creationrecruitment
We recruit.  We build products.

Product team
salary report


creationrecruitment
2026 Product Team Salary Report

About this report


The figures in this report come from placements we've made and from the salaries people in our network over the last six months have achieved in their new roles. These are real numbers from real offers, not survey averages.

We've rounded salaries to the nearest £5,000 and day rates to the nearest £50. This makes the figures easier to use as a starting point for conversations, which is what they are meant to be.

Where a role appears with a change indicator, the figure shows movement against what we reported last year. means the range has moved up, means it has moved down, and means it has stayed flat. Where a role is new to this year's report, we've used averages of advertised roles from last year to give an indication of change.

Job titles in digital product vary considerably. A Head of Product in one company can be a Senior Product Manager in another. We have used the most common titles we encounter and included notes where there is meaningful variation.

We cover the main roles in a typical product team across Product Management, Design and Engineering, including the most senior levels in each discipline. It is not an exhaustive list though.

Day rates shown are what the contractor earns. Our margin is 15%. So, if you're hiring, factor that margin in. Many of our candidates work on a fractional basis, a fixed number of days per month rather than say a three-month engagement five days per week. If that is relevant to you, ask us.

creationrecruitment
2026 Product Team Salary Report

Permanent salaries: Exec / Senior


Product
Salary range

CPO £190k–£260k ↑ +£10k
VP £180k–£200k ↑ +£10k
Product Director £140k–£160k ↑ +£10k
Head of Product £100k–£140k ↓ –£20k
Design
Salary range

CDO £105k–£150k
Head of UX / Design £95k–£130k
Lead / Principal Design £80k–£90k
Tech / Engineering
Salary range

CTO £150k–£250k ↑ +£30k
Principal / Staff Eng £160k–£220k ↑ +£100k
Lead Engineer £140k–£160k ↑ +£30k
Head of Dev / Eng £100k–£150k
*C Level usually includes annual bonus and equity/shares. Average C Level bonus: 30% — consistent for two years.
*Change indicators show movement vs the 2025 report. ↑ increase, ↓ decrease, — unchanged.
creationrecruitment
2026 Product Team Salary Report

Permanent salaries: Product


Product Manager
Salary range

Senior £70k–£110k ↑ +£20k
Mid-Weight £50k–£65k
UX Designer
Salary range

Senior £70k–£100k ↑ +£15k
Mid-Weight £45k–£65k ↑ +£10k
Product Designer
Salary range

Lead / Principal £85k–£110k ↑ +£20k
Senior £70k–£90k
Mid-Weight £45k–£60k
*Change indicators show movement vs the 2025 report. ↑ increase, ↓ decrease, — unchanged.
creationrecruitment
2026 Product Team Salary Report

Permanent salaries: Tech / Engineering


Full Stack Developer
Salary range

Senior £70k–£110k
Mid-Weight £43k–£65k
Front End Developer
Salary range

Senior £59k–£100k ↑ +£10k
Mid-Weight £52k–£65k ↑ +£5k
Back End Developer
Salary range

Senior £75k–£105k ↓ –£10k
Mid-Weight £40k–£65k
*Tech Stack: Considerable salary variation depending on stack required. React / Node.js developers command a premium at £70k–£95k.
*Change indicators show movement vs the 2025 report. ↑ increase, ↓ decrease, — unchanged.
creationrecruitment
2026 Product Team Salary Report

Contract day rates: Exec / Senior


Product Management
Day rate range

CPO £950–£1,200 ↑ +£100
Head of Product £750–£900
Design
Day rate range

CDO £800–£1,100 ↑ +£150
Head of UX £750–£900
Tech / Engineering
Day rate range

CTO £950–£1,400 ↑ +£150
Head of Dev / Eng £800–£1,000
*Actual cost: Rates shown are what the contractor earns. Our margin is 15%. Many of our candidates work on a fractional basis — ask us.
creationrecruitment
2026 Product Team Salary Report

