Validation Job Trends in the UK excluding London

Validation
UK > UK excluding London

The table below provides summary statistics and salary benchmarking for jobs advertised in the UK excluding London requiring Validation skills. It covers permanent job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 11 May 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
11 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 129 57 168
Rank change year-on-year -72 +111 -10
Permanent jobs citing Validation 916 1,332 1,127
As % of all permanent jobs in the UK excluding London 1.40% 4.62% 1.64%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 1.97% 5.02% 1.96%
Number of salaries quoted 538 304 589
10th Percentile £32,500 £38,575 £34,750
25th Percentile £41,000 £44,989 £40,800
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £52,500 £55,000 £52,500
Median % change year-on-year -4.55% +4.76% -4.55%
75th Percentile £64,938 £63,750 £62,500
90th Percentile £78,750 £72,500 £72,433
UK median annual salary £58,500 £56,000 £55,000
% change year-on-year +4.46% +1.82% -12.00%

All Process & Methodology Skills
UK excluding London

Validation falls under the Processes and Methodologies category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies requiring process or methodology skills in the UK excluding London.

Permanent vacancies with a requirement for process or methodology skills 46,540 26,515 57,388
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK excluding London 71.14% 92.01% 83.50%
Number of salaries quoted 29,776 14,037 41,076
10th Percentile £29,750 £27,500 £27,117
25th Percentile £37,500 £36,250 £36,250
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £52,500 £52,500 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year - +5.00% -9.09%
75th Percentile £70,000 £67,500 £65,000
90th Percentile £85,000 £82,500 £77,500
UK median annual salary £60,000 £60,000 £55,000
% change year-on-year - +9.09% -10.10%

Validation
Job Vacancy Trend in the UK excluding London

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing Validation relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London.

Validation job vacancy trend in the UK excluding London

Validation
Salary Trend in the UK excluding London

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the UK excluding London citing Validation.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the UK excluding London citing Validation

Validation
Salary Histogram in the UK excluding London

Salary distribution for jobs citing Validation in the UK excluding London over the 6 months to 11 May 2026.

Salary histogram for Validation in the UK excluding London

Validation
Job Locations in the UK excluding London

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Validation within the UK excluding London region over the 6 months to 11 May 2026. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.

Location Rank Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Matching
Permanent
IT Job Ads
Median Salary
Past 6 Months
Median Salary
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
South East -40 284 £55,000 +7.84% 201
North of England +45 230 £55,000 +15.35% 125
Midlands -87 156 £40,000 -27.27% 87
North West +44 143 £55,000 +15.35% 75
West Midlands -8 101 £44,000 -32.31% 51
East of England -79 98 £60,000 +5.26% 83
South West -43 94 £52,500 -2.78% 86
Yorkshire -17 56 £55,000 +15.79% 40
East Midlands -96 53 £30,000 -41.18% 36
Scotland -9 42 £42,000 -27.63% 33
North East -16 31 £52,500 -7.49% 11
Wales -29 12 £44,000 -20.00% 19
Northern Ireland -37 2 - - 8
Validation
UK

Validation
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the UK excluding London by Category

The following tables expand on the one above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. They cover the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each category:

