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Create CVIf you're searching for “head of engineering UK salary,” you're not just looking for a number. You're trying to understand:
What top engineering leaders actually earn in the UK
How compensation differs across startups, scale-ups, and enterprise
What separates a £100K Head of Engineering from a £250K+ total compensation leader
This guide breaks down real salary data through the lens of how hiring managers, founders, and executive recruiters actually benchmark and negotiate compensation.
In 2026, the average base salary for a Head of Engineering in the UK ranges from £90,000 to £150,000, but this is only part of the compensation picture.
Early-stage startup: £90K – £130K + equity
Scale-up: £120K – £180K + bonus + equity
Enterprise / Big Tech: £140K – £220K + bonus
Top-tier candidates in high-growth tech companies can exceed £250K–£350K total compensation when equity is included.
Base: £120K – £200K
Total compensation: £150K – £300K+
Base: £90K – £150K
Total compensation: £110K – £200K
At Head of Engineering level, location matters less than:
Company stage
Funding level
This is the single biggest factor affecting earnings.
Base: £90K – £130K
Equity: 0.5% – 2%
Bonus: Rare
Base: £120K – £180K
Bonus: 10% – 25%
Equity: 0.1% – 0.5%
Engineering team size
Revenue scale
Remote leadership roles are now frequently benchmarked against London salaries.
Base: £140K – £220K
Bonus: 15% – 40%
Equity: RSUs (often £50K–£200K annually)
Startups offer higher equity upside. Enterprises offer higher guaranteed cash.
From a hiring manager or founder perspective, compensation is tied to business impact and leadership scope, not just technical ability.
Engineering team size (5 vs 100+ engineers)
Budget ownership
Hiring responsibility
Product complexity
Revenue scale influenced by engineering
“Led engineering team and delivered projects.”
“Scaled engineering organisation from 12 to 65 engineers, reducing deployment time by 40% and enabling £15M ARR growth.”
This signals leadership impact, not just management. That’s what drives executive compensation.
Equity can be worth nothing—or millions.
Stage of company
Valuation at entry
Vesting schedule (typically 4 years)
Exit potential
Candidates often overvalue equity without understanding:
Dilution risk
Liquidity timelines
Company trajectory
At executive level, evaluating equity is as important as negotiating salary.
Bonuses are typically tied to:
Company performance (revenue, growth)
Engineering KPIs (delivery, uptime, scalability)
Leadership goals (hiring, retention)
Bonuses are often:
Guaranteed in year one
Linked to measurable business outcomes
System architecture at scale
Cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure)
DevOps and platform engineering
Aligning engineering with revenue goals
Budget management
Product collaboration
Hiring and scaling teams
Building high-performance culture
Stakeholder management (C-level, board)
Most candidates are strong technically.
Top earners differentiate through:
Business alignment
Leadership scale
Strategic influence
Executive recruiters assess:
Team size managed
Growth trajectory (scaling experience)
Industry relevance (SaaS, fintech, etc.)
Stakeholder exposure (CEO, board)
A candidate managing:
Is not benchmarked the same as one managing:
Even with similar titles.
If your CV focuses only on:
Technology
Systems
You’ll be undervalued compared to candidates showing:
Business impact
Revenue enablement
Hiring managers prioritise candidates who have:
Scaled teams
Built processes
Managed rapid growth
At this level, you must show:
Influence with executives
Cross-functional leadership
Move into high-growth tech or SaaS companies
Gain experience scaling teams rapidly
Take ownership of hiring and org design
Position yourself as a business leader, not just engineering leader
Demonstrate impact on revenue and product success
Build experience working with founders or boards
Engineering Manager: £70K – £110K
Head of Engineering: £100K – £200K+
Head of Engineering: execution-focused
CTO: strategy and vision
CTO salaries: £150K – £300K+
Head of Engineering sits between:
Operational execution
Strategic leadership
Candidate Name: Alexander Bennett
Job Title: Head of Engineering
Location: London, UK
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Strategic engineering leader with 12+ years of experience scaling high-performance teams in SaaS and fintech environments. Proven track record of aligning engineering execution with business growth, delivering scalable platforms, and enabling rapid revenue expansion.
CORE SKILLS
Engineering leadership and team scaling
Cloud architecture (AWS, Kubernetes)
DevOps and CI/CD pipelines
Stakeholder management (C-suite, board)
Budget and resource planning
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Head of Engineering | Fintech Scale-Up | London | 2021–Present
Scaled engineering team from 20 to 85 engineers within 18 months
Led platform transformation supporting £50M+ ARR growth
Reduced deployment cycle time by 60% through DevOps transformation
Partnered with CTO and CEO to align engineering roadmap with business strategy
Engineering Director | SaaS Company | London | 2017–2021
Managed multiple engineering teams delivering enterprise SaaS products
Improved system scalability supporting 3x user growth
Led hiring strategy, increasing team retention by 25%
EDUCATION
MSc Computer Science – Imperial College London
CERTIFICATIONS
AWS Certified Solutions Architect
Certified Scrum Professional
Level 1: Technical Manager
Level 2: Team Leader
Level 3: Organisational Leader
Level 4: Business Leader
Most candidates operate at Level 2–3.
Top earners operate at Level 4.
Well-funded companies offer:
Higher salaries
Better equity packages
Critical hires often receive premium offers.
Experienced leaders who have:
Are in extremely high demand.
Demand is increasing due to:
Growth of SaaS and tech companies
Need for scalable engineering teams
Increasing complexity of systems
Higher demand for leaders with AI and data experience
Increased focus on platform engineering
Greater alignment between engineering and business strategy
At seed to Series A stage, equity typically ranges from 0.5% to 2%. However, this depends heavily on timing, company valuation, and negotiation. Early hires receive significantly higher equity than later-stage candidates.
Startups offer higher upside through equity but carry more risk. Enterprise roles provide higher guaranteed compensation and stability. The best choice depends on risk tolerance and career goals.
Bonuses are usually tied to company performance metrics such as revenue growth, as well as engineering KPIs like delivery timelines, system reliability, and team scaling success.
In some cases, yes—particularly in enterprise companies where the Head of Engineering manages large teams and complex operations, while the CTO focuses on strategy. Compensation depends on scope, not just title.
The ability to scale engineering teams and directly contribute to business growth is the single biggest factor. Leaders who demonstrate measurable impact on revenue and company performance command the highest salaries.
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