GRC Specialist Job Trends
Governance, Risk, and Compliance Specialist
UK
The median Governance, Risk, and Compliance Specialist salary in the UK is £90,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 13 November 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 13 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 799 | 652 | 749 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -147 | +97 | -41 |
| Permanent GRC Specialist jobs | 24 | 6 | 2 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.019% | 0.011% | 0.003% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.021% | 0.013% | 0.003% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 17 | 4 | 1 |
| 10th Percentile | £70,000 | - | - |
| 25th Percentile | £77,500 | £80,000 | - |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £90,000 | £87,500 | £35,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +2.86% | +150.00% | -53.33% |
| 75th Percentile | - | £100,625 | - |
| 90th Percentile | £95,000 | £106,250 | - |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £45,000 | - | £35,000 |
| % change year-on-year | - | - | -41.67% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
UK
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job adverts matching a recognised job title. The table also shows what proportion of all permanent IT job adverts they make up.
| 6 months to 13 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent job adverts in the UK matching a recognised job title | 113,313 | 47,341 | 64,128 |
| % of permanent job adverts matching a recognised job title | 91.79% | 89.91% | 94.88% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 74,793 | 29,269 | 36,014 |
| 10th Percentile | £31,250 | £28,250 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £41,250 | £35,000 | £42,500 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £60,000 | £52,500 | £57,500 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +14.29% | -8.70% | -4.17% |
| 75th Percentile | £76,500 | £73,750 | £75,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £98,000 | £92,500 | £95,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £55,000 | £46,500 | £50,055 |
| % change year-on-year | +18.28% | -7.10% | -4.66% |
GRC Specialist Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent GRC Specialist job postings relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.
GRC Specialist Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for GRC Specialist job vacancies in the UK.
GRC Specialist Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for GRC Specialist jobs over the 6 months to 13 November 2026.
GRC Specialist Top 8 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in GRC Specialist jobs within the UK over the 6 months to 13 November 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 |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | -156 | 24 | £90,000 | +2.86% | |
| London | -59 | 19 | £90,000 | +12.50% | |
| Work from Home | -76 | 11 | £90,000 | - | |
| UK excluding London | - | 5 | £45,000 | - | |
| North of England | - | 4 | - | - | |
| Yorkshire | - | 4 | - | - | |
| East Midlands | - | 1 | £45,000 | - | |
| Midlands | - | 1 | £45,000 | - |
GRC Specialist Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 13 November 2026, GRC Specialist job ads cited the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all permanent GRC Specialist job ads.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GRC | 100.0% | 24 |
| 2 | Information Security | 79.2% | 19 |
| 3 | Continuous Improvement | 58.3% | 14 |
| 4 | ISO/IEC 27001 | 54.2% | 13 |
| 4 | Risk Management | 54.2% | 13 |
| 6 | DORA | 50.0% | 12 |
| 7 | NIST | 45.8% | 11 |
| 7 | Stakeholder Management | 45.8% | 11 |
| 9 | CISSP | 41.7% | 10 |
| 10 | CRISC | 37.5% | 9 |
| 10 | Cybersecurity | 37.5% | 9 |
| 12 | Attestation | 29.2% | 7 |
| 12 | Collaborative Culture | 29.2% | 7 |
| 12 | Information Security Governance | 29.2% | 7 |
| 15 | Information Security Management | 20.8% | 5 |
| 15 | ISMS | 20.8% | 5 |
| 15 | Operational Resilience | 20.8% | 5 |
| 15 | Regulatory Compliance | 20.8% | 5 |
| 15 | Risk Register | 20.8% | 5 |
| 15 | Security Management | 20.8% | 5 |
| 21 | GDPR | 16.7% | 4 |
| 22 | Business Continuity | 12.5% | 3 |
| 22 | Logistics | 12.5% | 3 |
| 22 | People Management | 12.5% | 3 |
| 25 | Accessibility | 8.3% | 2 |
| 25 | Business Enablement | 8.3% | 2 |
| 25 | CISM | 8.3% | 2 |
| 25 | COBIT | 8.3% | 2 |
| 25 | ISO 27001 Lead Auditor | 8.3% | 2 |
| 25 | IT Audit | 8.3% | 2 |
GRC Specialist Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities by Category
The table below expands on the one above by listing co-occurrences one category at a time. It covers the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences in each category.
Job Titles
| Rank | Job Title | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Security Specialist | 41.7% | 10 |
| 2 | Compliance Specialist | 29.2% | 7 |
| 2 | Information Security Specialist | 29.2% | 7 |
| 2 | Senior Data Warehouse Specialist | 29.2% | 7 |
| 5 | Security Compliance Specialist | 12.5% | 3 |
| 5 | Senior Information Security Specialist | 12.5% | 3 |
| 7 | Cybersecurity Specialist | 4.2% | 1 |
| 7 | GDPR Specialist | 4.2% | 1 |
| 7 | Information Governance Specialist | 4.2% | 1 |