A Complete Guide to Project Manager Salaries in the UK [2024]

Factors That Affect a Project Manager Salary in the UK

Each business requires a potential project manager for the qualitative development of the project. The salary of a project manager varies with responsibilities based on their skills, experience, and other factors. Let us review key factors that have a significant influence on the project manager salary in the UK.

1. Education

In many industries, a degree holds value for an individual's monthly pay. Companies typically prefer candidates with higher qualifications from a reputed college or university. The stronger the educational background, the higher the chance of landing a good job as a project manager in high-tech companies with higher paying salaries. 

In contrast, if you have a degree from a local college, it may affect your chances among other competitors. Here, you can also opt for a certification program to build your skills and stand ahead of other competitors.

2. Certification 

Since there is huge competition in the job market for the role of project manager, companies have narrowed down their hiring by taking the top among the best candidates. This is completely based on the certifications, which tell how the candidate is highly skilled as per the requirements. 

Certifications validate a candidate's experience and skills, which often translate into higher pay. Know that different industries require distinct skill sets. Candidates must take high credential courses to learn the required skills and stay ahead in the competition. 

For instance, some educational platforms offer PMP certification training courses that cover key skills like work breakdown structure, resource allocations, Cost management, leadership, project cost estimation and more suitable for diverse industries. However, specific skills are also trained based on the requirement. You can join Simplilearn to get yourself prepared enough to get a job in a top-tech company.

3. Job Title

There are numerous job roles in the project management career path. Your prior positions in the job tell the experience you have, which corresponds to the decision of your project manager salary in the UK per month. Here, we have enlisted breakdowns of variable average salaries for several roles:

• IT Project Manager: £55,557 per annum
• Project Coordinator: £30,055 per annum
• Project Management: £47,148 per annum 
• Senior Project Manager: £61,041 per annum
• Project Management Consultant: £45,039 per annum
• Lead Project Manager: £65,013 per annum
• Director of Project Management: £96,157 per annum
• Project Portfolio Manager: £77,048 per annum

4. Industry 

The salary of working professionals varies with the type of industry. Some fields require skilled project managers to handle complex projects and contribute to the prudent development of products or services. Industries like construction, IT, healthcare, the public sector, and finance offer higher salaries to project managers. However, project managers also earn lucrative pay from emerging sectors such as digital marketing and renewable energy. 

Let us quickly review project manager salaries in the UK for top-growing industries. 

• IT Project Manager: £61,424 per annum
• Construction Project Manager: £54,768 per annum
• Finance Project Manager: £54,265 per annum
• Public Sector Project Manager: £48,258 per annum
• Healthcare Project Manager: £48,258 per annum
• Renewable Energy Project Manager: £48,258 per annum
• Digital Marketing Project Manager: £41,842 per annum

5. Experience Level

Whether you have a strong educational background or you might have worked in a good position as a project manager, your experience always matters. The higher the experience level, the higher the chance of higher earning.

For instance, a senior project manager salary in the UK is higher in comparison to an entry-level project manager. However, the salary increases with the increase in position.

6. Type of Contract 

The type of contract for a project manager's job role also plays a crucial role in determining salaries. A fixed term or permanent contract earning is quite below when compared to the salary of a freelancer or consultant working as a project manager. This is due to increased revenue, a higher learning curve, flexibility and holding specific skills for the desired project. However, stability and security are on the side of the permanent project manager role.

7. Location

Have you ever noticed people who graduated from the same college with the same degree get placed in top-ranking organizations at different locations and get different salaries? This is because of location, location and location! With the region and country, the project manager salary in the UK varies. This is because countries and regions have different economic conditions and standards of living. 

For instance, the United Kingdom offers the highest salaries to project managers in comparison to countries with low costs of living and economic conditions.

8. Team and Size of Company 

The size of the team a project manager manages and the company size have a significant impact on the project manager salary in the UK. Larger organizations or top-tech companies have huge projects and teams to manage those projects. Project managers in the same companies have higher salaries with respect to the complexity of work and handling teams to achieve strategic goals. 

For instance, top-tech companies like FAANG offer the highest salaries compared to others. A project manager in Meta earns an average base pay of £76K per annum, while Google offers an average salary of £60K per annum to a project manager in the UK.

The Impact of Certifications on Project Manager Salary in the UK

According to a survey, PMP Certifications are considered to be the most important factor that influences the project manager salary in the UK and 37 other countries across the world. As per the Project Management Institute (PMI) salary survey, a 33% higher salary is expected for project managers with PMP certifications. This shows that project managers with PMP certifications have a higher chance of increasing their salaries than employees with non-PMP certifications. 

Average Salary of a Project Manager in the UK

The average salary of a project manager in the UK is £52.711 per annum. However, the additional cash compensation for a project manager is £4,451, which ranges between £2,243 and £8,832. 

However, the salary relies on multiple factors that we have discussed earlier. Considering multiple factors, the average salary in top-tech companies like FAANG+ are highest in comparison to others. 

