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Senior Hiring IndexMonthly edition
October 2026
78 leadership roles were open across 31 UK employers at the end of October 2026. 75 were added during the month and 70 came down.
The month opened with 73 open, so the stock of advertised leadership seats ended up 5 on the month. A further 13 director-level seats were open in finance, people and the support functions, which the headline leaves out.
September 2026 is not a like-for-like month: the series began on 17 September 2026, part-way through it. September 2026 ended with 73 leadership roles open.
An advert coming down means the seat was filled, withdrawn or closed and re-advertised; the index cannot tell which, so "came down" is a count of adverts, not of appointments.
The month, sweep by sweep
Download the figures (CSV)The running index and how it is counted
By function
| Function | Open at month end | Added in October |
|---|---|---|
| Operations and delivery | 32 | 31 |
| Other leadership | 17 | 12 |
| Commercial | 12 | 11 |
| Pre-construction and work winning | 7 | 12 |
| Safety, quality and sustainability | 5 | 6 |
| Technical and design | 4 | 3 |
| Planning | 1 | 0 |
By region
| Region | Open at month end | Added in October |
|---|---|---|
| London and the South East | 28 | 22 |
| England, unspecified | 19 | 19 |
| North of England | 14 | 20 |
| Midlands | 9 | 7 |
| Scotland | 4 | 2 |
| Elsewhere in England | 2 | 1 |
| South West | 2 | 1 |
| Northern Ireland | 0 | 3 |
Employers adding the most
| Employer | Added | Open at month end |
|---|---|---|
| Balfour Beatty | 12 | 13 |
| M Group | 10 | 4 |
| Kier | 5 | 3 |
| Wates | 4 | 4 |
| Taylor Wimpey | 4 | 2 |
| BAM | 4 | 1 |
| Skanska | 4 | 1 |
| Willmott Dixon | 4 | 1 |
| HS2 | 3 | 7 |
| Mace | 3 | 6 |
Sweep by sweep
| Sweep | Added | Came down |
|---|---|---|
| 5 October 2026 | 14 | 6 |
| 12 October 2026 | 25 | 15 |
| 19 October 2026 | 10 | 18 |
| 26 October 2026 | 26 | 31 |
Using these figures
Quote them freely, with attribution to the Lechley Senior Hiring Index, October 2026, and a link to this page. For a cut by sector, programme or employer, email scott@lechley.com.
