Christchurch Technical, Software & IT salarY DATA June 2026
We’re happy to share some unique salary data for the technical, software and IT job market in Christchurch and Canterbury we’ve collated from recent appointments and expert market knowledge over the years.
We’ve split this into Permanent and Contract salaries and please remember this is a guide as pay can vary across different domains, specialities and industries. A salary in a global SaaS company can vary wildly from a local start-up or government job and other factors need to be weighed up on things like benefits, stability, location & flexibility so please take these with a ‘pinch of salt’ but we hope this is a helpful document for you. Larger salaries will also include both personal & company bonuses to form whole remuneration packages.
For contract rates (2nd half of document) these are pay rates to the contractor and does not include agency margin. These rates are generally for longer term engagements 3-6 months & longer rather than short-term assignments of a number of days or weeks which command a higher pay rate.
If you have any questions please email me directly on: paul@sunstonetalent.com and I’m happy to help advise on specific cases.
Permanent jobs salaries
Contents:
1- Software & web development
2- Machine Learning, BI, Data & AI
3- Project & Product, Management & Business Analysis
4- Digital / Web digital design agency or in-house
5- Marketing
6- Infrastructure & Networks
7- Hardware Engineering
8- IT Executive & Management
9- Customer Success, IT Sales & Account Management and Business Development
***A note on Graduates – salaries can vary between an undergrad degree, Masters and PhD. Grads will also get slightly more if they have internship experience – ie a fresh undergrad with no internship will get the minimum. PhDs with specific domain experience can be over the maximum ie to $80k+ for example.
Software & Web Development
Software Development
JavaScript and/or TypeScript (with React, Angular or Vue or other JS frameworks) and C#.Net, Java, Scala, Rust, Go, Ruby on Rails, Python or Node in the backend with databases in SQL, MySQL, PostGreSQL, Firebase, Supabase or NoSQL. Whatever languages & tools you choose working within agile to craft features & functionality across the tech stack to produce great software products
Graduate Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer $60k-$70k
Junior Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer $80k-$110k
Senior Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer $110k-$140k
Principal Full Stack Developer / Architect / Lead Software Engineer $140k-$230k
Front End Development
Working on modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular or Vue in JavaScript or TypeScript within agile to develop awesome user interfaces that delight users
Graduate Front End Software Developer $60k-$70k
Junior Front End Software Developer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Front End Software Developer $80k-$110k
Senior Front End Software Developer $110k-$140k
Principal / Lead Front End Software Developer / Architect $140k-$180k
Back End Software Development
Working on complex backend development in C#.Net, C++, Java, Python, PHP with SQL, MySQL, PostGreSQL Firebase, Supabase or NoSQL or other technologies making functionality work seamlessly with data & databases
Graduate Back End Software Developer $60k-$70k
Junior Back End Software Developer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Back End Software Developer $80k-$110k
Senior Back End Software Developer $110k-$140k
Principal Back End Software Developer / Architect $140k-$200k
Lead Back-end Developer $140k-$180k
Software Development Manager $140k-$180k
Software Development Director $160k-$220k
AI Engineer / Software Developer
We have mostly seen traditional skills in OO programming being sought after by clients with an AI lens / experience on top. This is to leverage off the current tech stack & increase features & functionality by utilising AI
Graduate AI Engineer / Developer $60k-$70k
Junior AI Engineer / Developer $70k-$80k
Intermediate AI Engineer / Developer $80k-$110k
Senior AI Engineer / Developer -$140k - $180k
Principal AI Engineer / Developer / Architect $180k-$230k
Lead AI Engineer / Developer $180k-$230k
AI Development Manager $180k-$250k
AI / Software Development Director $200k-$300k
Mobile Apps Development
Native iOS (Swift/ObjectiveC) or Android (Java) or maybe hybrid mobile tools (Xamarin / .Net MAUI, React Native, Flutter or similar) to create a sublime user experience for mobile users
Graduate Mobile Apps Developer - $60k-$65k
Junior Mobile Apps Developer - $65k-$80k
Intermediate Mobile Apps Developer $80k-$100k
Senior Mobile Apps Developer $100k-$140k
Mobile Apps Architect $130k-$180k
Software Technical Architecture
Applications or data you'll be designing new technical solutions to architect great products
Software / Technical Architect $130k-$160k
Senior Software / Technical Architect $140k-$180k
Lead Technical Architect $160k-$200k
Technical Architecture Manager $160k-$250k
VP of Technical Architecture $200k-$300k
Software Solutions Architecture
You'll have the helicopter view to create new solutions and how to design, resource & map these out
Software Solutions Architect $150k-$180k
Enterprise Architect $160k-$210k
Lead Solutions Architect $160k-$200k
Solutions Architecture Manager $160k-$250k
VP of Solutions Architecture $200k-$300k
QA / Software Testing
Manual, functional and regression testing to ensure high quality software products before they’re released
Graduate Software Tester / QA Engineer $55k-$65k
Junior Software Tester / QA Engineer $65k-$75k
Intermediate Software Tester / QA Engineer $75k-$100k
Senior Software Tester / QA Engineer $100k-$130k
Principal QA / Software Testing Architect $130k-$150k
QA / Software Test Manager - $140k-$160k
