The 2016/2017 London Digital Salary Benchmark

London has become one of the most successful digital hubs in the world, we explore the industry trends of 2016 and a salary benchmark..

London Digital Salary

The digital sector has seen its own specific uplift in recent years with countless start-ups as well as growth for smaller agencies establishing their niche in this busy market.

Digital consumes every aspect of our lives and workplace, it’s an unstoppable force and only looks set to get bigger and more dynamic. Every business feels the pressure to undergo a digital transformation and it seems businesses that do, are instantly able to connect more closely with their customers, become more innovative and as a result, become more successful.

London in particular has become one of the most successful start-up hubs in the world, producing more positions for digitals in the market place, but because start-ups require the best candidates to be successful – competition for the very best talent has intensified leading to salary increases to secure the very best.

With this in mind tech salaries have unsurprisingly seen a surge over the past 12 months, with all levels from technical directors to junior developers seeing an average £5K increase on their earning potential. We’re also seeing changes across the type of work available (permanent or freelance); contracts are being extended dramatically, which could be down to the fact that the ‘development and build’ part of a project is no longer just an addition, it’s a key part that can take time to perfect.  Another trend we’ve seen is an increase in repeat bookings, so hot freelance talent are enjoying a steady work flow.

UX is in high demand as always and with client-side companies now building in-house innovation labs and customer experience hubs, our talent pool is always kept busy. We’ve noticed a number of consultancies and fintech clients call for service design and extensive UX strategy experience so there is a lot of investment in these areas in particular. Due to a very strong freelance UX market offering competitive day rates then of course the knock-on effect is competitive & often generous remuneration packages on the permanent side of things. There is a lot of demand for UXers at all levels so we always look to grow our network in this area offering clients a competitive mix of both freelance and permanent UX resource options.

Digital product management is more in demand than ever. With brands / client-side companies now managing digital product launches in-house there is an increased need for this expertise to help deliver a successful product to market whether it’s a new app, mobile or website product. We work with some of the best product managers available so whether it’s a freelance or permanent hire into your team we can help.

Client services, while still a hugely popular and vital area across the creative and digital market, salaries for account handlers have remained much the same as 2015, with little to no increase at all levels. Project management and producers as well as strategy directors are also seeing a bit of a pay freeze in the current market. This might be due to the tools, technology and skill sets across this area that are developing at a far slower rate compared to tech and UX for example, which means while there is still a demand for talent, there remains a larger pool of talent to choose from. As technology, CRM and collaboration platforms develop, it is expected that salaries and skills in this area will be more desired and salaried will begin to increase.

Sticking with design, it seems creative roles in 2016 have not disappointed! With senior level creative roles seeing increases of £10-£20K and even mid-level and junior roles enjoying a slight hike of around £5K. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, in-house teams and agencies need to keep up and hold onto and attract the top design talent, especially across mobile and responsive design.

Digital remains a very attractive, vibrant and exciting industry in London, with a wide range of agencies, brands and start-ups, so if you are want to explore the latest digital jobs in London contact us today.

Remember, any salary listed on a job spec or on our benchmark is negotiable. There are a number of variables to take into account from skill set to type and size of company, number of years service, but also on time spent working in London and on regional projects.

To compare London salaries in 2016 with those in 2015, click here: 

Title                                                        Salary (annual)                Salary (day rate)

CREATIVE
Executive Creative Director £120k – £150k £500+
Senior Creative Director £100k – £120k £450 – £500
Creative Director £80k- £100k £400 – £450
Associate Creative Director £70k – £80k £350 – £400
Design Director £70k+ £350 – £450
Creative Director Team £80k – £100k £400 – £450
Creative Group Head Team £100k – £120k £400 – £500
Senior Team £50k – £65k £350 – £400
Mid-weight Team £40k – £50k £250 – £300
Junior Team £25k – £30k £200 – £250
Senior Art Director £60k – £65k £350 – £400
Mid-weight Art Director £40k – £50k £250 – £300
Junior Art Director £30k – £35k £200 – £250
Head of Copy £70k – £80k £350 – £450
Senior Copywriter £50 – £60k £350 – £400
Mid-weight Copywriter £30k – £35 £250 – £300
Junior Copywriter £25k- £30k £200 – £250
Senior Designer £50k – £55k £325 – £375
Motion Designer £40k-£45k £250 – £350
Mid-weight Designer £35k – £40k £250 – £300
Junior Designer £25k – £30k n/a

 

DEVELOPMENT
Chief Technology Officer £130k+ n/a
Head of Development £80k – £100k £500 – £600
Technical Director £75k – £85k £500 – £600
Head of Creative Technology £70k – £80k £500 – £600
Senior Creative Technologist £55k – £65k £400 – £500
Mid-Weight Creative Technologist £40k – £45k £350 – £400
Junior Creative Technologist £25k – £30k £250 – £350
Technical Lead £60k – £65k £400 – £500
Development Consultant £55k  -£80k £500 – £600
Mobile Developer £30k – £60k £350 – £500
Java Technical Architect £65k – £75k £400 – £500
Senior Java Developer £60k – £70k £400 – £500
Java Developer £45k – £55k £350 – £450
Senior Front End Developer £45k – £55k £375 – £450
Mid-weight Front End Developer £35k – £45k £300 – £400
Junior Front End Developer £20k – £30k £200 – £300
Senior Back End Developer £45k – £55k £350 – £450
Mid-weight Back End Developer £35k – £45k £300 – £350
Junior Back End Developer £25k – £30k £200 – £300
Lead QA Tester £50k – £55k £350 – £450
QA Analyst £30k – £40k £250 – £400

