Finance Skills for the Future That Employers Need to Prioritise in the Next 3 Years
By Finance

Finance teams are being asked to do more than report accurately and protect control. They are increasingly expected to improve forecasting, guide investment decisions and help organisations use AI responsibly. For CFOs and finance leaders building teams now, that changes the hiring brief. Professionals with the finance skills for the future will combine strong technical foundations with data confidence, commercial judgement, technology fluency and the ability to influence decisions across the organisation.

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Which Finance Skills Will Be in Demand Over the Next 3 Years?

38% of CFOs and finance leaders plan to increase hiring this year, compared with just 4% planning to decrease it, and this trend is expected to continue. With that in mind, here are the finance skills future leaders should be optimising their hiring processes to find.

 

1. AI Fluency And Responsible Automation

AI capability is now a core expectation for many finance roles. 43% of finance leaders are prioritising AI and advanced technology to automate operations and drive organisational success through 2027, and finance operating models are shifting as automation takes on more routine activity.The result is that finance professionals will focus more heavily on oversight, interpretation, judgement and strategic decision-making. That does not mean every Financial Controller or FP&A Analyst needs to become a technologist. Employers should look for people who understand:

  • Where AI can improve finance processes without weakening control
  • How to interrogate AI-generated outputs
  • Where human review remains essential
  • How to identify sensible automation opportunities in reporting, reconciliations or forecasting

    A useful test: ask candidates to describe a situation where they questioned or overrode an automated output. The answer will quickly reveal whether their AI fluency is genuine or superficial.AI fluency is therefore one of the clearest finance skills for the future, but it should be assessed alongside judgement, governance and financial expertise.

 

2. Data Analysis, Forecasting And Scenario Modelling

As reporting cycles accelerate, finance professionals will be expected to turn data into decisions. For employers, this means the standard for FP&A and Finance Business Partner candidates has shifted. Strong candidates should be able to:

  • Build and challenge forecasts
  • Identify the operational drivers behind performance
  • Explain what different scenarios mean for leadership teams

    Commercial judgement and strategic influence will also be increasingly important capabilities, as will forecasting, capital allocation and scenario planning as central to the finance agenda.

    For FP&A teams, this raises the standard. Data fluency increasingly includes spotting anomalies, improving data quality and connecting financial information with operational performance.

    If you are asking what skills are needed for finance over the next three years, the ability to interpret data in context should be high on the list. Its value lies in helping stakeholders make better decisions from that analysis.

 

3. Commercial Judgement And Business Partnering

Technical strength remains essential, but finance is becoming more embedded in operational and strategic decisions, with greater involvement in pricing, capital allocation and cross-functional planning.

This movement from a support function to a central driver of decision making makes commercial judgement one of the most important skills for finance hiring. Finance Business Partners, FP&A professionals and Finance Managers all need to understand how financial decisions affect service delivery, investment and risk.

The objective may not be profit maximisation, but leaders need to make disciplined choices around funding, resource allocation, cost control and long-term sustainability. The finance skills for the future will favour candidates who can move comfortably between detail and the bigger picture.

 

4. Control, Governance And Technical Accounting

The use of AI does not reduce the need for technical finance expertise. It increases the importance of knowing when outputs are reliable, where risks sit and what controls should apply. For finance employers, that reinforces the value of robust accounting knowledge, professional scepticism and the ability to challenge automated outputs.

Important skills for finance will continue to include financial control, statutory and regulatory awareness, audit readiness, risk management and data integrity. These capabilities matter even more as organisations automate processes, because the consequences of poor governance compound faster when scale is achieved through technology rather than headcount.

 

5. Change And Transformation Capability

Finance transformation is no longer limited to major ERP programmes. New reporting tools, automation, shared service models and AI-enabled workflows all require people to adapt processes and bring stakeholders with them.

Transformation and change capability is increasingly valuable, as is the ability to work closely with IT and other functions as digital finance develops. This makes change leadership another priority among finance skills for the future. Employers should look for evidence that professionals have:

  • Improved finance and accounting processes
  • Supported system implementations
  • Redesigned reporting
  • Helped teams adopt new ways of working

    The distinction worth making at interview is between professionals who were present during a transformation and those who actively drove one. The former is common. The latter is what creates value.

 

6. Communication, Influence And Leadership

As finance takes a stronger role in decision-making, communication becomes more important, not less. Senior finance professionals need to explain complex issues clearly, challenge constructively and build credibility outside finance. This is especially relevant where success depends on influencing budget holders, operational leaders, trustees, boards or executive teams.

Leadership also matters below director level. The next generation of finance leaders will be expected to coach teams, manage change and create confidence during uncertainty. Those human capabilities remain central to the finance skills for the future.  Employers should assess whether candidates can adapt their communication to different audiences, tell a clear story with data and support decisions without relying on technical language.

Employers should assess whether candidates can adapt their communication to different audiences, tell a clear story with data and support decisions without defaulting to technical language. A useful interview approach: ask candidates to explain a complex financial issue as they would to a non-finance board member. The quality of that answer will tell you more than a technical test.

 

What This Means For Finance Hiring

Demand for finance talent remains resilient, yet many organisations are experiencing growing difficulties accessing finance and accounting talent, particularly those with key skills. That makes precision in hiring increasingly important. Rather than treating every vacancy as a replacement exercise, finance leaders should define which capabilities the function needs next and avoid defaulting to like-for-like hiring approaches that may create longer-term challenges.

A strong hiring process should test for:

  • Technical depth relevant to the role
  • AI and systems confidence
  • Data interpretation and forecasting ability
  • Commercial or organisational judgement
  • Change experience
  • Stakeholder influence and communication

The balance will differ by role. A Group Financial Controller may need deeper governance expertise, while a Senior FP&A Analyst may require stronger modelling and business partnering skills.

Prioritising finance skills for the future is not a rejection of traditional finance expertise. Organisations will still need people who can protect accuracy, compliance and control, but they will increasingly favour professionals who can also use technology well, interpret data, lead change and contribute to better decisions.

Cedar specialises in Accountancy & Finance recruitment across permanent and interim requirements, connecting organisations with finance professionals who can support control, transformation, growth and strategic decision-making.

If you are reviewing your finance team’s capability, planning for future skills gaps or struggling to find professionals with the right blend of technical and strategic skills, contact Cedar to discuss the talent your organisation needs next.