Offshore Wind Project Manager Salary and Day Rates UK 2026
The aggregator average for "offshore wind" sits at £36,363 because it mixes technicians with senior delivery leads. Anyone briefing against that number for a 2026 mobilisation is briefing 50% under market. This page sets out the actual permanent bands, day rates, skills premiums and IR35 splits hiring managers need before they sign an offer.
Key Takeaways
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Senior offshore wind project managers earn £70,000-£95,000 permanent base in 2026, with package managers at major EPCs advertised up to £99,100 plus car and bonus (Boskalis Aberdeen, Glassdoor June 2026).
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Outside-IR35 contract rates run £600-£900/day for senior PMs, with HVDC and floating-wind specialists £900-£1,100/day.
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61% of clean-energy firms have raised salaries every year since 2023 and 73% of renewables professionals expect another rise within 12 months (Astute Renewable Energy Salary Guide 2025).
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Specialist-band salary increases for offshore wind PM, HVDC and BESS leads track 8-13% in 2026, against a 3.24% CIPD/IRN energy benchmark.
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Inside-IR35 senior contract rates on developer programmes anchor at £550-£800/day via umbrella with BPSS clearance (SPR EA2, Jobsite Feb 2026; Glasgow PSM £700/day, Talent.com 2026).
Why Most Published Salaries Are Wrong for Offshore Wind PM
Aggregator data dilutes PM pay with technician pay across the entire offshore wind workforce. Glassdoor's UK "Offshore Wind" average sits at £36,363 (March 2026); Jooble's at £52,574. Neither figure reflects a senior project manager owning an EPC package on AR7-pipeline work.
The triangulated PM-specific picture, anchored on named 2026 postings and the Astute People 2025 Renewable Energy Salary Guide, puts senior offshore wind PMs at £70,000-£95,000 permanent and £600-£900/day outside IR35. The Astute guide reported a 13.2% average pay rise across UK renewables in 2025 against a wider CIPD/IRN Energy benchmark forecast of 3.24% for 2026. The gap between the two figures is the specialist premium: offshore wind PM, HVDC and BESS leads sit at the top of the renewables band, not the middle.
If you're benchmarking against Indeed's £56,340 average for "renewable energy project manager" (171 salaries, October 2025), you're costing in the mid-PM tier, not the senior package-manager tier the market actually needs. The numbers below split that out.
What's driving offshore wind PM pay up in 2026?
AR7 awarded 8.4GW of offshore wind capacity in January 2026 at strike prices of £91.20/MWh in England and Wales and £89.49/MWh in Scotland (Slaughter and May, 2026). The mobilisation wave hits the same finite delivery pool already chased by oil-and-gas. The result is a candidate-driven market where 61% of clean-energy firms have raised salaries every year since 2023, and senior PM contract pull intensifies because permanent base growth lags day-rate growth.
Table 1: Regional Breakdown (Permanent Base, GBP)
|
Region |
Entry (0-2 yrs) |
Mid (3-5 yrs) |
Senior (6-10 yrs) |
Lead/Director (10+ yrs) |
|
London / South East |
£40,000-£50,000 |
£55,000-£72,000 |
£75,000-£99,100 |
£105,000-£140,000 |
|
East of England (East Anglia) |
£38,000-£48,000 |
£52,000-£68,000 |
£70,000-£95,000 |
£98,000-£130,000 |
|
Yorkshire & Humber |
£36,000-£46,000 |
£50,000-£66,100 |
£68,000-£92,000 |
£95,000-£125,000 |
|
Scotland (Aberdeen / Glasgow) |
£38,000-£48,000 |
£52,000-£68,000 |
£72,000-£99,100 |
£100,000-£135,000 |
|
North / North East |
£36,000-£46,000 |
£50,000-£65,000 |
£68,000-£90,000 |
£92,000-£122,000 |
Source: Composite anchored on Astute People Renewable Energy Salary Guide 2025-26 (offshore wind PM £50k-£75k, seniors £70k+), Bristow Holland Project & Programme Management UK Salary Expectations 2026 (April 2026), Glassdoor UK Offshore Wind Contract Manager Boskalis Aberdeen advertised £66,100-£99,100 + car + bonus (June 2026), Jooble renewable energy PM UK £75,459 average (2026), Indeed renewable energy PM £56,340 average across 171 salaries (October 2025), plprojects.co.uk energy project manager 2026 guide (senior £85k-£115k, major-scheme £100k-£140k).