Application Platforms
1 13 (1.42%) Apache Airflow
2 12 (1.31%) Microsoft Exchange
3 11 (1.20%) Confluence
4 9 (0.98%) CMS
5 8 (0.87%) Apache
6 6 (0.66%) Apache Spark
6 6 (0.66%) SharePoint
7 2 (0.22%) Adobe Experience Manager
7 2 (0.22%) Artix
7 2 (0.22%) Headless CMS
7 2 (0.22%) IIS
7 2 (0.22%) Jupyter
8 1 (0.11%) Kinematics
8 1 (0.11%) Palantir Foundry
8 1 (0.11%) SAS
Applications
1 74 (8.08%) Microsoft Excel
2 49 (5.35%) Microsoft Office
3 10 (1.09%) Simulink
4 8 (0.87%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 8 (0.87%) Microsoft Project
5 6 (0.66%) MS Visio
6 5 (0.55%) Spreadsheet
7 4 (0.44%) CANalyzer
7 4 (0.44%) Fusion 360
7 4 (0.44%) SOLIDWORKS
8 3 (0.33%) AutoCAD
8 3 (0.33%) Solid Edge
9 2 (0.22%) Autodesk Inventor
9 2 (0.22%) CATIA
10 1 (0.11%) Adobe XD
10 1 (0.11%) Navisworks
10 1 (0.11%) Oracle Smart View
10 1 (0.11%) Revit
10 1 (0.11%) Sketch
10 1 (0.11%) Stateflow
Business Applications
1 25 (2.73%) SAP S/4HANA
2 20 (2.18%) Dynamics CRM
3 10 (1.09%) SAP ERP
4 7 (0.76%) SAP MDG
5 5 (0.55%) SAP MDG-BP
6 4 (0.44%) Markit EDM
7 3 (0.33%) iTrent
8 2 (0.22%) Elite 3E
9 1 (0.11%) Oracle EBS
9 1 (0.11%) Oracle ERP
9 1 (0.11%) Oracle Payables
9 1 (0.11%) Oracle Procure-to-Pay
9 1 (0.11%) Oracle Receivables
9 1 (0.11%) SAP MDG-F
9 1 (0.11%) Shopify
Cloud Services
1 88 (9.61%) Power Platform
2 78 (8.52%) Azure
3 41 (4.48%) AWS
4 31 (3.38%) SaaS
5 25 (2.73%) Microsoft 365
6 24 (2.62%) Serverless
7 20 (2.18%) Dynamics 365
8 15 (1.64%) Entra ID
8 15 (1.64%) GCP
9 14 (1.53%) GitHub
10 13 (1.42%) Azure Data Factory
10 13 (1.42%) Azure DevOps
10 13 (1.42%) dbt
11 10 (1.09%) Power Automate
11 10 (1.09%) Snowflake
12 9 (0.98%) Microsoft Copilot
12 9 (0.98%) PowerApps
13 7 (0.76%) Amazon S3
14 6 (0.66%) IaaS
15 5 (0.55%) PaaS
Communications & Networking
1 21 (2.29%) Firewall
2 20 (2.18%) Broadband
3 19 (2.07%) DNS
4 17 (1.86%) TCP/IP
5 15 (1.64%) Wireless
6 14 (1.53%) SD-WAN
6 14 (1.53%) WAN
7 12 (1.31%) HTTP
8 10 (1.09%) Wireshark
9 9 (0.98%) 5G
9 9 (0.98%) MQTT
10 8 (0.87%) Modbus
10 8 (0.87%) NAS
10 8 (0.87%) Wi-Fi
11 7 (0.76%) Ethernet
12 6 (0.66%) ATM
12 6 (0.66%) Cisco ISE
12 6 (0.66%) Multicast
12 6 (0.66%) tcpdump
12 6 (0.66%) WebEx
Database & Business Intelligence
1 85 (9.28%) Power BI
2 29 (3.17%) SQL Server
3 26 (2.84%) Tableau
4 22 (2.40%) Metadata
5 20 (2.18%) PostgreSQL
6 18 (1.97%) Data Warehouse
6 18 (1.97%) Relational Database
7 15 (1.64%) Oracle Reports
8 12 (1.31%) MySQL
9 10 (1.09%) Data Lake
9 10 (1.09%) Spotfire
9 10 (1.09%) SQL Server Reporting Services
10 8 (0.87%) Azure SQL Database
11 7 (0.76%) MongoDB
11 7 (0.76%) Power Query
12 5 (0.55%) Data Mining
12 5 (0.55%) SQL Server Integration Services
13 4 (0.44%) Apache Hive
13 4 (0.44%) DB2
13 4 (0.44%) Oracle Database
Development Applications
1 44 (4.80%) Git
2 42 (4.59%) JIRA
3 36 (3.93%) Rational DOORS
4 21 (2.29%) Snyk
5 16 (1.75%) Jenkins
6 14 (1.53%) GitLab
6 14 (1.53%) LabVIEW
7 9 (0.98%) Cucumber
7 9 (0.98%) JMeter
8 8 (0.87%) Postman
8 8 (0.87%) Selenium
9 5 (0.55%) Cypress.io
