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Aircraft Leasing Jobs: Our 2026 Market Update
13 October 2026By Caroline O’Grady and Shane O’Hara.
Aircraft leasing is having one of its busiest years on record, and the competition for people is as fierce as the competition for aircraft. Elevate Partners recruits across aviation leasing and finance for lessors, lenders, investors and their advisers, placing commercial, pricing, technical, legal, finance and tax professionals in Ireland and internationally. This is our view of the market.
Ireland remains the centre of the aircraft leasing industry, with Irish-based lessors managing more than 60% of the world’s leased fleet. But the hiring map is now global, and so is our search.
What are we seeing in 2026
Capital keeps pouring in, much of it private.
Aircraft leasing remains one of the main ways private equity and alternative investors deploy capital. The Air Lease acquisition by Sumitomo, SMBC Aviation Capital, Apollo and Brookfield closed in April, and DAE completed its US$9 billion acquisition of Macquarie AirFinance in July, making it the world’s third-largest lessor. Blackstone and DAE launched a US$1 billion-plus aircraft investment programme in April, Neuberger and DAE followed in July with Mustang Aerospace, a venture targeting about US$6 billion of aircraft, and SMBC Aviation Capital continues to grow its partnership with La Caisse (CDPQ). Japanese capital is coming in too: in May Daiwa Securities took a 10% voting stake in Dublin-based Airborne Capital, with warrants to go to 20%. Several other PE-backed lessors are raising new funds on the back of strong returns.
New platforms are being built from scratch.
In September Neuberger launched New Bridge AeroFinance, a dedicated aerospace lender led by former Hamburg Commercial Bank and Deutsche Bank aviation finance executives and targeting a portfolio of more than US$2 billion. In October Aera Aviation Capital, a new Dublin-based lessor backed by Macquarie, made its debut with eight mostly new-technology aircraft on lease to mainline and low-cost carriers. Alongside continued consolidation, more new leasing companies and dedicated aviation lenders are launching in the coming months, each building a team from the ground up. Established platforms such as Deucalion have also hired significantly this year.
Lessors are locking in future supply.
Avolon has just ordered 250 aircraft: 140 Boeing 737 MAX and 110 Airbus A320neo and A330neo family jets, with options for 100 more, taking its firm commitments to 749 aircraft. Orders on this scale mean years of placement, pricing, contract and financing work.
Non-bank lending is growing.
Aircraft leasing has been at the forefront of the non-bank debt market. As the effect of new bank rules such as CRD VI and Basel IV becomes clear, we expect more lending to move to non-bank lessors and lenders, and more jobs with it. Credit is also reaching beyond aircraft into engines, parts and maintenance (MRO) assets.
Lessors headquartered overseas want Irish-trained talent.
AviLease in Saudi Arabia, Lesha Bank in Qatar and new entrants such as BlueFive Leasing in Oman are all ramping up activity this year and recruiting people with Irish aircraft leasing experience.
The businesses around lessors are growing too.
BDO has built a new aviation advisory team, AerLytix is growing on the technology side, and legal teams across the market are expanding.
Where the hiring is
Three skill sets are hardest to find: pricing, contract management, and Big Four-trained tax and finance professionals. The table also covers the roles that new platforms, lenders and advisers are creating.
| Role | Why demand is up in 2026 | Background in demand |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Rising lease rates, asset values and engine deals need sharper pricing | Financial modelling, aircraft or engine valuation, CFA or ACA |
| Contract management | More placements, transfers, extensions and restructurings to manage through the lease term | Lease administration, aviation contracts, Cape Town Convention |
| Tax (Big Four-trained) | Consolidation and new platforms mean more entities, cross-border structures and treaty questions | ACA or AITI, Big Four tax experience, leasing or asset finance exposure |
| Finance and reporting (Big Four-trained) | New platforms need finance teams built from scratch; mergers need them combined | ACA or ACCA, Big Four audit, lease accounting |
| Origination and credit at non-bank lenders | New aviation lenders are launching and bank rules are moving lending outside the banks | Aviation or asset finance lending, credit analysis, bank or fund experience |
| Engine, parts and MRO asset specialists | Credit is moving into engines, parts and maintenance assets | Engine or MRO engineering, records, asset management |
| Commercial and marketing, Associate to VP | Large orderbooks and scarce aircraft mean more placements, extensions and sale-leasebacks | Airline-facing deal experience, regional knowledge, languages |
| Treasury and capital markets | Private capital and asset-backed debt are financing more of the industry | Debt structuring, rating agency, bank or fund experience |
| Advisory, technology and legal | Advisers, software providers and law firms are expanding to serve lessors | Aviation advisory, data and IT, aviation finance law |
New platforms need experienced people quickly, and the pool is small. Many firms also hire from adjacent fields: airline finance, banking, the Big Four and aircraft engineering.
Advice for candidates
If you are looking at aircraft leasing jobs, whether to join the sector or move within it, 2026 is a strong year to do it. Four things improve your chances.
- Show the asset, not just the finance. Lessors want to know you understand aircraft and engines: types, maintenance status, redelivery conditions. A finance candidate who can talk about a shop visit stands out.
- Bring your transaction record. List the deals you worked on, the aircraft types, the counterparties’ regions and your role in each. Specifics win interviews.
- Use the adjacent route. Big Four tax and audit teams are the strongest route in right now, because lessors are hiring qualified accountants for tax and finance roles. Airline finance, aviation banking and aircraft engineering are the other common ways in.
- Know the platform’s stage. A new lessor or lender building from scratch offers a different role and pace from an established platform integrating an acquisition. Ask which you are joining.
Opportunities are international. Lessors in the Gulf and Asia actively recruit Irish-trained professionals, and experience gained abroad is valued when you come home.
Advice for lessors, lenders and investors
Most of the experienced people you want are already employed by a competitor. Hiring well in 2026 comes down to four things.
- Move quickly. Good candidates in leasing rarely have only one conversation going. A process longer than four weeks loses people.
- Be clear on the story. Candidates want to know who backs the platform, how much capital it has and where it is heading. A clear answer is worth more than a small salary premium.
- Search globally. The best candidate may be in Dublin, London, Dubai, Singapore or New York. Irish professionals abroad are often open to the right move.
- Map the market before you need it. Knowing who sits where across lessors, lenders and advisers shortens a search, especially when you are building a new team.
Talk to our Aircraft Leasing Team
Whether you are building a team or considering a move, speak to the right person for your area.
Commercial, pricing, technical and legal roles
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- Diarmuid Clancy, Director: [email protected]
- Caroline O’Grady, Senior Consultant: [email protected]
Finance and tax roles
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- Shane O’Hara, Associate Director: [email protected]
- Matthew Fleming, Recruitment Consultant: [email protected]
You can also register a vacancy or see our aircraft leasing roles.