6–10
$500M–$1B Offices
Single-family offices with $500 million to $1 billion typically employ 6–10 professionals.
30–50
$5B+ Offices
Those managing over $5 billion often have 30–50 employees across multiple locations.
25–40
Multi-Family Offices
Some multi-family offices achieve economies of scale, serving 15–30 families with 25–40 professionals. This shared model reduces per-family costs whilst keeping service at a high level.
What are the Key Differences Between Single and Multi-Family Office Staffing?
Single-family offices often need staff who become extensions of the family. It’s about understanding the family’s personality, values, and big-picture goals, not just managing their investments. For these roles we really tailor the family office staff we hire to the client, we match a candidates experience and personality with the clients needs and what they ask us for.
Multi-family offices need professionals who are really good at managing quite a few client relationships.Â
These people need to be able to understand different family cultures while keeping a high level of service, together with maintaining boundaries.
Three Overlooked Challenges
Family Office Directors Face in 2025
Underestimating Staff Wages
Many family office directors are surprised by how much good staff cost now.
Two-thirds of our clients are personal assistants, accountants, and advisors who are genuinely surprised by today’s staffing costs.
Long-established families often expect to pay what they used to pay, not what the market demands today.
Why are wages higher than expected?Â
- More wealthy families are competing for the same great people, which pushes salaries higher.
- Cities like London have fewer available staff now because Brexit made it harder for Europeans to work there.
- When you insist on thorough background checks, verified experience, and solid references, you’re left with fewer candidates to choose from.
Employment Challenges
Some directors may seek ‘another housemaid for the next 20 years’ because their previous maid stayed that long. These days, most people change jobs every 3-5 years – that’s just how careers work now.
Multi-family offices can struggle with this -they need stability but must accept that retention strategies matter more than employment promises.
Another challenge is actually knowing how to hire well. Not all family office directors have experience finding and hiring the right people. At Morgan & Mallet, we’re experts at family office recruitment and finding people who genuinely love helping families and providing excellent service.
Thinking Locally in a Global Market
Today’s wealthy families operate globally – a London house needs a nanny in Dubai, a New York family requires staff in the Hamptons and Aspen simultaneously.
Directors may struggle to fulfill these requests. Our system means you only need to call one person, and we’ll coordinate staff anywhere from New York to Monaco.
For example, one director based in Mayfair, London, recently rang our recruiter and asked for a yachting captain for the upcoming family holiday in Monaco. Throughout the entire process the director only had to speak with their original London recruiter.
When you reach out to Morgan & Mallet you will probably find yourself doing most of the talking. Our expert recruiters will first listen to your situation, and then advise on the next steps. So if we are a little quiet, don’t worry, it’s part of the process.
Critical Roles in Family Office Staffing
Experience matters, but in our family office staff agency we really look for people who have a genuine service mindset and will do whatever needs doing. The best family office staff combine expertise with genuine passion for serving families.
Position | Core Responsibilities | Typical Experience Required |
|---|---|---|
Chief Executive Officer | Strategic leadership, family governance, stakeholder management | 15+ years senior management, often Big 4 or investment banking background |
Chief Investment Officer | Portfolio management, asset allocation, manager selection | 12+ years institutional investing, CFA preferred |
Chief Financial Officer | Financial reporting, tax strategy, treasury management | 10+ years, CPA with ultra-wealthy family experience |
General Counsel | Legal strategy, compliance, transaction structuring | 10+ years, Bar admission, trust and estate expertise |
Family Office Manager | Daily operations, staff supervision, vendor management | 8+ years luxury hospitality or private service |
Trust Built on Experience
Morgan & Mallet (M&M) was established in 2015 in London by two ambitious French co-founders. Laurine worked as a nanny for wealthy London and Paris families, and Morgan was a butler and PA for ultra-wealthy households.
This hands-on experience shapes every placement. Both founders understand the delicate balance between professional competence and personal service that a family office recruitment service requires.
We’ve grown a lot since 2015 – now we have offices in Paris, Monaco, Geneva, Dubai, and New York. Our family office division places professionals across investment management, estate administration, and lifestyle management.
We succeed 96% of the time because we truly understand both what families want and what great professionals can offer.
Geographic Distribution
of Family Office Talent
New York
92% of the family office directors we place in New York have managed urban-based operations supporting principal-led decision-making across real estate, private staffing, and legacy administration.Â
Los Angeles
88% of our Los Angeles directors we have recruited understand tech wealth, while also working with charity foundations.
London
81% of family office staff we have placed in London are professionals who have worked in homes with varied staff, managing communication with banks and advisory firms.
San Francisco
79% of Bay Area family office staff we have recruited have worked in multi-staffed properties.Â
Miami
89% of Miami directors have experience with families that live in various locations, often involving offshore financial arrangements.
Dubai
87% of the Gulf-based directors we have placed have supported UHNW families, maintaining discretion across lifestyle, education, and regional issues.Â
The Morgan & Mallet Family Office Recruitment Process
We start every placement by getting to know your family’s specific needs.
