Lechley Pay Guide 2026/27
Senior pay in UK construction, and why the guides are behind
Director-level salary ranges, package norms and pay movement from every credible public source, in one free guide.
Read by around 7,000 people across UK construction every Monday.
Why it matters
3%
Average pay rise for staying put
c.24%
Typical uplift for moving employer
0
Public benchmarks for Operations Director, regional MD or Pre-construction Director
Sources: Hays 2026; Macdonald & Co / RICS 2026 (global figure); Lechley research, Oct 2026.
What's inside
- Base salary by role and region for Commercial, Operations, Project, HSQE and Design Directors.
- The rest of the package: bonus, car, pension, interim day rates and the bonus trap.
- Where pay goes next: what hospitals, water, nuclear and data centres will do to senior pay in 2027.
A 20% bonus that has paid out once in five years is a 4% bonus.
From the guide: The rest of the package
Who it's for
If you're hiring
Budget a Director hire from the market, not from last year's guide, and know what a buy-out and notice period will cost you.
If you're weighing a move
Know your full number, including bonus actually paid and unvested incentives, before someone else sets it.
From a Commercial Director who recruits
I'm Scott Lechley. I trained as a Quantity Surveyor, started out at Sir Robert McAlpine, and now run Lechley Associates, a retained executive search firm for senior commercial and operational leaders across UK construction and infrastructure.
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