9 5 (0.55%) LoadRunner
9 5 (0.55%) SonarQube
9 5 (0.55%) Subversion
9 5 (0.55%) TestRail
10 4 (0.44%) Gatling
10 4 (0.44%) IBM UrbanCode
10 4 (0.44%) Locust
10 4 (0.44%) Rational Rhapsody
General
1 258 (28.17%) Social Skills
2 190 (20.74%) Analytical Skills
3 155 (16.92%) Finance
4 95 (10.37%) Aerospace
5 92 (10.04%) Electronics
6 89 (9.72%) Manufacturing
7 46 (5.02%) Inclusion and Diversity
8 37 (4.04%) Legal
8 37 (4.04%) Public Sector
9 34 (3.71%) Pharmaceutical
10 30 (3.28%) Automotive
10 30 (3.28%) Law
10 30 (3.28%) Marketing
10 30 (3.28%) Retail
11 24 (2.62%) Organisational Skills
12 22 (2.40%) Aviation
12 22 (2.40%) Presentation Skills
13 19 (2.07%) Influencing Skills
14 17 (1.86%) Documentation Skills
15 16 (1.75%) Games
Job Titles
1 155 (16.92%) Analyst
2 147 (16.05%) Senior
2 147 (16.05%) Systems Engineer
3 80 (8.73%) Test Engineer
4 77 (8.41%) Validation Engineer
5 55 (6.00%) Lead
6 53 (5.79%) Architect
7 51 (5.57%) Business Analyst
7 51 (5.57%) Integration Engineer
8 38 (4.15%) Principal Engineer
8 38 (4.15%) Senior Systems Engineer
9 37 (4.04%) Data Analyst
10 36 (3.93%) Systems Integration Engineer
11 34 (3.71%) Verification Engineer
12 33 (3.60%) Junior
13 32 (3.49%) Embedded Engineer
14 30 (3.28%) Software Validation Engineer
15 29 (3.17%) Security Architect
16 28 (3.06%) Developer
16 28 (3.06%) Principal Systems Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 22 (2.40%) REST
2 21 (2.29%) JSON
3 18 (1.97%) XML
4 15 (1.64%) Middleware
5 13 (1.42%) .NET
5 13 (1.42%) pytest
6 12 (1.31%) React
6 12 (1.31%) Regular Expression
6 12 (1.31%) XMPP
7 11 (1.20%) Playwright
8 10 (1.09%) CSS
9 8 (0.87%) LDAP
9 8 (0.87%) OLE
9 8 (0.87%) Pandas
10 7 (0.76%) HTML
10 7 (0.76%) Oracle Fusion
10 7 (0.76%) PySpark
11 6 (0.66%) GraphQL
12 5 (0.55%) Kafka
12 5 (0.55%) Node.js
Miscellaneous
1 39 (4.26%) Onboarding
2 38 (4.15%) Management Information System
3 27 (2.95%) Embedded Systems
4 26 (2.84%) Product Ownership
5 24 (2.62%) Analytical Mindset
5 24 (2.62%) Life Science
6 23 (2.51%) Data Structures
6 23 (2.51%) Self-Motivation
7 21 (2.29%) Data Centre
8 19 (2.07%) Cloud Native
9 18 (1.97%) Enterprise Software
9 18 (1.97%) Low-Code
10 17 (1.86%) Driving Licence
11 16 (1.75%) Algorithms
12 14 (1.53%) FPGA
12 14 (1.53%) SCADA
13 13 (1.42%) IoT
13 13 (1.42%) Legacy Systems
13 13 (1.42%) Security Posture
14 12 (1.31%) Robotics
Operating Systems
1 63 (6.88%) Linux
2 41 (4.48%) Windows
3 18 (1.97%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
4 14 (1.53%) Windows Server
5 12 (1.31%) Unix
6 5 (0.55%) Android
7 4 (0.44%) Apple iOS
7 4 (0.44%) FreeRTOS
8 3 (0.33%) Kali Linux
8 3 (0.33%) Robot Operating System
9 2 (0.22%) ThreadX
10 1 (0.11%) CentOS
10 1 (0.11%) Embedded Linux
10 1 (0.11%) Rocky
10 1 (0.11%) Ubuntu
10 1 (0.11%) VxWorks
10 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2019
Processes & Methodologies
1 212 (23.14%) Problem-Solving
2 200 (21.83%) Verification and Validation
3 182 (19.87%) Continuous Improvement
4 141 (15.39%) Agile
