This guide sets out indicative 2026 UK salary ranges for FMCG commercial, product and engineering roles. Every figure comes from a published source (Indeed UK salary data and the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings) and is linked so you can check it. Where we could not find a reliable published figure for a role, we have left it out rather than guess.
The baseline: what a UK full-time employee earns
For context, the ONS reports that median gross annual earnings for full-time UK employees were £39,039 in April 2025, up 4.3% from £37,439 a year earlier. Almost every professional FMCG role in the table below sits above that median, and the engineering and leadership roles sit well above it.
Indicative UK salaries by role, 2026
| Role | Average base (UK) | Typical range | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key account manager | £46,018 | £29,506 to £71,772 | Indeed UK, 14 Sep 2026 |
| Category manager | £53,339 | Junior £33,618 average; senior £64,065 average | Indeed UK, 19 Jul 2026 |
| Brand manager | £42,422 | £29,799 to £60,394 | Indeed UK, 5 Oct 2026 |
| Commercial director | £86,691 | £55,944 to £134,336 | Indeed UK, 3 Oct 2026 |
| Food technologist | £32,478 | Not published | Indeed UK, 17 Jul 2026 |
| Process engineer | £42,188 | £27,847 to £63,913 | Indeed UK, 28 Sep 2026 |
| Maintenance engineer | £43,524 | £33,680 to £56,246 | Indeed UK, 5 Oct 2026 |
| Controls engineer | £48,349 | £34,757 to £67,254 | Indeed UK, 12 Oct 2026 |
| Maintenance manager | £42,680 | £27,424 to £66,422 | Indeed UK, 3 Aug 2026 |
| Engineering manager | £65,522 | £40,714 to £105,445 | Indeed UK, 4 Oct 2026 (includes software engineering managers) |
Two cautions before you use these numbers. First, they are cross-sector averages: a key account manager selling software is in the same pool as one selling biscuits. Second, they are base salary only. In FMCG, the package around the base often decides whether an offer is accepted, so read the sections below before you compare.
Commercial roles: the package matters as much as the base
For key account and national account managers, the customer you manage shapes the offer more than the job title. A KAM running a grocery multiple or a discounter carries more volume and more complexity than one running a wholesale or convenience account, and is paid accordingly. The range in the table, from under £30,000 to over £70,000, is mostly explained by that: account executive and junior KAM roles at the bottom, senior and national account roles at the top.
Category managers average more than KAMs in the Indeed data, which fits what we see: category and shopper roles ask for analytical depth as well as customer skills, and the pool of people who have both is small. The same is true of revenue growth management, where demand has grown faster than supply. We have not found a reliable published UK average for RGM roles, so it is not in the table.
At the top, commercial directors average £86,691 base on Indeed, with a range that runs past £130,000. At this level the bonus, long-term incentive and car or car allowance can add a large share again on top of base, so compare whole packages, not headline salaries.
Product roles: steady for brand, more movement in technical
Brand managers average £42,422 base on Indeed. In FMCG, the step from brand manager to senior brand manager is where pay moves most, and it tends to follow evidence of growth on a named brand rather than time served.
On the technical side, food technologists average £32,478 on Indeed. We could not find reliable published UK figures specific to NPD technologists or packaging technologists for 2026 (the Indeed pages for those titles map to broader job families), so we have not printed them. Demand for both is shaped by regulation: HFSS rules have kept reformulation busy, and extended producer responsibility for packaging has made packaging technologists and NPD and innovation specialists more valuable to brands.
Engineering roles: the hardest hires, and it shows in pay
Engineering is where supply is tightest. The IET's 2025 skills survey found that 76% of engineering employers struggle to recruit for key roles, and 30% said they lack automation skills. That is visible in the table: controls engineers average £48,349 base, ahead of maintenance and process engineers, before any shift premium.
For maintenance engineers, the base is only part of the story. A multi-skilled engineer on a 4-on-4-off or continental shift pattern will usually earn a shift allowance, overtime and call-out pay on top, which can move total earnings well above the base figure. When comparing two offers, ask for the expected annual total including shift premium, not only the hourly or base rate.
What sits on top of base pay in FMCG
- Annual bonus: common in commercial and leadership roles, usually tied to company, team and personal targets
- Car or car allowance: still standard for field and account roles that visit customers
- Shift premium: a fixed percentage or allowance for engineers on rotating, nights or continental patterns
- Overtime and call-out: paid separately for most site engineering roles below manager level
- Pension contribution: employer contributions vary widely above the statutory minimum
- Hybrid working: valued highly in commercial and marketing roles; rare for site-based engineering
How to use this guide in a pay conversation:
- Find the closest role. Match on responsibility, not title. A senior KAM on a top-four grocer may look more like a NAM.
- Adjust for the package. Add bonus, car allowance, shift premium and overtime to get an annual total.
- Adjust for location. London and the South East typically pay more than the regions; site roles follow the local market.
- Check the date. Pay data ages quickly. Use the most recent figures and note when they were updated.
- Ask a specialist. A recruiter working your discipline can tell you what offers are actually landing this quarter.
How we built this guide
We used Indeed UK's role salary pages, which average salaries listed in UK job postings over the previous 36 months, and the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings for the national baseline. We chose sources that are public, dated and linkable so you can check every number. We did not adjust any figure. We will refresh this guide quarterly and replace cross-sector figures with FMCG-specific ones as reliable data is published. For US figures, see our US CPG salary guide and the salary guides hub.
UK FMCG salary questions
Indeed UK puts the average key account manager base salary at £46,018, with a typical range of £29,506 to £71,772 (updated 14 September 2026). Grocery multiple and discounter accounts sit towards the top; car allowance and bonus are usually extra.
There is no single official FMCG average. As a baseline, the ONS reports median full-time earnings of £39,039 in April 2025. Most professional FMCG roles in this guide sit above that figure.
Most commercial and leadership roles include an annual bonus, and field or account roles usually come with a car or car allowance. Site engineering roles more often add shift premium and overtime instead.
Supply is tight. The IET's 2025 survey found 76% of engineering employers struggle to recruit for key roles and 30% lack automation skills. PLC and SCADA experience in food or drink manufacturing is especially scarce.
We could not find a reliable published UK figure for these titles in 2026, so we have not printed one. Register with us and a consultant can share what offers in your discipline look like now.