Daisy Catterall offers practical guidance for anyone looking to start or transition into a treasury career. It highlights multiple entry routes – through analytical degrees, hands-on finance roles, or professional qualifications – and emphasises that success comes from blending technical expertise with strong soft skills such as communication and strategic thinking. The article also notes that treasury welcomes professionals from diverse backgrounds, and stresses the value of working with specialist recruiters who provide tailored advice, market insight, and access to exclusive opportunities to help candidates navigate and advance their treasury careers.
There are multiple routes into the profession, each with its own merits, depending on the kind of career you want to build. The most successful treasurers blend hands-on experience with professional qualifications, and just as importantly, they bring the soft skills needed to lead, influence, and thrive in a dynamic financial environment.
Whether you’re just starting or looking to pivot, there is a path for you. That’s why we’ve created this small guide to careers in treasury, drawing on our network of professionals, market insight, and the trends we are seeing in hiring requirements, to help you navigate your first or next step in treasury.
The most common degrees we see in treasury are in Finance, Business and Economics; these subjects lend themselves naturally to the role due to transferable skills like numerical thinking, problem-solving, and a foundational understanding of corporate finance. Other common pathways include Mathematics, Engineering, or Statistics, which offer strong critical thinking and more technical, quantitative skills such as programming and modelling.
Another potential route is Law, which develops a deep understanding of legal and regulatory frameworks, helping aspiring Treasurers manage risk and ensure compliance. But don’t worry if your degree isn’t directly related (or if you don’t have a degree at all); many Treasurers we support with hiring place more emphasis on professional experience and attitude than on academic background.
Treasury graduate schemes aren’t common, but treasury rotations within broader finance graduate schemes, especially in big banks, Big 4 firms, or large corporates, are a great way to gain early exposure. The most typical entry point into treasury is through a Treasury Analyst role, where you’ll build foundational skills and learn the day-to-day workings of cash, liquidity, and banking operations.
If you don’t secure that straight away, roles like Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, or Cash Management Analyst are good stepping stones, helping you understand how money moves through a business and setting you up for a future move into treasury.
Our best advice is to roll up your sleeves, get stuck in, and take opportunities to go above and beyond; hiring managers look for junior talent who’ve demonstrated they can work beyond transactional responsibilities and proactively drive meaningful change in their role.
When it comes to professional qualifications, the ACT (Association of Corporate Treasurers) is considered the gold standard for treasury professionals. Other recognised qualifications include the CTP (Certified Treasury Professional) and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), which also demonstrate strong financial expertise and commitment to the field.
Additionally, accounting qualifications such as ACA, ACCA, and CIMA are highly respected and often serve as a launchpad into treasury, especially for roles that require a strong grasp of financial reporting and controls in back-office treasury or treasury accounting. These certifications not only open doors but also connect you to a network of fellow professionals, creating opportunities for peer learning, mentorship, and career growth.
Starting your career in audit, tax, or financial accounting sets you up brilliantly for a move into treasury, and we often find this experience is highly sought after due to its professional reputation. These roles expose you to a wide range of clients, team structures, technology systems, and financial environments, and the depth and rigour of work in practice builds strong technical foundations.
There’s also a growing career path in treasury consulting, with specialist firms, some focused on technology and systems implementation, supporting businesses in optimising their treasury operations. Whether you move into industry or consulting, practice experience gives you a strong platform to build a successful treasury career.
Treasury welcomes professionals from a range of backgrounds. The key is to recognise your transferable skills, think a step ahead, and demonstrate a genuine interest in pivoting into treasury.
Those from FP&A, financial modelling, corporate finance, or financial accounting often pivot after building strong financial acumen but are seeking a more strategic and relationship-driven role in back-office treasury. Individuals from risk functions bring expertise in controls, compliance, and regulation, which aligns well with middle-office treasury. Professionals from corporate banking, specifically with experience in liquidity solutions, FX, or trade finance, could offer valuable market insight and relationship management skills that translate well into a front-office treasury role.
These varied entry points reflect the breadth of skills valued in treasury, where financial insight, regulatory awareness, and relationship management each play an integral role.
To thrive and climb in treasury, you need to be a strategic thinker, a clear communicator, and an inquisitive problem-solver. Treasurers influence decisions at the highest level, so being impactful and authoritative is key. Curiosity, negotiation skills, and the ability to see the bigger picture are just as important as technical know-how.
Those who stay keen to learn and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo make a lasting impression and often progress further and faster. The Treasurers we work with consistently look for these soft skills, the qualities that don’t show up on your CV. This is the kind of deeper insight that trusted recruitment partners bring to the table, and it’s exactly what our clients are paying for when they come to us to support with their hiring.
At every stage of your career, from your first role to your next strategic move, a specialist recruiter can be an invaluable ally. We offer tailored advice, help refine your CV to showcase your strengths, and connect you with opportunities that align with your goals.
By leaning on our market insight and network, you gain a trusted advocate who understands the nuances of treasury and can open doors you might not reach alone. Many of the roles we work on, especially at the senior level, aren’t advertised on platforms like LinkedIn. Hiring managers often come directly to us to tap into our network and find trusted, qualified candidates discreetly. Choose a recruitment partner who listens, genuinely cares, and wants to build something meaningful together beyond the sales transaction.
Whether you’re just starting or ready to take the next step, there’s never been a more exciting time to be in treasury. Building a strong network is key – it’s how you stay informed, uncover new opportunities, and grow professionally. If you’re curious about where Treasury could take you, reach out and start a conversation to unlock the next chapter of your career.
