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 |