 

CLIENT SERVICES (Digital)
Managing Director £140k+ n/a
Client Services Director £100k – £160k+ £500+
Head of Digital £100k – £160k+ £500+
Client Partner / Business Director £80k – £120k+ £500+
Group Account Director £70k – £90k £350 – £500
Senior Account Director £60k – £75k £320 – £400
Account Director £45k – £60k £260 – £350
Senior Account Director £35k – £45k £200 – £260
Account Manager £24k – £35k £150 – £200
Account Executive £20k – £28k £100 – £150

 

CLIENT SERVICES (Integrated)
Group Account Director £60 – £70K
Senior Account Director £48 – £60K £280 – £320
Account Director £40 – £48K £230 – £280
Account Manager £25 – £32K £130 – £180
Account Executive £20 – £25K £100 – £130

 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
PRODUCTION
Operations Director £100k + £450+
Head of Project Management £70 – £120k+ £400 – £700
Project Director £60k – £80k £350 – £500
Senior Project Manager £45k – £65k £300 – £375
Project Manager £30k – £45k £225 – £275
Junior Project Manager £22k – £30k £150 – £200
Senior Resource/Traffic Manager £45k – £65k £250 – £350
Resource / Traffic Manager £24k – £45k £120 – £250

 

STRATEGY
Head of Planning / Strategy £90k – £150k+ £600 – £1,000+
Planning / Strategy Director £70k – £100k £400 – £750
Senior Planner / Strategist £50k – £80k £350 – £500
Planner / Strategist £30k – £50k £250 – £350
Research Analyst / Junior Planner £25k – £35k £150 – £220
Business Analyst (Web) £50k – £65k £350 – £500
Web Analytics Manager £50k – £65k £325 – £380
Web Analytics Executive £30k – £45k £180 – £250
Data Analyst £35k – £45k £220 – £375

 

BRANDS / CLIENTSIDE
Head of Sales and Marketing £60k – £100k+ £350 – £500+
Head of Ecommerce £75k – £100k+ £350 – £500+
Digital /Online Marketing Manager £35k – £60k £200 – £280
Digital/Online Marketing Executive £25k – £35k £150 – £200
Web Content Strategist £60k – £75k £375 – £450
Web Content Manager £40k – £50k £250 – £325
Web Content Editor / Producer £30k – £40k £180 – £250
Scrum Master £65k – £80k £400 – £500
Senior Product Manager £65k – £80k £400 – £550
Product Manager £50k – £65k £350 – £450
Online Games Producer £45k – £55k £250 – £325
Mobile Producer £40k – £55k £275 – £325
Web Content Editor / Producer £30k – £38k £180 – £250
Social Media / Community Manager £30k – £40k £180 – £250
Marketing Executive (Integrated) £24k – £27k £120 – £150

 

SOCIAL
Head of Social £65k – £80k+ £300 – £450
Senior Social Strategist £45k – £70k £250 – £350
Social Strategist £30k – £45k £200 – £300
Head of Content / Content Director £70k – £85k + £350 – £450
Senior Content Strategist £50k – £70k £300 – £450
Content Strategist £35k – £50k £240 – £360
Senior Community Manager £30k – £45k £150 – £250
Community Manager £20k – £35k £100 – £200

 

USER EXPERIENCE                                                    
VP, UX £120k + £850+
UX Director £90k – £120k £650 – £850
Head of UX £75k – £90k £650 – £850
UX Lead £65k – £75k £550 – £650
Senior UX Designer £55k – £65k £450 – £550
Mid-Weight UX Designer £40k – £50k £400 – £500
Junior UX Designer £25k -£35k £325 – £400
Senior User Researcher £65k – £75k £500 – £600
Mid-Weight User Researcher £45k – £55k £350 – £450
Junior User Researcher £30k – £40k £250 – £300
Interaction Design Lead £70k – £80k £500 – £600
Senior Interaction Designer £55k – £70k £400 – £500
Mid-Weight Interaction Designer £45k – £55k £325 – £400
Junior Interaction Designer £30k – £40k £250 – £300
Head of Service Design £75k – £90k £550 – £650
Service Design Lead £65k – £75k £500 – £600
Senior Service Designer £60k – £70k £450 – £550
Service Designer £50k – £60k £350 – £450
Senior UX Strategist £65k – £75k £450 – £550
UX Strategist £55k – £65k £400 – £500
VP, Digital Product £100k – £120k £600+
Product Owner £80k – £100k £550 – £650
Head of Product £80k – £100k £550 – £650
Senior Product Manager £65k – £80k £400 – £550
Product Manager £50k – £65k £350 – £450

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