Table 2: Experience Progression
|
Years |
Typical Title |
Salary Range |
YoY Growth % |
|
0-2 |
Assistant / Graduate Project Engineer |
£30,000-£48,000 |
+3-5% |
|
3-5 |
Project Manager (package support) |
£50,000-£68,000 |
+5-8% |
|
6-10 |
Senior Project Manager / Package Manager |
£70,000-£95,000 |
+7-13% |
|
10-15 |
Lead Package Manager / Project Director |
£95,000-£135,000 |
+8-13% |
|
15+ |
Programme / Project Delivery Director |
£130,000-£175,000+ |
+5-8% |
Source: Adzuna UK Project Management Job Market Report (January 2026) recorded mean PM salary at £61,448 with 7.2% YoY growth, with September 2025 at £59,379 and 8.2% YoY growth. The Astute Renewable Energy Salary Guide 2025 reported UK renewables professionals averaged a 13.2% pay rise in 2025; 61% of clean-energy firms have raised salaries every year since 2023; 73% expect another rise within 12 months. Senior offshore PM tracks the upper specialist band.
Table 3: Skills Premium (Against Senior Baseline £80,000)
|
Skill / Certification |
Base |
With Skill |
% Uplift |
|
HVDC package / converter station experience |
£80,000 |
£95,000-£104,000 |
+18-30% |
|
Offshore substation (OSS/OTM) package ownership |
£80,000 |
£92,000-£100,000 |
+15-25% |
|
Floating wind delivery (ScotWind / INTOG) |
£80,000 |
£92,000-£100,000 |
+15-25% |
|
NEC4 commercial close-out authority (personal delegation) |
£80,000 |
£92,000-£96,000 |
+15-20% |
|
APM Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) |
£80,000 |
£88,000-£92,000 |
+10-15% |
|
GWO BST + offshore medical (site/vessel-facing) |
£80,000 |
£85,000-£88,000 |
+6-10% |
|
Primavera P6 + EVM project controls |
£80,000 |
£84,000-£88,000 |
+5-10% |
Source: HVDC and floating premia mapped from LSP transmission cluster baseline (HVDC contractors £750-£1,000/day vs £650-£850 standard, May 2026) and Crewbase 2026 offshore wind careers analysis (heavy-lift / HVDC specialist day-rate premiums, February 2026). NEC4 and ChPP premia from APM 2026 chartered status reward data and Indeed Senior PM HVDC postings (GE Vernova advertised Senior Project Manager HVDC Stafford with $100M+ project requirement, 2026).
Table 4: Benefits Package Comparison
|
Seniority |
Base |
Pension (%) |
Bonus (%) |
Additional Benefits |
|
Junior PM |
£30,000-£48,000 |
5% matched |
0-5% |
25 days + bank holidays, EV / cycle salary-sacrifice |
|
Mid PM |
£50,000-£68,000 |
6-8% matched |
5-10% |
25-28 days + bank holidays, private medical after 2 years' service, hybrid 2-3 days office |
|
Senior PM / Package Manager |
£70,000-£95,000 |
8-10% matched |
10-15% |
28-30 days + bank holidays, private medical from day one, car or car allowance, hybrid |
|
Director |
£95,000-£140,000 |
10-12% matched + LTIP |
15-25% performance + LTIP |
30+ days + bank holidays, car allowance £8k-£12k, LTIP / share scheme, family private medical |
Source: Benefit fragments from Indeed, SimplyHired and Glassdoor 2026 postings (GEV Wind Power 10% bonus 2026; Boskalis Aberdeen £66.1k-£99.1k + car + bonus June 2026; Global Wind Service private medical after 2 years' service 2026; Iberdrola Lowestoft "generous annual leave, flexible working" 2026). Pension and LTIP bands cross-referenced with Astute Renewable Energy Salary Guide 2025 and Robert Half UK 2026 Salary Guide.
