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Average Material Planning Specialist Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A material planning specialist in United Kingdom earns about 51,900 GBP a year. That's 26% below 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 25,300 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 84,500 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 material planning specialist make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
51,900 GBP
4,325 GBP per month
Lowest reported
25,300 GBP
2,108 GBP per month
Highest reported
84,500 GBP
7,041 GBP per month

A typical material planning specialist working in United Kingdom brings home around 4,325 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 25,300 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 84,500 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 material planning specialist 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 material planning specialist salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How material planning specialist 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 material planning specialists in United Kingdom earn less than 58,100 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 34,800 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 74,200 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of material planning specialists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 25,300 GBP. The highest stretch to 84,500 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.

25,300
Low
58,100
Median
84,500
High
34,800
25th
74,200
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Material planning specialist pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a material planning specialist 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 material planning specialist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    25,800 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +44% from previous
    37,100 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +50% from previous
    55,600 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +20% from previous
    66,700 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +6% from previous
    70,600 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +13% from previous
    79,600 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 50%. That is the point at which a material planning specialist 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.

Material planning specialist pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving material planning specialist 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 material planning specialist salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    30,200 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +63% from previous
    49,300 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +66% from previous
    81,700 GBP

Material planning specialist 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 material planning specialists in United Kingdom earn an average of 53,500 GBP a year, while female material planning specialists earn around 51,800 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.

Material Planning Specialist gender pay gap

3%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 53,500 GBP
Women 51,800 GBP

Pay raises for a material planning specialist 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 10% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 8% 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 Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Material planning specialist 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.

61%

61% of material planning specialists in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a material planning specialist a moderate-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 2% to 7% of base salary. The remaining 39% of material planning specialists 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

