Engineering Manager Salary in Tech Companies: Worldwide Market Analysis

Nadiia Kovalchuk Team Lead of IT Researchers

Software development teams are the main asset of any IT company, as they are the driving force towards business success. However, even the most genius programmers need a guiding star to achieve their desired goals — an engineering manager (EM). These professionals usually take on responsibility for the development process, effective team leadership, and business growth opportunities. 

If you are an IT executive looking for a competent EM, continue reading this article and learn more about the expertise of these specialists, factors that determine their salary, and destinations with the most affordable rates. 

Engineering Manager Salary Market Trends

The Engineering Manager is an engine of software development. Even though these professionals are rarely involved in the actual coding, they are accountable for the technical design, architecture, and operation of the product, ensuring high quality and regular maintenance of its systems and programs. Good results come from meticulous planning, efficient research & development team coordination, and clear project execution. Check out the complete list of an EM’s daily responsibilities below.

EM Responsibilities

Considering the current number of IT companies in the tech industry of the United States, which is around 600,000, the demand for engineering managers will only increase. According to the popular job search websites, there are at present about  200,000 open vacancies for these specialists in the US, with LinkedIn having 140,000, Indeed – 30,000, and Glassdoor – 20,000 as of November 2022.

Primary Factors that Influence the Salary of an Engineering Manager

Desired Skills & Knowledge

There is no universal set of skills for an EM, since each IT company comes up with their own job requirements. Yet from my professional experience, I can tell that the Engineering Manager skill stack can be divided into 3 groups: technical, team leading, and project management.

 Successful Product

Education 

The Engineering Manager salary is largely affected by the level of higher education. The difference between the rewards of professionals with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees can reach 13%, while the Ph.D. ensures an even higher rise in the average income of an Engineering Manager. 

Experience Level

Naturally, the salary varies depending on the level of experience, and engineering managers are not an exception. When choosing the leadership path, these professionals can further get to Senior Engineering Manager and then become Director of Engineering once they gain enough experience.

Company Size 

The price tag for the Engineering Manager can also vary, depending on the local market. In the USA, tech remunerations are hugely affected by the Big Five that tend to offer real success salaries. For instance, Google is ready to pay their engineering managers $230K, Apple — $200K, and Microsoft —$195K per year. But how much does an Engineering Manager make on average in other countries?

Engineering Manager Salary: Key Takeaways

My team and I have collected some data on Engineering Manager salary (by area) to help you identify low-cost destinations for hiring such specialists. All currencies were converted to US dollars at a relevant exchange rate for November 2022.

Gross annual income, USD North America South America
Engineering Manager $137,000 $45,000
Senior Engineering Manager $158,000 $55,000
Director of Engineering $174,000 $66,000
Gross annual income, USD Western & Nordic Europe Eastern Europe
Engineering Manager $90,000 $60,000
Senior Engineering Manager $107,000 $80,000
Director of Engineering $120,000 $90,000
Gross annual income, USD Eastern &
Southern Asia
Middle East Africa
Engineering Manager $71,000 $65,000 $52,000
Senior Engineering Manager $87,000 $110,000 $70,000
Director of Engineering $102,000 $128,000 $83,000

Average Engineering Manager Salary in North America

USA

Gross annual income, USD United States
California Texas Florida New York
Engineering Manager $165,000  $150,000 $146,000  $168,000
Senior Engineering Manager $180,000 $167,000  $165,000 $175,000
Director of Engineering  $210,000  $185,000  $180,000 $205,000

Canada

The average income of an Engineering Manager in Canada is slightly lower than in the USA: $115K-$157K.

Mexico

Although not included in our general calculations, Mexican engineering managers receive 2,5 times lower annual compensations than their Canadian colleagues — $45K-$64K. 

Average Salary of the Engineering Manager in South America

Gross annual income, USD North America South America
USA Canada Brazil Argentina
Engineering Manager $158,000 $115,000 $50,000 $40,000
Senior Engineering Manager $172,000 $143,000 $63,000 $47,000
Director of Engineering $190,000 $157,000 $72,000 $60,000

Brazil

The IT industry in Brazil is not too far ahead of the Mexican one, offering the average Engineering Manager salary of $50K-$72K for an EM.

Argentina

The median Senior Engineering Manager salary in Argentina constitutes $47,000.

Engineering Manager Income in Western & Nordic Europe

Gross annual income, USD United Kingdom
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland
Engineering Manager $85,000 $83,000  $75,000 $72,000
Senior Engineering Manager $98,000 $95,000 $88,000 $90,000
Director of Engineering $132,000 $130,000 $123,000 $120,000

Germany

German engineering managers are some of the most well-paid in the region, earning on average $97K-$133K per annum.

France

The annual Engineering Manager income in France spans from $85K to $110K.

Italy

In Italy, the Engineering Manager salary ranges from $74K to $103K.

Spain

The median reward of the Senior Engineering Manager in Spain is rather modest: $90,000.

Gross annual income, USD Germany France Italy Spain
Engineering Manager $97,000 $85,000 $74,000 $77,000
Senior Engineering Manager $120,000 $97,000 $88,000 $90,000
Director of Engineering $133,000 $110,000 $103,000 $100,000

Norway

Norway is recorded as a location with the most generous average salary for an Engineering Manager: $103K-$140K.

