Highest Paying Jobs in the UK: What They Are and How Much They Pay
The UK job market presents a fascinating landscape of lucrative career opportunities across diverse sectors. While traditional roles in medicine and finance continue to dominate the higher pay scales, emerging fields in technology and sustainability are rapidly climbing the ranks of highest-paying positions.
Let’s dive into the most financially rewarding careers in the UK, with detailed insights into what these roles entail and their impressive compensation packages.
Top-Tier Executive Positions The corporate world leads the pack in terms of compensation, with Chief Executive Officers commanding an impressive average salary of £84,131. These roles often come with substantial bonus packages and additional benefits, making them among the most coveted positions in the UK job market.
Here’s a breakdown of the top 5 executive positions and their average annual salaries:
| Position | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | £98,490 |
| Vice President of Sales | £107,527 |
| Marketing Directors | £70,867 |
| IT Directors | £87,888 |
| Tax Directors | £94,488 |
Medical Professionals: Specialized Expertise The medical field continues to offer some of the most substantial compensation packages. Particularly noteworthy is the role of an Anaesthesiologist, commanding an average salary of £91,449 annually. Other high-paying medical specialties include:
- Nephrologists: £102,449 average annual salary
- Ophthalmologists: £82,000 average annual salary
- Orthodontists: £76,393 average annual salary
Technology and Engineering The digital transformation has elevated technology roles to some of the highest-paying positions. Directors of Engineering earn an average of £84,417 annually, while IT Directors command impressive packages averaging £87,888 per year.
Regional Salary Variations It’s important to note that location plays a crucial role in determining actual compensation. London-based positions typically offer significantly higher salaries compared to other regions. For instance, legal professionals in London can expect to earn around £88,000 annually, while their counterparts in the North of England average £43,000.
Top-Paying Companies Leading technology and finance firms offer particularly attractive compensation packages. Companies like Citadel (£121,759 average base salary) and Contino (£108,128 average base salary) lead the market in employee compensation.
High-Paying Careers Without Degrees Interestingly, not all lucrative careers require university education. Several roles offer impressive earning potential based on skills and experience rather than formal qualifications:
- Train Drivers: Up to £70,000 annually
- Personal Trainers: Can earn up to £60,000
- Firefighters: Salary range of £30,700 to £64,000
- Health & Wellbeing Coaches: Potential earnings up to £74,400
Emerging High-Paying Fields The job market is evolving, with new high-paying roles emerging in:
- Sustainability Management
- Artificial Intelligence
- Cloud Computing
- Cybersecurity (with IT security managers earning up to £81,500)
Professional Services Legal and financial services continue to offer substantial compensation packages. Lawyers average £52,668 annually, while actuaries command around £59,837. These figures can significantly increase with experience and specialization.
Industry-Specific Directors Various director-level positions across industries command impressive salaries:
- PR and Communications Directors: £79,886
- Logistics and Transport Directors: £72,177
- Functional Managers and Directors: £69,933
The aviation sector also offers competitive compensation, with air traffic controllers and pilots earning an average of £71,676 annually. Commercial pilots specifically can expect around £60,518 per year.
Important Note: These salary figures represent national averages, and actual compensation can vary significantly based on factors such as experience, company size, and geographical location. Additionally, many of these positions offer substantial benefits packages, bonuses, and other perks that add to the total compensation.
In which industries are the highest paying jobs?
If you want to find out what the highest paying jobs in the UK are, it may be helpful to look at which industries tend to pay the most. In the UK, as in most other countries in the developed world, factors such as an ageing generation and an increase in lifestyle-related conditions have led to a huge demand for healthcare specialists. Apart from many job opportunities, the healthcare industry also offers many high-paying jobs. Other industries where you’ll find occupations with attractive salary rates include financial services, the legal sector, engineering and information technology.
Highest paying jobs
Before you decide on a career path and pay lots of money for a qualification, you may want to find out what some of the current highest paying jobs in the UK are. Although this list is bound to change over time, these occupations have been offering high salaries for many years now.
Chief executive officer
National average salary: £61,805 per yearPrimary duties: A chief executive officer, or CEO, is one of the corporate executives of a company. They make important decisions regarding business strategies and key policies in order to maximise the value of the company. This may include increasing the share price, market share or revenue of a company. They typically receive their job description from a board of directors and also report directly to them.
Actuary
National average salary: £64,669 per yearPrimary duties: Actuaries are business experts who use their knowledge of economics, statistics, probability theory and investment theory to solve business problems. An important focus of the job is to predict emerging financial risk and to devise steps to mitigate the risk should it occur. Depending on their position, actuaries might manage a company’s financial assets and liabilities, determine the pricing of insurance premiums or advise a firm on pension plans.
Marketing director
National average salary: £69,217 per yearPrimary duties: Marketing directors aim to drive profits and increase a company’s market share by promoting a company’s products or services. Their duties include developing and overseeing effective marketing campaigns, remaining up to date regarding market trends and nurturing strong relationships with a company’s clients. They also provide support for marketing managers and their teams and assist with a company’s marketing plans and advertising.
