Manchester & North West Marketing Salary Guide 2026
Marketing, digital, PR and agency salary planning ranges for Manchester and the North West, with Fractional leadership rates and straight advice from David Walsh.
Read insightSpecialism
Digital, Performance & eCommerce
Digital and commercially focused specialists across performance, paid media, PPC, SEO, CRM, eCommerce, acquisition and retention.
From hands-on specialists through to Heads of Digital, Performance Directors and digital leadership.
Market at a glance
The people and work inside this market.
Typical briefs sit across these areas. These are examples, not a fixed career ladder or an exhaustive list.
Acquisition
- Performance marketing
- Paid media and PPC
- SEO
Customer and commerce
- CRM and retention
- eCommerce
- Customer acquisition
Digital leadership
- Head of Digital
- Performance Director
- Senior digital leadership
Where this fits
Commercially focused digital recruitment.
This is where the commercially focused digital roles sit: acquisition, performance, CRM, eCommerce, retention and the leadership around them.
The title matters less than what the person is expected to change, measure and improve.
Paid social and performance-led social briefs sit here.
Manchester-led. North West-rooted. UK-wide when the brief needs it.
Organic social, content and reputation-led briefs sit with PR, Communications & Content. This is marketing recruitment, not software engineering or IT recruitment.
Explore PR, Communications & ContentThe job title isn’t the brief
What are they actually responsible for moving?
Digital job titles can hide very different responsibilities. A brief needs to say what the person owns: acquisition, revenue, conversion, retention or the team delivering them.
- Which commercial result needs to improve?
- Are they doing the work, leading a team or managing agencies?
- What budget, channels and decisions will they own?
Which hiring route fits?
Know the market. Then choose the right search.
Permanent Recruitment
For permanent hires where you know broadly what you need.
Explore the serviceRetained Search
For senior, confidential or commercially important appointments that need a committed search.
Explore the serviceFractional Leadership
For senior capability where another full-time permanent hire isn’t necessarily the answer.
Explore the serviceMarket Intelligence & Advisory
For salary, market, talent or brief evidence before you recruit.
Explore the service
Useful reading
Market context for a better brief.
For candidates
Looking for your next move?
Have a look at the roles I'm working on, or send me your details privately.
Digital, Performance & eCommerce
Tell me what you're actually trying to hire.
Send me the brief, even if it's rough.
I'll give you a straight view on the role, salary, market, likely candidate pool and which hiring route makes sense.