Average Development Manager Salary in United Kingdom for 2026
A development manager in United Kingdom earns about 94,200 GBP a year. That's 35% above the national average of 69,700 GBP.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 50,500 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 146,700 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.
How much does a development manager make in United Kingdom?
A typical development manager working in United Kingdom brings home around 7,850 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 50,500 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 146,700 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior development manager working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the development manager salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.
How development manager pay ranges in United Kingdom
A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all development managers in United Kingdom earn less than 93,100 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 64,900 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 114,900 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of development managers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 50,500 GBP. The highest stretch to 146,700 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Development manager pay by experience in United Kingdom
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a development manager in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical development manager salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years57,000 GBP
- 2-5 Years+35% from previous77,000 GBP
- 5-10 Years+26% from previous97,400 GBP
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous118,900 GBP
- 15-20 Years+8% from previous128,400 GBP
- 20+ Years+7% from previous137,100 GBP
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 35%. That is the point at which a development manager typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Development manager pay by education in United Kingdom
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving development manager pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average development manager salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Certificate or Diploma65,900 GBP
- Bachelor's Degree+53% from previous100,700 GBP
- Master's Degree+41% from previous142,300 GBP
Development manager gender pay gap in United Kingdom
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male development managers in United Kingdom earn an average of 95,600 GBP a year, while female development managers earn around 92,500 GBP. That works out to a 3% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Development Manager gender pay gap
3%
Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.
Pay raises for a development manager in United Kingdom
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 14% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 11% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Development manager bonus rates in United Kingdom
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
81% of development managers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a development manager a high-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8% of base salary. The remaining 19% of development managers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Development manager: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
6%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.
Development manager salary by city and region in United Kingdom
Development manager pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- England
- Scotland
- Liverpool
- Manchester
- Bristol
- Sheffield
- Leeds
- Edinburgh
- Bradford
- Kingston upon Hull
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Region | 191,500 GBP | 183,900 GBP | 100,400-292,100 GBP |
| Scotland | Region | 132,000 GBP | 140,700 GBP | 65,200-210,600 GBP |
| Liverpool | City | 114,900 GBP | 114,900 GBP | 58,100-175,200 GBP |
| Manchester | City | 114,600 GBP | 111,700 GBP | 58,600-172,200 GBP |
| Bristol | City | 112,700 GBP | 109,000 GBP | 58,200-171,300 GBP |
| Sheffield | City | 109,700 GBP | 105,200 GBP | 58,200-165,900 GBP |
| Leeds | City | 109,700 GBP | 103,600 GBP | 57,800-163,800 GBP |
| Edinburgh | City | 109,700 GBP | 114,600 GBP | 53,600-171,300 GBP |
| Bradford | City | 109,000 GBP | 107,300 GBP | 54,100-165,900 GBP |
| Kingston upon Hull | City | 109,000 GBP | 112,700 GBP | 51,300-169,700 GBP |
| Birmingham | City | 109,000 GBP | 115,600 GBP | 50,300-172,300 GBP |
| Coventry | City | 109,000 GBP | 98,300 GBP | 58,200-163,500 GBP |
| Leicester | City | 108,200 GBP | 114,600 GBP | 55,400-172,300 GBP |
| Somerset | City | 108,200 GBP | 108,200 GBP | 55,700-169,700 GBP |
| London | City | 108,200 GBP | 118,900 GBP | 51,300-176,300 GBP |
| Plymouth | City | 107,300 GBP | 98,000 GBP | 56,400-160,600 GBP |