For instance, the average base pay of a project manager in Amazon is £51T per annum, where T stands for thousand. In contrast, Netflix offers an average base salary of £20K per annum, where K denotes a thousand.

Senior Project Manager Salary in the UK

As we know, there are different positions for project managers in a career path. Senior positions increase with experience and fruitful outcomes in the projects. Here we have discussed senior project manager salary in the UK in their career path:

• Project Manager IV: £9,24,000 per annum
• Senior Project Manager: £27,25,000 per annum
• Principal Project Manager: £37,00,000 per annum

Note that the salary keeps on increasing with the increases in the position and seniority. In addition, high-tech companies offer higher salaries for different seniority positions in project manager career paths than other companies. Here, we have mentioned senior project manager salaries in the UK for FAANG companies.

• META (Facebook): Ranges from £73K to £113K per annum, with an average base pay of £86K per annum.
• Amazon: Ranges from £70K to £81K per annum with an estimated base pay of £75K per annum.
• Apple: Ranges in between £68K and £139K per annum with an average base pay of £90K per annum.
• Netflix: Ranges from £114K to £125K per annum, where an average base pay is £120K per annum.
• Google: Ranges between £70K and £80K per annum. The average base pay of a senior project manager at Google is £75K per annum.

Average Project Manager Salary by Cities 

Let us explore the average salary of a project manager in the UK with respect to different cities.

City	Average Salary (per annum)
London	£54,030
Bristol	£50,893
Southampton	£50,856
Birmingham	£48,057
Manchester	£47,534
Liverpool	£45,846
Bournemouth	£45,056
Darlington	£44,960
Leeds	£44,138

How to Build a Career as a Project Manager in the UK?

Let us explore how to build a career as a project manager through the step-by-step guide:

Step 1:  Understand your interest in matching the work that suits your interest.

Step 2: Research the industries you can work in. Choose according to your interest.

Step 3: Check the qualifications required for specific project management. 

Step 4: Earn degrees/certifications to get placed in the companies. You can be involved in the following activities to build skills and knowledge about the field:

• Take PMP certifications for fundamentals and advanced qualifications
• Take professional memberships
• Support your learning and development through networking and attending community events, webinars, and conferences.

Step 5: Find the latest jobs in project management through platforms like LinkedIn.

Step 6: Read the latest news and blogs to become a good project manager.

Step 7: Take career tips from working professionals across different sectors through online platforms, events, webinars and more.

In case you decide to set up as a self-employed project manager, you are required to go though the following steps.

• Register for business with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). This is to make sure you pay the owed tax and avoid penalties.
• You must get project manager insurance to protect yourself against worst-case scenarios. You can go for Public liability insurance, Professional indemnity insurance and/or Business equipment insurance.

How to Negotiate Your Salary as a Project Manager?

Here are some points that you must keep in mind before negotiating your salary as a project manager.

• Know your worth by reviewing your experience, skills and background knowledge you hold.
• Research industry standards about salary with respect to positions.
• Stay clear about how you are better than other employees and how you present yourself to the employer. Stay humble and honest.
• Prepare your portfolio with experiences you have in detail yet precise.
• It is recommended to practice with pitch.
• Be flexible and open for negotiation when required and stay creative with your presentation and communication.
• Follow up if you are satisfied with your job position and expected salary offerings and provide confirmation.

Learn from a course that has been designed to help you ace your PMP exam in the first attemp! Check out our PMP Certification Training Course today!

Conclusion 

Now that you are aware of factors influencing a project manager salary in the UK, you might be worried about landing a good job with a lucrative salary in the UK. However, the salaries are impressive and require a potential certification. We recommend you join the PMP Certification Training Course to nail your interview in one go. The course comprises live training sessions, mock tests and more by 12+ years of experienced faculties.

FAQs

1. Are project managers in demand in the UK?

Different industries such as construction, IT, finance, and more hold multiple projects, which are increasing day by day in the United Kingdom. This leads to increased demands for skilled project managers to manage projects effectively.

2. What is the entry-level project manager salary in the UK? 

An entry-level project manager salary in the UK ranges between £35K and £59K per annum. However, the additional cash compensation is £3,813, ranging from £1,829 to £7,950.

3. What is the project manager salary in the UK per month?

The project manager's salary in the UK ranges from £38T to £62T per annum on an average basis. However, the additional cash compensation is £4,451, which ranges from £2,243 to £8,832 per annum.

4. How does location affect project manager salaries in the UK? 

The variation in salaries has been seen in project manager salaries in the UK with respect to different locations. This is due to the cost of living and the economic conditions of the country. 

5. What certifications can increase a project manager salary in the UK? 

A Project Management Professional certification is the essential certification for landing a good job as a project manager in the UK. Other certifications you can get include the Postgraduate Program In Project Management and PRINCE2® Foundation and Practitioner.

Q6. What are the prospects for project management salaries in the future?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is an estimated growth rate of 6% between 2022 to 2032. Thus, with increased opportunities worldwide, high-tech companies offer lucrative salaries to skilled professionals, making project management a good career.