Permanent
Average pay
£77,500.00
Jobs counted
938
Lead Engineer average salary in the UK in 2026
Use live pay and demand signals to decide your next move as a Lead Engineer
Last checked: 29 Apr 2026, 01:38
Salary by
- Year
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Contract Rate by
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Historical annual view
Track Lead Engineer pay and demand beyond the last 12 months
Switch between completed calendar years from 2023 onwards, then compare the current year to the same point last year.
Annual archive
Completed year snapshots
Contract inside IR35
Average pay
£575.00
Jobs counted
54
Contract outside IR35
Average pay
£525.00
Jobs counted
36
Contract IR35 not specified
Average pay
NA
Jobs counted
0
Permanent salary trend in 2025
Monthly permanent pay and listing counts for Lead Engineer across the whole of 2025.
| Month | Jobs | Low | Average | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | 55 | £66,775.00 | £71,125.00 | £75,475.00 |
| November 2025 | 106 | £67,300.00 | £70,975.00 | £74,625.00 |
| October 2025 | 35 | £68,250.00 | £75,200.00 | £82,150.00 |
| September 2025 | 126 | £63,425.00 | £68,975.00 | £74,525.00 |
| August 2025 | 74 | £75,575.00 | £81,650.00 | £87,700.00 |
| July 2025 | 100 | £68,525.00 | £72,475.00 | £76,400.00 |
| June 2025 | 42 | £71,950.00 | £78,875.00 | £85,775.00 |
| May 2025 | 49 | £71,400.00 | £75,475.00 | £79,550.00 |
| April 2025 | 49 | £78,500.00 | £84,075.00 | £89,650.00 |
| March 2025 | 105 | £73,150.00 | £78,900.00 | £84,675.00 |
| February 2025 | 88 | £77,600.00 | £83,150.00 | £88,725.00 |
| January 2025 | 109 | £77,325.00 | £84,900.00 | £92,500.00 |
Contract rate trend in 2025
Switch IR35 view to see how contract demand and day rates moved through the year.
| Month | Jobs | Low | Day rate | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | 4 | £650.00 | £675.00 | £675.00 |
| November 2025 | 2 | £525.00 | £550.00 | £575.00 |
| October 2025 | 3 | £600.00 | £600.00 | £600.00 |
| September 2025 | 5 | £550.00 | £575.00 | £600.00 |
| August 2025 | 4 | £575.00 | £600.00 | £600.00 |
| July 2025 | 8 | £550.00 | £600.00 | £650.00 |
| June 2025 | 1 | £600.00 | £625.00 | £650.00 |
| May 2025 | 2 | £500.00 | £500.00 | £525.00 |
| April 2025 | 7 | £475.00 | £525.00 | £550.00 |
| March 2025 | 5 | £550.00 | £575.00 | £600.00 |
| February 2025 | 6 | £550.00 | £575.00 | £600.00 |
| January 2025 | 7 | £600.00 | £600.00 | £625.00 |
Year to date
2026 vs 2025 at the same point in the year
Comparison window: 1 Jan to 29 Apr 2026. The previous year is automatically cut to the same day, so these figures stay like-for-like.
Permanent
2026 average pay
£68,800.00
665 jobs
Compared with 2025
Pay down 17% (£13,825.00)
Jobs up 89% (314)
Contract inside IR35
2026 average pay
£600.00
33 jobs
Compared with 2025
Pay up 4% (£25.00)
Jobs up 32% (8)
Contract outside IR35
2026 average pay
£575.00
23 jobs
Compared with 2025
Pay up 15% (£75.00)
Jobs up 53% (8)
Contract IR35 not specified
2026 average pay
NA
0 jobs
Compared with 2025
Pay -
Jobs -
Nothing to compare
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Timeframe
When showing job numbers, salaries, and contract rates, we will use all the jobs posted in the…
Timeframe
When showing job numbers, salaries, and contract rates, we will use all the jobs posted in the…