Netherlands

The price tag for the Director of Engineering in the Netherlands constitutes around $130,000.

Sweden

Senior engineering managers in Sweden are paid about $112,000 annually. 

Austria

Austria is not lagging too far behind the Netherlands, offering $93K-$120K for the Engineering Manager.

Belgium

The Engineering Manager annual salary in Belgium is not principally different from the one in Austria: $88K-$117K.

Gross annual income, USD Norway Netherlands Sweden Austria Belgium
Engineering Manager $103,000 $98,000 $92,000 $93,000 $88,000
Senior Engineering Manager $125,000 $117,000 $112,000 $115,000 $107,000
Director of Engineering $140,000 $130,000 $125,000 $120,000 $117,000

Salary of an Engineering Manager in Eastern Europe

Gross annual income, USD Ukraine Poland Romania Hungary Czech Republic
Engineering Manager $60,000 $65,000 $62,000 $55,000 $57,000
Senior Engineering Manager $80,000 $86,000 $83,000 $77,000 $76,000
Director of Engineering $88,000 $95,000 $90,000 $85,000 $88,000

Ukraine

The average salary for an Engineering Manager in Ukraine ranges from $60K to $88K.

Poland

Polish engineering managers receive some of the highest annual compensations in the region: $65K-$95K.

Romania

The annual salary of the Engineering Manager in Romania spans from $62K to $90K.

Hungary

Hungary offers quite modest remunerations for an EM in Eastern Europe: $55K-$85K.

Czech Republic

The Director of Engineering in Czechia earns on average $88,000.

Engineering Manager Salary in Eastern & South Asia

Gross annual income, USD China Japan South Korea Singapore India
Engineering Manager $70,000 $88,000 $65,000 $100,000 $30,000
Senior Engineering Manager $86,000 $105,000 $80,000 $122,000 $43,000
Director of Engineering $108,000 $114,000 $97,000 $140,000 $50,000

China

Senior engineering managers in China earn on average $86,000 annually.

Japan

Japanese EMs receive the second highest compensation in the region: $88K-$114K.

South Korea

The Engineering Manager income in South Korea is like in China: $65K-$97K.

Singapore

Engineering managers in Singapore are paid the highest annual remuneration among Asian countries: $100K-$140K.

India

Unlike its neighbors, India offers the lowest salary for the Director of Engineering — $50,000.

Engineering Manager Income in Israel

Gross annual income, USD Israel
Jerusalem Tel Aviv Haifa Karmiel
Engineering Manager $90,000 $102,000  $78,000 $80,000
Senior Engineering Manager $118,000 $125,000 $97,000  $100,000
Director of Engineering $132,000  $140,000 $120,000 $125,000

Engineering Manager Salary in Australia

Gross annual income, USD Australia
Sydney Melbourne Perth Adelaide
Engineering Manager $123,000 $120,000  $115,000  $112,000
Senior Engineering Manager $147,000 $142,000 $132,000  $130,000
Director of Engineering $168,000 $157,000 $150,000  $145,000

Alcor Knows How to Find the Best Engineering Manager for Your Tech Team!

Headhunting a seasoned engineering manager with proper competences and cultural similarities can be quite challenging, especially if doing it in the offshoring destination. That’s why, in order to hire software developers in Eastern Europe, one US-based product company, assigned this arduous task to Alcor. 

Firstly, our IT recruiters created an ideal candidate profile and attractive employer value proposition. Secondly, our researchers conducted applicant sourcing and CV screening. After that, our recruitment team carried out job interviews to provide our client only with the most appropriate candidates. As a result, an offer was made to the best-matched candidate who has already started to make an invaluable contribution to the client’s application elaboration in their software research and development center in Eastern Europe.

Would you also like to get full-cycle IT recruitment just like our clients Sift, People.ai, Dotmatics, and Ledger? Then choose Alcor BPO as your trusted partner! We have over 10 years of experience in IT recruitment services, a team of 40 tech headhunters, and a solid pool of 600,000 Polish and Romanian programmers. You will be delighted with our fast and effective IT hiring, as it takes us only 3-6 weeks to close 1 position, while 98,6% of our candidates successfully pass the probation period.

FAQ

Which factors influence the average Engineering Manager income?

Among the factors influencing the Engineering Manager income are experience level, education, demand, and location. Read this article to learn more about these and other aspects that shape the EM’s annual salary.

Which countries offer the highest Engineering Manager salary?

Engineering managers in the USA, Australia, Canada, Israel, Norway, and Singapore receive the highest annual remunerations.

Where are the most affordable Engineering Manager compensations?

The lowest salary for engineering managers can be found in Hungary, Czechia, Mexico, Argentina, and India, where it varies from $30K to $88K.

How can an IT company hire a proficient Engineering Manager?

The best way to headhunt a highly qualified Engineering Manager in your offshore development team is by partnering with an experienced IT recruitment company. Your ideal partner should have a solid team of IT recruiters, a large pool of candidates, outlined guarantees, and more.

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