We’ll ask you about your investment approach, how your family makes decisions, where you have homes, and what level of service you expect from your family office staff.
Step One: Comprehensive Needs Assessment
We conduct in-depth consultations to understand your family office structure, culture, and specific talent gaps. This goes beyond job descriptions to capture your family’s values and working style.
Please be aware, our recruiters are usually quiet and just onboarding all the information shared, then at the end will advise.
Step Two: Global Talent Search
We tap into our database of over 15,000 professionals while conducting targeted searches.
Family office director recruitment is more complex than other roles, but our database includes detailed candidate histories from all our searches.
Even if Morgan & Mallet has the ideal candidate we will still post the job advertisement, so we can continue filling our database, and to be certain we do have the perfect candidate.
Step Three: Rigorous Screening
We thoroughly check every candidate’s background, verify their credentials, and speak with multiple references. We verify claimed expertise through practical assessments and scenario testing.
Because of our onboarding process we often become familiar with candidates, we may have placed them before in the past. Despite the familiarity we still perform background checks, reference calls, and practical tests.
Step Four: Cultural Fit Evaluation
Technical skills matter, but cultural alignment to your specific situation is really important in the long-term success of a family office placement. We assess communication style, discretion levels, and how well candidates reflect your family’s values and make decisions based on that.
Step Five: Curated Presentation
We present just three exceptional candidates. This selectivity reflects our promise for quality over quantity – your time is too valuable for unsuitable matches or to have to choose from many different candidates.
Sometimes we present just one candidate – this happens when we’re completely confident they’re perfect for your family and role. This is why it’s so important to understand very well what you are looking for, so we can make the perfect match.
Step Six: Integration Support
We stay involved to help with the settling-in period. We facilitate smooth transitions and remain available to address any concerns.
Morgan & Mallet also has extensive legal partners for every jurisdiction, making the hiring easier, and correct from the very start.
Wealth Management:
The Core of Family Office Operations
Wealth managers in family offices differ dramatically from traditional private bankers. They oversee entire family portfolios rather than selling financial products.
Family office wealth managers handle much more money per person – often hundreds of millions to over a billion dollars each, compared to $50-100 million for private bank advisors.
Knowing how the family works is just as important as being good with investments.
Some big banks that work with family offices have started offering recruitment help for luxury household positions.Â
While this might seem convenient, we don’t recommend it because recruiting requires specialized knowledge, and hiring the wrong person can cause serious problems.
Ready to build your family office team? Contact Morgan & Mallet today to discuss your staffing needs.
Frequently asked questions
How do family offices ensure confidentiality with their staff?
Family offices have many confidentiality layers including comprehensive NDAs, background checks, and restricted information access. Physical security measures can also protect sensitive documents.
Morgan & Mallet’s selection process includes confidentiality assessments and reference checks specifically focused on discretion. We only present candidates with proven track records of maintaining privacy.
What technology skills are essential for modern family office professionals?
Modern family office professionals need expertise in portfolio management systems, CRM platforms, and have cybersecurity knowledge, helping to prevent or identify cyber attacks . Data analysis skills have become essential for investment and reporting roles.
Emerging requirements include blockchain understanding for digital assets and AI tools for investment analysis. Technology competence now ranks among top hiring criteria from clients we hire for.
How has family office staffing changed post-pandemic?
Some post-pandemic family offices embrace hybrid work models and make use of the ability to be able to hire globally because of this. A lot now hire remotely for certain positions, expanding candidate options beyond traditional financial centers. It benefits both clients and candidates.
Compensation in the US has increased by 10% to 20% on average, since 2019 as families compete for top talent. Work-life balance and professional development have become key retention factors.
What is the difference between insourcing and outsourcing family office functions?
Insourcing keeps functions within the family office, providing complete control and customization. This approach works best for core activities like family governance and strategic asset allocation.
Outsourcing makes use of external expertise for specialized tasks like tax compliance or alternative investment due diligence. Most successful family offices combine both approaches strategically.
How long does it take to staff a new family office?
Executive positions typically fill within 2-3 weeks through Morgan & Mallet, significantly faster than the industry average of 3-4 months. This speed comes from maintaining active candidate relationships before positions open.
Building a complete family office team typically takes 6-12 months. Starting with core leadership allows them to shape subsequent hires.
How do family offices handle staff training and development?
Leading family offices invest 3-5% of personnel budgets in professional development. This includes technical training, leadership programs, and industry conferences.
Creating internal career paths improves retention. Many offices sponsor advanced certifications and executive education programs at top universities.
The industry-wide talent shortage prompted Morgan & Mallet to open training centers in France in 2023. While at first they focused on household staff, these schools highlight a bigger challenge – demand for qualified professionals far exceeds supply across all family office positions.
What are the most critical roles in a family office?
The CEO and CIO represent the most critical positions, setting strategy and managing the family’s wealth. The General Counsel has become increasingly important given regulatory complexity.
Beyond senior leadership, the Family Office Manager ensures smooth daily operations. This role is the connection between family members and professional staff.