Introduction
This comprehensive guide explains what project managers expect to earn at different experience levels. First, discover the average salary, from an entry-level to an experienced-level project manager. Then, comparing different career paths, we examine the differences in the average salary for a product manager and other careers.
If you’re considering a career in project management and investing in a project manager course to enter the project management profession, read on. You can compare your salary to your experience level and other professions.
Project manager salaries
Jobs in project management
When you’ve already started a project management career, there are a variety of jobs you might do. The most obvious is a project manager.
Project managers in the UK are certainly well paid. According to Glassdoor, nationwide salaries in the UK average £46k[1]. In addition, PayScale reports project manager salaries ranging from £27k to £64k, with a median UK salary of £40k[2].
Other available jobs within project management are also well paid, such as a project management director role.
See the table below to find out the average UK salary for different jobs in project management[3][4][5].
| Jobs in project management | Average UK salary |
|---|---|
| Project Management Director | £78k |
| Strategic Project Management | £55k |
| Technical Project Management | £42k |
Project management industries
When looking further at reported salaries, project managers in specific industries earn well above the national average.
It is perhaps unsurprising that an IT project manager and engineer project manager report higher than average salaries, earning up to £73k[6][7], and construction project manager salaries up to £69k[8].
However, some sectors pay below the UK national average. For example, project managers in the marketing industry, usually glitzy and well-paid, earn on average just £30k[9].
Entry-level project manager
People often think that changing career paths can be difficult, especially if you don’t know which career to choose. However, many people have decided to start a career in project management.
It is not too difficult to get into project management. You can transfer skills from your previous job into project management and gain some knowledge via courses. In addition, you usually require a qualification, so make sure you read what is the best project management certification?
Our range of project management courses can help you. You can be fully qualified in project management in quickly as one week! Find out whether project management courses are worth it.
Any entry-level role salary is usually much less than the average salary. Those who changed careers to project managers typically start with an entry-level position and make their way up.
Find out how to start your project management career.
Entry-level project managers earn from £21k to £40k, with the median UK salary of £29k[10]. Entry-level project managers earn more than other career paths.
Below is a table comparing the average UK salary for multiple career paths for an entry-level role[11][12][13].
| Entry-level jobs | UK average salary |
|---|---|
| Project Manager | £29k |
| Web developer | £22k |
| Software developer | £26k |
| Civil engineer | £26k |
Early career project manager
Those in the early stages of their project manager career may have some experience, perhaps 1 to 4 years.
According to PayScale, in the UK, they may earn between £25k to £50k, with an average salary of £35k[14]. Again, compared to other career paths, project managers typically earn higher.
See the table for more information[15][16][17].
| Early career jobs | UK average salary |
|---|---|
| Project Manager | £35k |
| Account Manager | £27k |
| Web Developer | £25k |
| Graphic Designer | £22k |
For early-career project managers, there can be ways to help you become a step closer to increasing your pay. Sometimes gaining an internationally recognised project management qualification can help you to the next level of your career.
Of course, we cannot guarantee you that qualifying will increase your salary. However, with a qualification, you can build your confidence and gain new insights into project management. Hopefully, your boss will recognise your determination and reward you.
Mid-career project manager
During your career, when you have worked in project management long enough, between 5 to 9 years, you may earn an average UK salary of £43k[18]. During your project manager career, your salary ranges from £30k to £62k.
See below for a comparison of average salaries for different mid-career jobs in the UK[19][20][21].
| Mid-career jobs | UK average salary |
|---|---|
| Project Manager | £43k |
| eCommerce Manager | £36k |
| Human Resource Manager | £38k |
| Area Operations Manager | £41k |
During the mid-stage of your project manager career, you will need to understand your way around things and be involved in some projects. Therefore, you need to have expert knowledge in project management and speak fluent project management language.
You also need to have excellent communication, leadership, and adaptability skills. Find out what skills project managers need.
If you want to demonstrate your knowledge and skills and prove you know what you’re doing, get your qualification now!
We have a range of courses for project managers with different levels, suitable for professionals of all experience levels.
Late career in project management
If you’re in your late career in project management you will be in an excellent position to understand the fundamentals of project management and successfully contribute to projects. Those in this stage have at least 20 years of experience.
Due to their long years of experience as project managers, they will earn a UK salary ranging from £36k to £80k and a median of £53k[22]. Unsurprisingly, the salary range of project managers increases as they have more years of experience.
Project managers in their late careers typically earn a higher salary than other career paths.
Below is a summary of the average salaries for an experienced project manager and other popular career paths[23][24][25].
| Late-career jobs | UK average salary |
|---|---|
| Project manager | £53k |
| Legal executive/General counsel | £40k |
| Business insight and analytics manager | £48k |
| Asset manager | £43k |
References
[1] Glassdoor. 2022. Salary: Project Manager (June, 2022) | Glassdoor. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/bdz2bdn9. [Accessed 08 June 2022].
[2] Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/33bttf83. [Accessed 08 June 2022].
[3] Project Management Director Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Project Management Director Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/mreuby9b. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[4] Strategic Project Management Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Strategic Project Management Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/yajezmxb. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[5] Technical Project Manager with Project Management Skills Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Technical Project Manager with Project Management Skills Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/cnnttnkw. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[6] Project Manager, Information Technology (IT) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Project Manager, Information Technology (IT) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/mrx6cr3m. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[7] Project Manager, Engineering Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Project Manager, Engineering Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/5n7tez46. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[8] Project Manager, Construction Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Project Manager, Construction Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/y4vt6pfx. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[9] Project Manager, Marketing Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Project Manager, Marketing Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/mu8kzkxc. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[10] Entry-Level Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Entry-Level Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/2s5vcrmt. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[11] Entry-Level Web Developer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Entry-Level Web Developer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/5n7j7y86. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[12] Entry-Level Software Developer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Entry-Level Software Developer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/mwfacm9e. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[13] Entry-Level Civil Engineer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Entry-Level Civil Engineer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/345ceyzs. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[14] Early-Career Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Early-Career Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/2fw55sfh. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[15] Early-Career Account Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Early-Career Account Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/bddmp9dk. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[16] Early-Career Web Developer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Early-Career Web Developer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/3n2xnrm3. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[17] Early-Career Graphic Designer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Early-Career Graphic Designer Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/mv7wvhk6. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[18] Mid-Career Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Mid-Career Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/ycsrp67v. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[19] Mid-Career eCommerce Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Mid-Career eCommerce Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/ywc8rc4r. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[20] Mid-Career Human Resources (HR) Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Mid-Career Human Resources (HR) Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/r37cfk3b. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[21] Mid-Career Area Operations Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Mid-Career Area Operations Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/288pys4p. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[22] Late-Career Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Late-Career Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/4fejn8bb. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[23] Late-Career Legal Executive /General Counsel Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Late-Career Legal Executive /General Counsel Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/3zfrh64c. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[24] Late-Career Business Insight and Analytics Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Late-Career Business Insight and Analytics Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/5evud8xc. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
[25] Late-Career Asset Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. 2022. Late-Career Asset Manager Salary in United Kingdom | PayScale. [ONLINE] Available at: https://tinyurl.com/y3fsbwee. [Accessed 27 June 2022].