Contract day rates: Product


Product Manager
Day rate range

Lead £600–£750 ↑ +£50
Senior IC £500–£650
UX Designer
Day rate range

Lead £500–£650
Senior IC £450–£600
Product Designer
Day rate range

Lead £500–£650
Senior IC £400–£550
*Actual cost: Rates shown are what the contractor earns. Our margin is 15%.
creationrecruitment
2026 Product Team Salary Report

Contract day rates: Tech / Engineering


Full Stack Developer
Day rate range

Lead £600–£750 ↑ +£50
Senior £450–£550
Front End Developer
Day rate range

Lead £500–£600 ↓ –£50
Senior £400–£450
Back End Developer
Day rate range

Lead £600–£700 ↓ –£50
Senior £500–£600
*Actual cost: Rates shown are what the contractor earns. Our margin is 15%.
*Tech Stack: Considerable variation dependent on stack. Covers Software Engineers, DevOps and Mobile Developers.
creationrecruitment
2026 Product Team Salary Report

Summary


Senior Roles
Recovery is well underway at senior level. C Level bonuses have held at 30% for two years. Demand for fractional senior consultants continues to grow as businesses seek experienced leadership without the full-time commitment.
Product Roles
Product management beginning to recover, driven strongly by AI integration. AI Product Managers now command a 25 to 35% salary premium over generalist PMs. PLG strategies and Product Ops standardisation are also pulling the market upward.
Tech Roles
A mixed picture. Large-scale layoffs have kept supply high at mid-level, but investment in technology businesses is gaining traction again. Competition for strong, AI-skilled and senior engineers has intensified, with those working across React, Node.js and ML pipelines commanding a clear premium.
Looking Ahead
The market is recovering, though anxiety around global affairs and the pace of AI change is having some effect. The businesses navigating this best are those investing in their people and their capabilities rather than waiting for a clarity that may not come. The last two years made businesses cautious — there is now a tangible feeling of “let’s get on with it”, particularly at senior level where the best people are moving quickly again. The NatWest UK Regional Growth Tracker (February 2026) shows business activity rising across the majority of UK regions, the highest number since August 2025.
The last 12 months have been difficult for the digital product job market.
Economic pressures and hiring slowdowns have created real challenges.
The signs of recovery are there, but it has been tough. What has become more apparent than ever is the power and importance of community.
creationrecruitment
2026 Product Team Salary Report
If you're interested in these figures,
we should probably talk.

We believe every relationship should benefit both parties and that treating people the way we'd want to be treated isn't idealism. It's the most commercially sound thing we can do.


01
creation
recruitment
Permanent · Contract
Executive Search
Permanent and contract hiring for Product, Design, Data and Engineering
Executive Search for CPO, CTO and board-level digital leaders
A network built on 18 years of recommendation from people who trust us with their careers and their teams
02
creation
build
Fixed price · Clear outputs

Two fixed-price engagements. No retainers, no open-ended projects. You know exactly what you are getting before we start.

Ideation Workshop
A prioritised backlog of your highest-value product opportunities. We work with your team to surface, pressure-test and rank what to build first and why, before committing a penny to development.
You get
A clear answer on what to build, and the evidence to get your stakeholders aligned around it.
Proof Sprint
A working product you can put in front of real users. Built, tested and validated in weeks. Every sprint ends with evidence, not assumptions.
You get
A validated, user-tested working product, not a deck of slides. Fixed cost, no surprises.
03
creation
consult
The Outcome Hiring System™

The Outcome Hiring System™ is a practical hiring system co-authored by Richard Buck, Director of Creation Recruitment, and Paul Bradley-Law, drawing on 30 years of real hiring experience. It helps founders and people leaders hire more effectively, consistently.

Better hiring decisions
Hire against the outcomes the business actually needs, not vague briefs, assumptions or gut feel.
More consistency and less bias
Give hiring managers a clear, repeatable structure that improves judgment and reduces noise.
Faster, more effective hiring
Make better decisions more quickly, with a process that is fairer, clearer and more commercially useful.
Richard Buck
Richard Buck
Director
Jessie Rushton
Jessie Rushton
Director
We recruit.  We build products.