| Glasgow | City | 107,300 GBP | 98,300 GBP | 57,800-160,600 GBP |
| Southampton | City | 107,300 GBP | 108,200 GBP | 51,800-165,900 GBP |
| Belfast | City | 107,300 GBP | 100,700 GBP | 56,100-161,300 GBP |
| Portsmouth | City | 105,800 GBP | 114,600 GBP | 48,600-165,900 GBP |
| Cardiff | City | 105,200 GBP | 105,200 GBP | 51,300-160,600 GBP |
| Nottingham | City | 105,200 GBP | 109,000 GBP | 48,300-164,100 GBP |
| Oxford | City | 103,600 GBP | 96,600 GBP | 55,400-153,700 GBP |
| Wolverhampton | City | 103,600 GBP | 111,700 GBP | 47,600-164,100 GBP |
| Swansea | City | 102,700 GBP | 108,200 GBP | 49,700-164,100 GBP |
| Newcastle | City | 102,700 GBP | 109,700 GBP | 46,700-161,300 GBP |
| Aberdeen | City | 100,700 GBP | 107,700 GBP | 45,800-158,700 GBP |
| Norwich | City | 100,300 GBP | 96,000 GBP | 52,600-151,800 GBP |
| Newport | City | 100,100 GBP | 107,700 GBP | 45,400-158,900 GBP |
| Derby | City | 99,700 GBP | 99,700 GBP | 50,700-157,600 GBP |
| Peterborough | City | 98,700 GBP | 99,700 GBP | 48,600-152,900 GBP |
| Brighton | City | 98,300 GBP | 107,300 GBP | 46,200-158,900 GBP |
| Gloucester | City | 96,400 GBP | 102,700 GBP | 43,800-152,900 GBP |
| Dundee | City | 94,300 GBP | 90,000 GBP | 49,400-140,200 GBP |
| Poole | City | 94,000 GBP | 94,000 GBP | 49,400-146,900 GBP |
| Salisbury | City | 93,800 GBP | 100,100 GBP | 45,300-146,900 GBP |
| Stirling | City | 93,300 GBP | 93,300 GBP | 48,600-146,700 GBP |
| York | City | 93,100 GBP | 91,500 GBP | 46,700-147,900 GBP |
| Armagh | City | 93,100 GBP | 99,700 GBP | 45,000-151,800 GBP |
| Lincoln | City | 93,100 GBP | 85,700 GBP | 49,300-142,300 GBP |
| Exeter | City | 92,900 GBP | 92,400 GBP | 48,600-142,300 GBP |
| Northern Ireland | Region | 92,400 GBP | 86,600 GBP | 49,400-140,700 GBP |
| Lisburn | City | 92,300 GBP | 87,000 GBP | 46,900-141,000 GBP |
| Cambridge | City | 92,200 GBP | 95,100 GBP | 45,000-142,300 GBP |
| Durham | City | 91,500 GBP | 99,700 GBP | 41,500-148,300 GBP |
| Hartlepool | City | 90,900 GBP | 86,100 GBP | 47,800-139,100 GBP |
| Canterbury | City | 90,900 GBP | 85,400 GBP | 47,100-138,700 GBP |
| Derry | City | 90,300 GBP | 92,200 GBP | 45,100-140,200 GBP |
| Inverness | City | 90,000 GBP | 91,200 GBP | 43,500-140,700 GBP |
| Bangor | City | 89,800 GBP | 81,000 GBP | 49,000-132,000 GBP |
| Wales | Region | 89,400 GBP | 95,500 GBP | 43,500-142,300 GBP |
| Newry | City | 89,400 GBP | 93,200 GBP | 42,700-142,100 GBP |
| Chester | City | 87,800 GBP | 92,000 GBP | 44,300-140,700 GBP |
| Ripon | City | 87,700 GBP | 85,100 GBP | 45,000-132,000 GBP |
| Wells | City | 86,800 GBP | 80,200 GBP | 45,000-130,500 GBP |
| Truro | City | 86,600 GBP | 81,400 GBP | 46,100-132,000 GBP |
| Wakefield | City | 86,100 GBP | 90,000 GBP | 42,800-134,700 GBP |
| Abingdon | City | 85,100 GBP | 78,100 GBP | 43,800-128,200 GBP |
| Winchester | City | 83,300 GBP | 83,300 GBP | 44,300-130,400 GBP |
| Strontian | City | 83,000 GBP | 81,300 GBP | 44,800-128,400 GBP |
| Stromness | City | 82,300 GBP | 88,400 GBP | 38,700-130,500 GBP |
| Kirkwall | City | 81,400 GBP | 77,300 GBP | 42,700-125,400 GBP |
| St Davids | City | 80,500 GBP | 80,400 GBP | 43,200-128,200 GBP |
Development Manager in United Kingdom: FAQs
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How much does a development manager make per month in United Kingdom?
A development manager in United Kingdom earns about 7,850 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 94,200 GBP.
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What's the salary range for a development manager in United Kingdom?
Entry-level development managers in United Kingdom start near 50,500 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 146,700 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 64,900 and 114,900 GBP.
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Is the median development manager salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?
The median is 93,100 GBP, lower than the average of 94,200 GBP. Half of development managers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for development managers in United Kingdom?
Men working as a development manager in United Kingdom earn around 3% more than women on average (95,600 vs 92,500 GBP a year).
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Do development managers in United Kingdom get bonuses?
About 81% of development managers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8% of base salary.
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Do development managers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?
In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a development manager about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do development managers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?
A development manager in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 14% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 11% a year.