Why is hiring for a family office different from hiring for a corporation?

Hiring for a family office involves balancing professional skills with personal trust, culture fit, and discretion, as staff often work closely with family members and manage sensitive matters.

What should be clarified before starting a family office hiring process?

Before starting, it's essential to clearly define the role's responsibilities, reporting structure, success metrics, work hours, location expectations, and the personal qualities needed for success.

How can a family office create a strong job description?

A strong family office job description should communicate duties, qualifications, the family office's mission and values, confidentiality expectations, special requirements, and compensation details.

What sourcing strategies work best for family office hiring?

Sourcing strategies may include specialized executive recruiters, domestic staffing agencies, confidential referrals, and outsourced HR firms experienced with family office environments.

What should a family office consider during candidate interviews?

Interviews should be structured, secure, and consistent, focusing on technical skills and alignment with the family’s culture, with situational and values-based questions included.

Why are background checks critical in family office hiring?

Due to the sensitive nature of the work, thorough background and reference checks are vital to ensure candidates’ trustworthiness, including security checks when needed.

What does effective onboarding look like for a family office hire?

Effective onboarding includes a formal offer letter, a structured welcome, clear role expectations, payroll and benefits setup, and a 90-day integration plan with regular check-ins.

How can family offices ensure long-term success with new hires?

Long-term success comes from investing time in hiring the right fit, maintaining professional standards, supporting employee development, and regularly reviewing performance and compensation.

How to Hire Staff for Your Family Office

Hiring for a family office is not the same as hiring for a traditional company. The process is more personal, more discreet, and often far more complex. You’re not just filling a role—you’re inviting someone into a private ecosystem that blends family life, business operations, and personal values. From estate managers to investment advisors to domestic staff, hiring the right person means navigating issues of trust, longevity, culture fit, and confidentiality.

Whether you’re building out a team for the first time or replacing a long-standing employee, this guide will walk you through how to hire staff for a family office—step by step, with practical advice drawn from real-world HR experience.

The Hiring Landscape: Why It’s Different for Family Offices

In a corporate setting, hiring typically revolves around skillsets, experience, and team dynamics. In a family office, however, hiring decisions carry a deeper weight. The people you bring on may interact with the family daily, manage significant financial assets, or work inside your home. One misaligned hire can disrupt workflows, relationships, or trust.

That’s why hiring in a family office setting requires a nuanced approach—balancing traditional HR best practices with an understanding of the family’s structure, legacy, and expectations.

This complexity is also why many family offices turn to outsourced HR firms to guide the hiring process.

Start with a Clear Understanding of the Role

One of the most common missteps in family office hiring is starting the search without a clearly defined role. Job titles in family offices are often blended (e.g., “Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff” or “Driver and Personal Security”), and responsibilities can shift over time.

Before you engage a recruiter or post a job ad, outline:

Who this person will report to
What their core responsibilities will be
How their success will be measured
What working hours and location expectations exist
What values, personality traits, or behaviors are non-negotiable for the role

If the job involves working closely with family members, include them in this process—either by gathering their input or having them meet final candidates.

Write a Thoughtful, Values-Aligned Job Description

Once you’ve defined the role, translate it into a job description that is not only clear but aligned with your family office’s tone and values. The goal is to attract people who are a strong professional fit—and who will understand and respect the unique nature of a family office environment.

In addition to duties and qualifications, your job post should convey:

A high-level overview of your office’s mission and values
Expectations around discretion and confidentiality
Any special requirements (e.g., ability to travel, live-in arrangements, non-traditional hours)
Benefits, compensation range, and employment classification (W-2 vs. contractor)

This clarity up front will save you time and help screen out candidates who may not be comfortable in a more intimate or private workplace.

Choose the Right Sourcing Strategy

Hiring for a family office often requires a sourcing strategy that goes beyond LinkedIn or public job boards. Some roles (like investment professionals or COOs) can be sourced through executive recruiters, while household roles (like private chefs or childcare providers) may benefit from agencies that specialize in domestic staffing.

In some cases, a quiet referral from someone in your network may be your best lead—but make sure to vet personal recommendations with the same rigor as any other candidate.

Outsourcing recruitment to an HR firm that specializes in family office dynamics ensures that sourcing, vetting, and communication are handled discreetly and efficiently. Learn more about how to evaluate those firms in How to Choose the Right HR Firm for a Family Office.

Build a Secure, Respectful Interview Process

The interview process is where your family office’s professionalism—or lack thereof—starts to show. Even if you don’t have a large HR department, your process should be structured, consistent, and documented.

A few key points:

Use a secure method for sharing resumes and background checks
Ensure the same set of interview questions are asked of all candidates
Include situational or values-based questions to gauge alignment with family office culture
Clarify expectations around working hours, holidays, and interaction with the family

Depending on the role, you may choose to conduct the final interview in person or onsite, especially if trust and personal chemistry are essential.

Vetting and Background Checks

Because of the high trust nature of these roles, vetting is a critical step. Reference checks should be thorough, and background checks should be conducted by a reputable provider familiar with privacy regulations. For roles involving minors, vulnerable individuals, or access to private property, consider additional layers of screening (e.g., driving records, drug testing, or security clearance).

If confidentiality is a top concern, consider having candidates sign a non-disclosure agreement early in the process.

Offer Letter, Onboarding, and the First 90 Days

Once you’ve selected your hire, formalize everything in writing—even if your office has traditionally been informal. An offer letter should include title, compensation, benefits, start date, and employment classification. This helps avoid misunderstandings and creates a professional baseline.

But the process doesn’t end at signing.

A strong onboarding experience helps your new hire feel confident and welcomed. Include:

A warm, structured welcome with a point of contact
A written employee handbook (customized for your family office)
Technology, payroll, and benefits setup
An outline of how performance will be reviewed

The first 90 days are your most important window to build trust. Schedule regular check-ins and document any concerns that arise—early interventions are easier than late ones.

Hiring for the Long Term

A successful family office hire isn’t just about skill—it’s about fit. Many of the best staff stay for years or even decades, becoming deeply integrated into the life and rhythm of the family they serve.

To set up that kind of success, approach hiring with a long-term mindset:

Invest in finding the right candidate, not just the available one
Prioritize discretion, empathy, and cultural fit
Maintain professional boundaries and documentation, even in “informal” settings
Revisit compensation, performance, and expectations annually

Most of all, treat hiring as a strategic priority—not a fire drill when someone leaves.

Conclusion

Hiring for a family office is both an art and a science. It requires the structure of traditional HR with the nuance of private, personal working environments. From role clarity and sourcing to onboarding and long-term support, the success of your staff is directly tied to the strength of your hiring process.

At Red Clover HR, we specialize in helping family offices build sustainable, values-aligned HR systems—from recruiting to compliance to conflict resolution.

Learn more about our approach to outsourced HR for family offices and how we can support your next great hire.