Table 5: Employer Type Comparison (Senior PM)
|
Employer Type |
Salary Range |
Key Driver |
Market Demand |
|
Developer / utility (SSE, ScottishPower, RWE, Ørsted) |
£75,000-£135,000 |
AR7 capital project ownership, 8.4GW pipeline mobilising |
Very high |
|
OEM (Siemens Gamesa, Vestas, GE Vernova) |
£70,000-£115,000 |
turbine supply, installation and warranty programmes |
High |
|
EPC / installation contractor (Cadeler, Boskalis, Jan De Nul, Kent, McDermott) |
£66,100-£120,000 |
marine campaign delivery, day-rate margin |
Very high |
|
Cable / foundation manufacturer (JDR Cable Systems, SeAH Wind, Siemens Energy) |
£65,000-£105,000 |
manufacturing and installation programmes |
High |
|
Consultancy / owner's engineer (Royal HaskoningDHV, Ramboll, AECOM, WSP) |
£60,000-£95,000 |
consents, owner's engineer, PMO |
High |
|
OFTO / asset owner (RES, Diamond Transmission, TRIG, Equitix) |
£65,000-£100,000 |
operational transmission asset management |
Moderate-High |
Source: Glassdoor Boskalis Offshore Wind Contract Manager Aberdeen £66,100-£99,100 + car + bonus (June 2026); Indeed 2026 PM postings across each employer type; Astute UK Energy Sector 2026 outlook reporting clean-energy firms have closed the historic 15% O&G-renewables pay gap, and 61% have raised salaries every year since 2023.
Table 6: Contract vs Permanent (Senior PM Equivalent)
|
Type |
Day / Annual Rate |
Benefits |
Tax |
Total Cost to Employer |
|
Permanent (Senior PM) |
£70,000-£95,000 |
pension 8-10%, bonus 10-15%, private medical, car allowance £6k-£10k |
PAYE |
base + 22-28% on-costs (~£89,000-£122,000 fully loaded) |
|
Contract Inside IR35 |
£550-£800/day = £121,000-£176,000 annualised |
none |
PAYE via umbrella; employment taxes apply |
day rate + umbrella margin (~2-4%) + employer NI |
|
Contract Outside IR35 |
£600-£900/day = £132,000-£198,000 annualised; HVDC / floating specialists £900-£1,100/day |
none |
limited company, contractor manages |
day rate only |
Source: Inside-IR35 rates anchored on Talent.com Glasgow Project Services Manager £700/day Inside IR35 via Umbrella + BPSS (2026), Jobsite SPR EA2 senior roles Inside IR35 (February 2026), and plprojects.co.uk energy PM 2026 guide (£550-£800/day standard, £700-£1,000/day for major-scheme specialists). Outside-IR35 ceiling cross-referenced with LSP transmission cluster (HVDC £750-£1,000/day, May 2026) and Crewbase 2026 offshore wind careers (heavy-lift WTIV crew premium structures). Day rate annualises at 220 billable days.
Market Temperature: What These Numbers Tell You
The senior end of the offshore wind PM market is firmly candidate-driven, the contract pull is intensifying, and 2026 forecast inflation breaks specialist roles off the wider renewables band. These three reads turn the tables above into hiring decisions.
Is the market candidate-driven or client-driven right now?
The senior offshore wind PM market is candidate-driven, and the binding constraint is counter-offer dominance, not advertised salary. UK offshore wind direct and indirect employment is scaling from circa 26,000 to roughly 69,000 by 2026 against a forecast 6-8% global wind workforce shortage by 2028 (Global Wind Workforce Outlook, 2026). Roughly 60% of senior engineering offers are countered in 2026 and around half of those counters win where the hire process hasn't pre-empted them, a 30% offer-to-decline rate driven by process (Auxo Recruitment, May 2026). The EPC contract risk model behind these roles changes the candidate profile you should be hiring against.
Is contract growing faster than permanent?
Contract is growing faster at senior and package level, driven by AR7 mobilisation, RWE-KKR Norfolk FID targeted summer 2026, and the project-by-project nature of marine campaigns. Inside IR35 remains the dominant senior contracting model on developer programmes: ScottishPower's East Anglia TWO senior contract roles advertised inside IR35 via umbrella with BPSS clearance (Jobsite, February 2026), and Glasgow Project Services Manager advertised at £700/day inside IR35 via umbrella with BPSS plus medical (Talent.com, 2026). The detail on the IR35 status determination model in renewable energy contracting shapes the day-rate ceiling. Permanent base growth lags contract rate growth, which is what's pulling Senior PMs and Package Managers toward contract.
What's the 2026 forecast for offshore wind PM pay?
