Nonprofit Talent Trends: Senior Recruitment Growth & Sector Insights

Our most recent analysis of senior-level nonprofit recruitment in Ireland indicates continued positive momentum in hiring activity. By tracking advertised roles across multiple job platforms, 2into3 identified that 319 senior-level nonprofit roles were advertised in Q1 2025—an 11% increase compared to the 287 roles tracked in Q1 2024. This growth continues the upward trend from recent quarters and reflects a thriving and active employment landscape within the sector.

Similarly, there was a modest increase in the number of nonprofit organisations recruiting, rising from 209 in Q1 2024 to 214 in Q1 2025—an increase of 2%. This suggests that not only are organisations expanding their leadership capacity, but more are entering or re-entering the recruitment market.

Activity by Subsector

Consistent with previous quarters, several organisations advertised vacancies anonymously. As a result, of the 319 roles recorded, 282 were attributed to identifiable nonprofit subsectors.

Roles by Subsector:

The Social Services subsector continues to be the most active, accounting for 33% of senior-level roles in Q1 2025. While still dominant, this represents a decrease from 39% in the previous quarter, indicating increasing activity from other nonprofit areas.

Local Development & Housing (16%) and Health (13%) followed as the next most active subsectors. Notably, Recreation and Sports experienced a significant increase, accounting for 7% of all roles. This surge, partially influenced by revised classification methods for sporting roles in 2025, reflects the ongoing growth and strategic investment in sport-related nonprofit initiatives.

Our findings suggest continued growth in subsectors aligned with public engagement and service delivery, while internationally focused and religious organisations appear to have scaled back leadership hiring. The decline in international hiring may signal a downward trend influenced by recent USAID funding cuts by the Trump administration—a development we will continue to monitor in Q2 2025.

Activity by Role Function

Service Delivery & Operational Management roles remain the most in-demand leadership function, representing 51% of all senior-level nonprofit positions in Q1 2025. This marks an increase from 47% in Q1 2024, highlighting the sector’s continued focus on programme implementation and direct service provision.

The functional breakdown indicates growing emphasis on external-facing roles such as communications and fundraising, while traditional support functions like finance and human resources show signs of contraction.

Activity by Income Type

Income data was available for 163 of the 214 organisations (anonymous advertisers and those who did not disclose income were excluded). Of the 163:

• 29% (48 organisations) reported annual income exceeding €10 million.

• 25% (41 organisations) reported income below €1 million.

This distribution aligns with previous quarters, indicating a wide range of organisation sizes involved in leadership recruitment. Larger nonprofits continue to have a more dominant presence in senior hiring than smaller ones.

Key Observations

The Irish nonprofit sector remains resilient and continues to grow. Q1 2025 saw year-on-year expansion in both the number of roles and organisational participation. The spike in Recreation & Sport hiring, while partly methodological, underscores increased strategic investment in this area. The consistent demand for Service Delivery roles highlights the sector’s commitment to community and programme execution.

Conversely, the decline in Finance and HR leadership roles may merit further observation to determine whether these reflect structural shifts or normal hiring cycles.

Overall, the demand for senior nonprofit talent in Ireland remains strong, with diverse activity across multiple subsectors and functions—evidence of a professionalising and evolving sector.

Get in Touch

Our Talent Management Team monitors senior hiring across the nonprofit sector and publishes quarterly insights. To explore previous Nonprofit Talent Trends Reports, visit our Talent Insights page. For more information, contact Shannon Barrett, Head of Talent Services, at Shannon.barrett@2into3.com.