Are you looking to move into a highly profitable IT career in the UK? Our tech recruitment experts reveal which IT and tech roles have the highest pay and share intel on the skills and experience needed to advance your career in the right direction.
Highest-paying IT jobs and tech roles in the UK
Chief Product OfficerA chief product officer has an average salary range of £70,000 - £203,000 here in the UK. The average salary for this role is £109,938, with the highest salaries going to professionals based in London, who can earn anything from £190,000 - £230,000 in 2025. Your journey to a CPO role can begin with a product management, marketing, business administration, or economics degree. You can work your way up from product developer to product marketing manager, and then onto director of product — aim for a managerial position that gives you plenty of experience managing complex products or product portfolios rather than a singular project.Like all C-suite roles in this list, a high-value CPO will have excellent leadership and strategic thinking skills. Because they work across various teams—namely marketing, engineering, and design—CPOs need excellent communication and project management skills. Creative thinking, problem-solving, and business acumen are also sought-after. Head of EngineeringDemand for Head of Engineering roles has skyrocketed across the UK, with London, Scotland, and the North of England showing the highest demand — the highest salaries for this position average £110,750, with a starting salary of £84,250.To reach a role as Head of Engineering, you'll need a background in software engineering. The role pathway starts with a degree in computer science and moves on to a junior developer role. After this, you can move up to a mid-level developer and then a senior-level developer team lead, where you'd ideally look after a small team.From here, you could move to a development manager role, where you'd oversee the whole development function for a particular business. Once you've reached this stage, the next step would be Head of Engineering.To command a top-end salary within the role, we recommend honing technical skills in software engineering, Azure, and AWS. A security-first mindset and experience with AI and machine learning governance frameworks are also beneficial."In many cases, you'd have to have been a strong software engineer to become a head of engineering. The CTO role is similar — the next job after Head of Engineering is typically CTO. Most CTOs will have a software engineering background and maybe have done some architecture," says Robert Half division manager James Willson.Director of TechnologyAs a Director of Technology, you could earn a maximum salary of £109,000 in a UK company, provided you have extensive skills and experience. You could start on an average of £82,500 as a newcomer to the role and move up to £95,000 as a mid-level professional.To become a Director of Technology, you'll need to start with a degree in information technology or computer science, and potentially even a masters' degree in an IT-related subject, too.Aiming for management positions that will give you the leadership skills you'll need to excel in the role is a good idea. Certifications and qualifications that enhance your business and strategy skills will also benefit your pathway to a DoT role.Because this position has evolved to straddle the worlds of business and IT management, employers are looking for talent with excellent leadership skills, experience with change management, and clear strategic vision. To reach the higher end of the pay bracket, hone skills in cybersecurity, business systems, and cloud computing.Chief Data OfficerA mid-level Chief Data Officer (CDO) makes an average salary of £125,879 and can start on anything from £64,000 as a newcomer to the role. Professionals with in-demand skills and excellent experience can hope to earn a maximum of £191,000, with higher salary options available in locations like London (£66,010 - £267,626).The route to a CDO career starts with a degree in computer science, but highly qualified candidates may also have a master's in statistics or business administration.You can enter the field via a data analyst or data scientist role and work up to head of data strategy, where you'll gain valuable experience shaping data strategy and working closely with the executive team. You can apply for the chief data officer position once you have ten or more years of experience in a data leadership role.The most in-demand CDOs have experience guiding teams and stakeholders through ethical AI and data governance frameworks and should be actively considering data ethics as part of their work. In the current hiring climate, employers are also interested in CDOs who can use data to support sustainability initiatives.Chief Information Security OfficerThe Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is one of the newer tech C-suite roles introduced to satisfy the growing need for an executive leadership role responsible for data and information security.As a CISO in the UK, your salary range is £95,500 - £150,750, with the highest salaries going to professionals in London (£116,500 - £184,000), the Southeast (£105,000 - £165,750) and Scotland (£104,000 - £164,250).CISOs typically start their careers by obtaining a degree in