Managing director
National average salary: £81,805 per yearPrimary duties: A managing director fulfils the most senior role in a company. They are responsible for implementing a company’s policy and for ensuring that a company’s business strategy is geared toward growth and increased profits. Other duties include representing their company at public events and leading and mentoring other board members.
IT director
National average salary: £78,494 per yearPrimary duties: An IT director has a senior management role in a company. They manage and direct the IT operations throughout an organisation and work closely together with managers in various departments to gauge their IT needs. Wherever it’s required, they also provide technical advice and leadership. IT directors typically work for companies in which computer systems are vital for business success.
Director of engineering
National average salary: £91,213 per yearPrimary duties: A director of engineering coordinates and manages all engineering staff and operations in a company. Their duties include leading engineering projects, directing engineering departments and supervising technical staff. As opposed to engineering managers who manage individual projects, a director of engineering provides support for multiple projects and keeps track of significant milestones.
Tax director
National average salary: £94,230 per yearPrimary duties: Tax directors create, plan and implement a company’s tax strategy. They make sure that a company’s tax returns are correct and try to minimise its tax obligations. It’s also their responsibility to ensure that a company is compliant with applicable tax statutes. They typically report to top management.
Dermatologist
National average salary: £92,671 per yearPrimary duties: A dermatologist is a specialist doctor who focuses on diseases and conditions of the skin, hair, nails and mucous membranes. Disorders that they treat include eczema, psoriasis, skin cancer, acne, hair loss and shingles. Apart from treating disorders, dermatologists also provide cosmetic treatments, such as Botox injections, fillers and laser procedures.
Plastic surgeon
National average salary: £97,440 per yearPrimary duties: A plastic surgeon is a licensed medical practitioner who repairs and reconstructs the human body through surgery. Reconstructive surgery involves restoring form and function after an illness or injury, and includes the treatment of burn wounds and craniofacial surgery. In contrast, cosmetic surgery involves changing a healthy person’s appearance through surgery, such as breast enhancements or rhinoplasty.
Paediatrician
National average salary: £95,647 per yearPrimary duties: A paediatrician is a medical specialist who focuses on the treatment of physical, mental and behavioural issues in babies, children and teenagers. They perform diagnostic tests, treat illnesses and disorders, administer vaccinations and provide nutritional and developmental advice. Paediatricians often specialise in a field, such as neonatology or cardiology.
Anaesthesiologist
National average salary: £97,521 per yearPrimary duties: Anaesthesiologists are medical specialists who provide anaesthetics to patients who are undergoing surgery, medical procedures or psychiatric treatments. They meet with patients before a procedure to discuss which anaesthetic may be the best suited. Just before the procedure, they then administer the anaesthetic and monitor the condition of their patient throughout to see whether they’re experiencing any adverse reactions.Related: 15 highest paying master’s degrees in the UK (jobs list)
Ophthalmologist
National average salary: £107,160 per yearPrimary duties: Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases. These specialists are both physicians and surgeons. This means that apart from treating diseases, they also perform surgical procedures, such as corneal transplants and oculoplastic surgery. Ophthalmology is a diverse field and involves the treatment of a wide range of issues including cataracts, glaucoma, eye injuries, infectious diseases and squints.Related: What is an oculoplastic surgeon? (Duties and requirements)
Nephrologist
National average salary: £97,228 per yearPrimary duties: Nephrologists are medical specialists who focus on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases that affect the kidneys. Apart from expert knowledge in kidney diseases, these specialists also have in-depth knowledge of how kidney diseases can affect other bodily functions and organs. Conditions that nephrologists treat include kidney stones, kidney cancer, kidney infections and kidney failure. They also treat patients with conditions that may lead to kidney failure, such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases and high blood pressure.
Orthodontist
National average salary: £100,028 per yearPrimary duties: Orthodontists are specialist dentists who focus on jaw problems and the straightening of crooked teeth. Although they treat patients of all ages, they often treat children and teenagers whose jaws and teeth are still developing. The conditions they treat include jaw malocclusion, tooth crowding and palate expansion, and treatment may involve braces, retainers, teeth straightening surgery and orthodontic headgear.Related: Lowest paying jobs: primary duties and entry requirements
Vice president of sales
National average salary: £115,929 per yearPrimary duties: The vice president of sales is a top-level executive that oversees all the sales teams and operations of a company. Their aim is to drive the profitability of a company by supporting its sales efforts and ensuring that sales teams meet or exceed their sales targets. Their duties include building relationships with important clients, designing and implementing effective sales strategies, marketing a company’s brand and products and providing sales reports to the executive team.
Chief financial officer
National average salary: £111,504 per yearPrimary duties: A chief financial officer (CFO) is a senior executive who leads all the financial activities of a company. Their duties include analysing the financial health of a company and putting corrective measures in place. They also take care of business planning, budgeting, negotiations and ensure that all financial reports are accurate and completed within the allocated time frames. Their input significantly affects a company’s investments and decisions regarding income and expenses.
