Managing General Agents sit inside a wider financial-services market that is weighted towards senior, qualified talent. In the financial services sector, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than RQF 3 to 5 roles, according to GOV.UK's Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 report (2026). For an MGA, that tells you something useful: the roles you compete hardest for are the experienced, degree-equivalent ones, not entry-level hires.
So a hiring plan that treats every seat the same will struggle. The pull is at the top of the skills ladder. If you want to read the market before you write a single job advert, start with where demand actually sits, then shape your plan around it.
MGAs run lean, which makes each hire carry more weight. Your plan should separate the roles that carry regulatory and underwriting responsibility from the support roles around them. Because financial-services recruitment skews towards RQF 6+ roles rather than RQF 3 to 5 roles, as set out in GOV.UK's Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 report (2026), the senior and specialist seats are where you should expect the longest searches and the most competition.
Think about the shape of the business. Underwriters and pricing specialists drive your book. Compliance and risk roles keep you authorised. Claims and operations keep service tight. Distribution and broker-facing roles bring in volume. Map which of these are critical now, which are next quarter, and which you can hire into as you scale. That ordering is the plan.
Start with a clear role definition tied to the regulatory level you need. When demand concentrates in RQF 6+ roles, as GOV.UK's Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 report (2026) shows, vague specs cost you time. Be precise about the qualifications, the authorisation scope and the book or line of business someone will own.
Then move quickly and keep your process short. Experienced insurance people are usually in work and talking to more than one firm, so a long interview chain loses them. Agree your decision-makers up front, set clear stages, and give feedback fast. Treat the interview as two-way: strong candidates assess your authorisation, your capacity providers and your growth plan as closely as you assess them.
Once your plan names the roles and the order, you need reach and speed to fill them. Reed.ai searches a database of 15 million candidates and manages your recruitment end to end, so you can line up underwriting, compliance and distribution hires against your timeline. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. If you are ready to turn your plan into shortlists, tell us the first role and we will get started today.