5 115 (12.55%) Systems Engineering
6 103 (11.24%) AI
7 100 (10.92%) Test Automation
8 99 (10.81%) Business Intelligence
9 93 (10.15%) Decision-Making
10 87 (9.50%) Data Validation
11 86 (9.39%) Analytics
11 86 (9.39%) Collaborative Working
11 86 (9.39%) Migration
12 84 (9.17%) CI/CD
13 81 (8.84%) Software Engineering
14 77 (8.41%) Mentoring
15 68 (7.42%) Data Modelling
15 68 (7.42%) ERP
16 66 (7.21%) Data Governance
17 62 (6.77%) Data Migration
Programming Languages
1 156 (17.03%) Python
2 144 (15.72%) SQL
3 45 (4.91%) C++
4 41 (4.48%) C
5 26 (2.84%) Java
6 23 (2.51%) MATLAB
7 20 (2.18%) JavaScript
8 18 (1.97%) C#
9 17 (1.86%) PowerShell
10 15 (1.64%) Bash
11 14 (1.53%) Embedded C
11 14 (1.53%) T-SQL
12 10 (1.09%) TypeScript
13 9 (0.98%) Go
14 8 (0.87%) Embedded C++
15 7 (0.76%) Data Analysis Expressions
16 5 (0.55%) ABAP
17 3 (0.33%) PHP
17 3 (0.33%) Shell Script
17 3 (0.33%) VBA
Qualifications
1 227 (24.78%) Degree
2 124 (13.54%) BPSS Clearance
3 116 (12.66%) Security Cleared
4 43 (4.69%) Master's Degree
5 36 (3.93%) DV Cleared
5 36 (3.93%) SC Cleared
6 34 (3.71%) Chartered Engineer
7 27 (2.95%) HNC
8 24 (2.62%) HND
9 20 (2.18%) Computer Science Degree
10 17 (1.86%) PMI Certification
11 15 (1.64%) PMP
12 6 (0.66%) ISTQB
13 5 (0.55%) CISA
13 5 (0.55%) ISEB
14 4 (0.44%) CREST Certified
14 4 (0.44%) OSCP
14 4 (0.44%) SANS
14 4 (0.44%) Six Sigma Green Belt
15 3 (0.33%) GCED
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 101 (11.03%) Data Quality
2 80 (8.73%) QA
3 37 (4.04%) ISO/IEC 15288
4 32 (3.49%) GDPR
5 29 (3.17%) Accessibility
6 25 (2.73%) GRC
7 15 (1.64%) IEC 61508
8 13 (1.42%) ISO/IEC 27001
9 11 (1.20%) GMP
10 10 (1.09%) Good Clinical Practice
11 9 (0.98%) ISO 9001
11 9 (0.98%) ISO/IEC 12207
12 7 (0.76%) 21 CFR Part 11
12 7 (0.76%) GxP
12 7 (0.76%) ISO 26262
12 7 (0.76%) PMO
12 7 (0.76%) SLA
13 5 (0.55%) Actionable Recommendations
13 5 (0.55%) DO-254
13 5 (0.55%) TickIT
System Software
1 33 (3.60%) Active Directory
2 26 (2.84%) Firmware
3 21 (2.29%) Virtual Machines
4 19 (2.07%) Docker
5 13 (1.42%) vSphere
6 8 (0.87%) Embedded Firmware
7 7 (0.76%) VMware Infrastructure
8 6 (0.66%) KVM
9 4 (0.44%) Hyper-V
10 1 (0.11%) VMware ESXi
Systems Management
1 24 (2.62%) Kubernetes
2 15 (1.64%) Functional Safety
3 14 (1.53%) Grafana
3 14 (1.53%) Terraform
4 12 (1.31%) Computer Emergency Response Teams
5 10 (1.09%) Ansible
6 9 (0.98%) Puppet
7 5 (0.55%) Prometheus
8 4 (0.44%) Argo
8 4 (0.44%) Rancher
8 4 (0.44%) yum
9 3 (0.33%) HP Fortify
9 3 (0.33%) Kibana
10 2 (0.22%) BMC PATROL
11 1 (0.11%) Microsoft Intune
11 1 (0.11%) SCCM
11 1 (0.11%) SQL Sentry
Vendors
1 123 (13.43%) Microsoft
2 48 (5.24%) SAP
3 43 (4.69%) Oracle
4 31 (3.38%) Salesforce
5 24 (2.62%) CrowdStrike
6 21 (2.29%) Palo Alto
6 21 (2.29%) Tenable
7 19 (2.07%) VMware
8 17 (1.86%) Red Hat
9 13 (1.42%) Databricks
9 13 (1.42%) IBM
10 10 (1.09%) Google
10 10 (1.09%) ServiceNow
11 8 (0.87%) Cisco
11 8 (0.87%) Citrix
11 8 (0.87%) McAfee
12 6 (0.66%) Aruba
12 6 (0.66%) Fortinet
12 6 (0.66%) Foundry
12 6 (0.66%) Juniper