Head of Software Engineering Job Trends
Head of Software Engineering
UK
The median Head of Software Engineering salary in the UK is £90,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 17 October 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 17 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 790 | 668 | 744 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -122 | +76 | -10 |
| Permanent jobs requiring a Head of Software Engineering | 32 | 9 | 15 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.027% | 0.018% | 0.021% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.029% | 0.020% | 0.023% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 23 | 7 | 7 |
| 10th Percentile | - | £43,000 | £85,500 |
| 25th Percentile | - | £62,500 | £90,625 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £90,000 | £90,000 | £97,500 |
| Median % change year-on-year | - | -7.69% | -18.75% |
| 75th Percentile | £95,000 | £97,500 | £115,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £100,000 | £118,000 | £141,500 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £90,000 | £95,000 | £97,500 |
| % change year-on-year | -5.26% | -2.56% | -4.88% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
UK
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job vacancies. Most job vacancies include a discernible job title that can be normalized. As such, the figures in the second row provide an indication of the number of permanent jobs in our overall sample.
| 6 months to 17 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent vacancies in the UK with a recognized job title | 110,560 | 43,931 | 66,554 |
| % of permanent jobs with a recognized job title | 92.36% | 89.93% | 95.34% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 74,960 | 25,802 | 38,157 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,000 | £28,000 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £41,188 | £35,000 | £41,250 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £58,500 | £53,000 | £56,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +10.38% | -5.36% | -6.67% |
| 75th Percentile | £76,250 | £73,750 | £75,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £98,750 | £95,000 | £95,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £55,000 | £45,750 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +20.22% | -8.50% | -4.76% |
Head of Software Engineering Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings featuring 'Head of Software Engineering' in the job title relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.
Head of Software Engineering Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for Head of Software Engineering job vacancies in the UK.
Head of Software Engineering Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for jobs citing Head of Software Engineering over the 6 months to 17 October 2026.
Head of Software Engineering Top 10 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Head of Software Engineering within the UK over the 6 months to 17 October 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | -116 | 30 | £90,000 | - | 13 |
| UK excluding London | -128 | 28 | £90,000 | -5.26% | 9 |
| East of England | - | 11 | £90,000 | - | 1 |
| South West | - | 10 | £90,000 | - | |
| London | - | 4 | £100,000 | - | 3 |
| South East | - | 4 | £90,000 | - | 1 |
| Work from Home | -64 | 3 | £80,000 | +23.08% | 7 |
| Wales | - | 2 | £90,000 | - | |
| North of England | -68 | 1 | £120,000 | +26.32% | 2 |
| North West | - | 1 | £120,000 | - | 1 |
Head of Software Engineering Skill Set Top 20 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 17 October 2026, Head of Software Engineering job roles required 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 job ads featuring Head of Software Engineering in the job title.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Software Engineering | 100.0% | 32 |
| 2 | AWS | 12.5% | 4 |
| 3 | .NET | 9.4% | 3 |
| 3 | C# | 9.4% | 3 |
| 3 | DevOps | 9.4% | 3 |
| 3 | DevSecOps | 9.4% | 3 |
| 3 | SaaS | 9.4% | 3 |
| 3 | Technical Leadership | 9.4% | 3 |
| 9 | Digital Transformation Programme | 6.3% | 2 |
| 9 | Embedded Software Development | 6.3% | 2 |
| 11 | AI | 3.1% | 1 |
| 11 | Artificial Intelligence Engineering | 3.1% | 1 |
| 11 | Collaborative Culture | 3.1% | 1 |
| 11 | Continuous Improvement | 3.1% | 1 |
| 11 | Machine Learning | 3.1% | 1 |
| 11 | Roadmaps | 3.1% | 1 |
| 11 | Scala | 3.1% | 1 |
| 11 | Stakeholder Management | 3.1% | 1 |
| 11 | Technology Roadmap | 3.1% | 1 |
| 11 | TypeScript | 3.1% | 1 |
Head of Software Engineering 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 | Head of AI | 9.4% | 3 |
| 2 | Head of Product Development | 6.3% | 2 |
| 2 | Head of Software Development | 6.3% | 2 |