Material planning specialist: 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.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Material planning specialist salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Material planning specialist 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
  • Birmingham
  • Manchester
  • Leeds
  • Glasgow
  • Sheffield
  • Belfast
  • Kingston upon Hull
  • Somerset
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion109,700 GBP117,100 GBP49,800-172,100 GBP
ScotlandRegion78,400 GBP74,700 GBP42,600-121,800 GBP
BirminghamCity65,500 GBP68,400 GBP30,800-103,600 GBP
ManchesterCity64,800 GBP60,800 GBP34,000-97,300 GBP
LeedsCity64,300 GBP63,500 GBP29,600-100,100 GBP
GlasgowCity63,500 GBP66,900 GBP32,200-100,700 GBP
SheffieldCity62,600 GBP67,600 GBP29,000-95,400 GBP
BelfastCity62,500 GBP65,800 GBP29,000-98,800 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity62,500 GBP58,200 GBP32,200-93,300 GBP
SomersetCity61,500 GBP64,500 GBP31,400-99,400 GBP
CoventryCity61,300 GBP59,000 GBP31,800-92,100 GBP
LeicesterCity60,700 GBP64,800 GBP26,500-94,300 GBP
LiverpoolCity60,100 GBP63,200 GBP31,300-95,300 GBP
BristolCity60,000 GBP63,500 GBP27,400-95,500 GBP
PortsmouthCity59,800 GBP64,300 GBP27,300-92,500 GBP
DerbyCity59,000 GBP58,000 GBP29,600-91,900 GBP
NewcastleCity58,800 GBP60,600 GBP29,200-93,100 GBP
LondonCity58,800 GBP65,400 GBP29,600-97,600 GBP
BradfordCity58,700 GBP57,100 GBP32,900-90,900 GBP
NottinghamCity58,600 GBP57,200 GBP29,400-90,600 GBP
SwanseaCity58,400 GBP59,100 GBP28,900-92,100 GBP
CardiffCity58,200 GBP58,700 GBP29,300-90,900 GBP
PooleCity57,900 GBP56,600 GBP29,600-87,800 GBP
EdinburghCity57,400 GBP54,600 GBP28,900-88,600 GBP
BrightonCity57,100 GBP59,700 GBP29,000-89,900 GBP
WolverhamptonCity56,600 GBP61,200 GBP27,000-93,100 GBP
OxfordCity56,100 GBP55,500 GBP27,300-86,800 GBP
NorwichCity55,700 GBP59,500 GBP23,700-86,100 GBP
DerryCity55,400 GBP51,300 GBP29,000-84,600 GBP
PeterboroughCity55,100 GBP58,500 GBP23,600-86,300 GBP
YorkCity54,600 GBP51,900 GBP27,700-84,800 GBP
SouthamptonCity54,500 GBP54,100 GBP27,400-87,300 GBP
ChesterCity54,300 GBP57,100 GBP24,200-83,800 GBP
DundeeCity54,300 GBP57,100 GBP24,200-83,800 GBP
AberdeenCity54,100 GBP57,100 GBP26,200-87,000 GBP
PlymouthCity54,100 GBP54,600 GBP28,900-86,400 GBP
HartlepoolCity53,800 GBP60,400 GBP23,600-84,800 GBP
NewportCity53,300 GBP58,600 GBP22,400-83,200 GBP
LisburnCity53,300 GBP51,300 GBP26,500-80,400 GBP
LincolnCity52,800 GBP52,000 GBP29,600-80,500 GBP
AbingdonCity52,600 GBP50,800 GBP27,000-77,100 GBP
CanterburyCity52,000 GBP53,300 GBP24,400-79,800 GBP
NewryCity51,900 GBP58,100 GBP25,300-84,500 GBP
CambridgeCity51,800 GBP48,500 GBP25,800-78,200 GBP
ExeterCity51,500 GBP50,700 GBP26,200-80,700 GBP
WellsCity51,500 GBP47,400 GBP26,600-75,900 GBP
WalesRegion51,500 GBP51,100 GBP25,400-78,200 GBP
WinchesterCity51,400 GBP51,900 GBP26,500-79,600 GBP
StirlingCity51,300 GBP54,300 GBP24,400-79,500 GBP
ArmaghCity51,100 GBP52,300 GBP27,400-83,800 GBP
GloucesterCity51,100 GBP51,400 GBP23,600-80,800 GBP
SalisburyCity50,000 GBP50,100 GBP23,600-81,200 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion50,000 GBP50,100 GBP23,600-78,400 GBP
InvernessCity49,700 GBP56,100 GBP23,400-80,300 GBP
WakefieldCity49,400 GBP51,100 GBP23,800-78,200 GBP
DurhamCity49,100 GBP53,800 GBP22,200-80,700 GBP
TruroCity49,000 GBP49,700 GBP22,200-75,000 GBP
BangorCity48,600 GBP45,000 GBP23,600-72,700 GBP
St DavidsCity48,300 GBP49,400 GBP27,400-76,600 GBP
RiponCity48,300 GBP49,400 GBP27,400-74,300 GBP
KirkwallCity48,000 GBP48,200 GBP25,700-76,000 GBP
StromnessCity46,200 GBP52,300 GBP20,000-73,700 GBP
StrontianCity45,400 GBP45,000 GBP25,300-70,900 GBP

Material Planning Specialist in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a material planning specialist make per month in United Kingdom?

    A material planning specialist in United Kingdom earns about 4,325 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 51,900 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a material planning specialist in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level material planning specialists in United Kingdom start near 25,300 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 84,500 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 34,800 and 74,200 GBP.

  • Is the median material planning specialist salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 58,100 GBP, higher than the average of 51,900 GBP. Half of material planning specialists in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for material planning specialists in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a material planning specialist in United Kingdom earn around 3% more than women on average (53,500 vs 51,800 GBP a year).

  • Do material planning specialists in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 61% of material planning specialists in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.

  • Do material planning specialists earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a material planning specialist about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do material planning specialists in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A material planning specialist in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 10% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.