cybersecurity or a related IT subject. If you want a competitive edge, we recommend getting a master's in cybersecurity, too. CISOs typically spend anything up to a decade in security-based roles, like security analyst, security architect, or roles in programming, risk management, or information security.The most desirable CISO candidates will have extensive experience managing IS and IT security teams. It's also a good idea to invest in IT security and training credentials CISSP (Certified Information System Security Professional) or CAP (Certified Authorisation Professional). Good problem-solving skills and stakeholder management skills are also essential.Read more: Could you be earning more in a London tech job?Chief Technology Officer (CTO)The CTO role is the penultimate of our highest-paying technology careers, with entry-level professionals earning an average of £96,000. Talent with most of the necessary skills can earn an average of £124,750, and experienced professionals can earn anything up to £158,250.Like many of the tech C-suite roles, your career should ideally start with a degree in computer science and engineering (a master's or PhD aren't strictly necessary but are very helpful). From here, you can secure a role as a technical engineer before moving up to technical project manager or a head engineer before trying for a C-suite position.CTOs traverse rapid technological change while also keeping true to business alignment. Because of this, the most valuable professionals will have experience planning AI roadmaps that serve tangible business outcomes backed by governance frameworks. Proven experience with cloud optimisation, proactive cyber resilience strategies, and strategic skills across IT, business, and technology are also valuable.It's common for candidates to miss out on a CTO role due to favouring strategy over technical skills on their CV.Despite its high stature, the CTO role is highly technical, and candidates with a strong technical background and a broad breadth of technical knowledge are often the most successful. Competition is high for CTO positions, so value alignment with key stakeholders could help you cinch the role."You need to have strong experience with strong examples of building high-performing, technical teams with a great culture. So, you need to be able to tell stories of where you've been able to do that," says James.Chief Information Officer (CIO)The Chief Information Officer (CIO) sits at the top of the list of highest-paying technology jobs in the UK. As a CIO, your starting salary would be an average of £103,250, which could increase to £138,750 as you gain experience. The top-end salary for a CIO role is £173,250 but could be higher in locations with high demand, like London (£211,250).To secure a CIO role, we recommend starting with an undergraduate computer science degree to hone the necessary technical skills for the role, like coding, knowledge of consulting tools, and IT skills. Start in an information assistant role and work up to entry-level positions in information management, then aim for systems analyst or business analyst roles to help develop your business knowledge. From here, you can aim for management roles and study part time for a CILIP-accredited certification to improve your prospects as a C-suite applicant. In-demand professionals can integrate business strategy with technology initiatives to generate revenue and facilitate growth. Knowledge of agentic AI, advanced understanding of cybersecurity risks, and strong change management and leadership skills could also help you advance."Qualifications like MBAs and educational master's degrees in management are excellent for CIO roles. I always see CIOs having that MBA education background, and ones that do have that tend to go further than the ones that don't," says James.Read more: How to answer ‘Why are you applying for this position?’
How to secure the highest-paying IT careers
Employers look at skill sets and experience when hiring for valuable roles. If you’re aiming for any of the careers featured, use a trusted source of industry hiring information (such as the 2025 Salary Guide) to learn which skills are in demand for your chosen role.Employers are hiring professionals with technical skills/experience that cover data and analytics, automation, machine learning, cloud computing, software and applications development, and project management. Soft skills like leadership, problem-solving, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence are some of the most valuable.Read more: The UK’s most in-demand soft skills for 2025Undertaking independent learning and development, shadowing more experienced professionals, and pitching in with complex projects could help you fine-tune your CV.Once you’ve started the process, an expert tech recruiter could be the link you need to secure a higher-paying role. Upload your CV to the Robert Half site or—if you already have many of these skills—browse open roles and apply today.
About the author
With over a decade of experience at Robert Half, James Willson specialises in mid-to-senior level technology recruitment across London and the wider UK. Since joining the team in 2013, he has built a strong track record of helping organisations secure top tech talent, with a focus on delivering diverse and future-ready IT teams.