Demand strengthens through 2026-2028 as the AR7 8.4GW pipeline moves to FID and construction (Slaughter and May, 2026), with senior delivery and HV / package roles the hardest to fill (Worldwide Recruitment Solutions, March 2026). Salary inflation outpaces the wider economy: 61% of clean-energy firms have raised salaries every year since 2023 and 73% of professionals expect another rise within 12 months (Astute Renewable Energy Salary Guide 2025). The 2026 CIPD/IRN Energy forecast is 3.24%, but specialist-band increases for offshore wind PM, HVDC and BESS leads run 8-13%. Floating wind adds a premium tier as ScotWind and INTOG mature: Berwick Bank 4.1GW won AR7 in January 2026 and BW Ideol's Damping Pool foundation is set for Buchan (Energy Voice, January 2026). Expect senior offshore PM base inflation of 5-8% across 2026, with HVDC, OSS and floating-wind specialists tracking 10-15%.
How We Benchmark Offshore Wind PM Salary
Our benchmarking sits on three inputs that aggregator averages miss: live mandate data, contract day-rate movement, and counter-offer realism. The output is a brief that closes inside market and a candidate who doesn't walk at notice.
Step 1: We anchor on live placement data. We work the offshore wind desk across developer, OEM, EPC and OFTO clients, so the brief lands on the rate the market actually paid this quarter, not last year's published survey.
Step 2: We split permanent and contract economics. We model fully-loaded permanent cost against inside-IR35 and outside-IR35 day rates with umbrella margin and employer NI, so finance sees the like-for-like total cost.
Step 3: We price the skills premium. HVDC, OSS, NEC4 close-out, ChPP and floating wind premia are priced against the senior baseline, so the brief carries the +18-30% uplift for HVDC rather than treating it as a generalist PM role.
Step 4: We forecast counter-offer exposure. We model the offer against the candidate's current package and the counter-offer playbook their employer is likely to run, so the offer wins before the counter lands.
FAQs
What's the average offshore wind project manager salary in the UK in 2026?
Senior offshore wind project managers earn £70,000-£95,000 permanent base, with package managers at major EPCs advertised up to £99,100 plus car and bonus (Boskalis Aberdeen, Glassdoor June 2026). Aggregator averages of £36,363 (Glassdoor Offshore Wind) and £52,574 (Jooble) mix technicians into the figure and understate senior PM pay by 50% or more.
What day rate should I budget for an offshore wind PM contract in 2026?
Outside-IR35 senior offshore wind PM rates run £600-£900/day, annualising at £132,000-£198,000 on 220 billable days. HVDC and floating-wind specialists run £900-£1,100/day. Inside-IR35 senior contracts on developer programmes anchor at £550-£800/day via umbrella with BPSS clearance, evidenced by SPR EA2 senior contract postings and the Glasgow PSM £700/day role.
How much does HVDC experience add to a senior offshore wind PM salary?
HVDC package and converter station experience adds 18-30% to the senior baseline, taking £80,000 permanent to £95,000-£104,000, and pushes outside-IR35 day rates from the £650-£850 standard band into £900-£1,100/day. Offshore substation (OSS/OTM) package ownership and floating-wind delivery carry comparable 15-25% premiums in the 2026 market.
Is contract pay rising faster than permanent for offshore wind PMs?
Yes. Contract is growing faster at senior and package level because AR7 mobilisation and marine campaign work favours project-by-project engagement. Permanent base growth lags day-rate growth, which is intensifying contract pull. Adzuna recorded permanent PM mean salary growth of 7.2% YoY to £61,448 in January 2026, while specialist offshore wind PM, HVDC and BESS contract rates track 8-13%.
Where in the UK pays the most for an offshore wind project manager?
London and the South East remain top of the band at £75,000-£99,100 senior and £105,000-£140,000 director, but Scotland matches or exceeds at senior level (£72,000-£99,100), driven by Aberdeen's floating-wind premium and the deep oil-and-gas transferee pool. Boskalis Aberdeen advertised £66,100-£99,100 plus car and bonus for an Offshore Wind Contract Manager in June 2026.
Benchmark your next offshore wind PM hire
We benchmark live every week from active placements. If you're sizing a 2026 offer or planning a contract mobilisation, a 20-minute call gives you the rate the market paid this quarter, split by permanent, inside-IR35 and outside-IR35.