Automation Test Engineering
Create & maintain the automation suite of tests to get your software working super-fast & efficiently using frameworks like Cypress, TestCafe, FlaUI or Playwright
Graduate Automation Test Engineer $60k-$70k
Junior Automation Test Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Automation Test Engineer $80k-$100k
Senior Automation Test Engineer $100k-$140k
Principal Automation Test Engineer / Architect - $130k-$180k
Automation Test Manager - $140k-$160k
Database Administration
Maintain the complex art of the database from triggers to performance tuning you'll be that go to whether it's Oracle, MySQL, PostGreSQL or MSSQL
DBA / Database Analyst $80k-$110k
Senior DBA / Database Analyst $110k-$130k
DBA / Data Architect $130k-$150k
DBA / Database Manager $130k-$150k
Technical Software Leadership
Hands-on software team leader who codes/designs, project manages and mentors & guides the team on technical decisions
Technical Lead / Senior Developer $140k-$180k
Software Team (People) Leadership
Leads & manages the team, some hands-on tech but more focused on pastoral care of the people, project management and mentors & guides the team
Software Team Leader -$140k-$180k
Agile Coach $120k-$150k
Senior Agile Coach $140k-$160k
Scrum Master $120k-$150k
Change Manager $100k-$120k
Senior Change Manager $120k-$160k
Software Development Manager $140k-$180k
Software Development Director $180k-$220k
VP of Software Development $180k-$250k
Machine Learning, BI, Data & AI
Business Intelligence (BI) Datwarehousing
Design & develop datawarehouse solutions with SQL, including data modelling and ETL / ELT processes. Work with modern cloud solutions like Azure data lake presenting to users with PowerBI
Graduate BI / Data Warehouse Developer $60k-$70k
Junior BI / Data Warehouse Developer $70k-$80k
Intermediate BI / Data Warehouse Developer $80k-$100k
Senior BI / Data Warehouse Developer $100k-$140k
Principal BI / Data Warehouse Developer / Architect $130k-$160k
BI / Data Warehouse Manager $150k-$180k
Data Scientist / AI Engineer
Solving real world problems with data. You'll take data, create mathematical models & algorithms to design big data solutions to solve business problems. Applying either Machine Learning models or LLMs / AI to enhance efficiencies and training these models
Graduate Data Scientist / AI Engineer $60k-$70k
Junior Data Scientist / AI Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Data Scientist/ AI Engineer $80k-$100k
Senior Data Scientist / AI Engineer $100k-$180k
Principal Data Scientist / AI Architect $140k-$250k
Data Science / AI Engineering Manager $160k-$250k
Machine Learning Engineer
Build & deploy scalable machine learning models in production environments
Graduate Machine Learning Engineer $60k-$70k
Junior Machine Learning Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Machine Learning Engineer $80k-$100k
Senior Machine Learning Engineer $100k-$140k
Machine Learning Architect $140k-$180k
Machine Learning Manager $150k-$200k
VP of Machine Learning $160k-$250k
Data Engineering
Taking the mathematical models from the data scientists and putting the robust software engineering around the solution
Graduate Data Engineer $60k-$70k
Junior Data Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Data Engineer $80k-$100k
Senior Data Engineer $100k-$150k
Principal Data Engineer / Architect $140k-$180k
Data Engineering Manager $140k-$180k
VP of Data Engineering $160k-$250k
Project & Product, Management & Business Analysis
Product Ownership
Sees the overall big picture ensuring the software product meets the market, managing product features backlog and so on
Junior Product Owner $70k- $90k
Intermediate Product Owner $90k-$120k
Senior Product Owner $120k-$170k
Next progression is into ‘Product Manager’ please see below
Business Analyst
Working with software developers and 'the business' to understand requirements / write user stories for the team to deliver great software outcomes
Junior Business Analyst $70k- $90k
Intermediate Business Analyst $90k-$120k
Senior Business Analyst $120k-$140k
Business Analyst Team Leader / Principal Business Analyst $140k-$160k
Business Analysis Manager $160k-$180k
Implementation Consulting
Own the process to plan, implement, integrate software & migrate any data ensuring the software is working just right
Junior Implementation Consultant $70k-$80k
Intermediate Implementation Consultant $80k-$100k
Senior Implementation Consultant $100k-$150k
Implementation Manager $130k-$180k
Product Management
You'll oversee software product strategy / roadmap and be the link between development, marketing, customers, and the business to deliver superb outcomes
Product Manager $100k-$140k
Senior Product Manager $140k-$200k
Product Director $180k-$250k
VP of Product Management $180k-$300k
Software Project Management / Change Management / Programme Management
Software projects managing internal / external teams, 3rd parties and business stakeholders to deliver great project outcomes
Project Administrator $60k-$80k
Project Coordinator $80k-$100k
Junior Software Project Manager $70k-$100k
Intermediate Software Project Manager $100k-$130k
Senior Software Project Manager $130k-$160k
Change Manager $130k-$150k
Senior Change Manager $130k-$165k
Software Programme Manager $170k-$240k
PMO Manager $150k-$200k
Project Director $170k-$240k
Digital / Web digital design agency or in-house
Web & Digital Development
HTML/CSS/JavaScript (Angular/React/Vue) creating optimum performance for websites & UI applications
Grad Front End / UI Web Developer $60k-$70k
Junior Front End / UI Web Developer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Front End / UI Web Developer $80k-$100k
Senior Front End / UI Web Developer $100k-$130k
Lead / Principal Front End / UI Web Developer $130k-$150k
Web Development Manager $100k-$150k
Back End Web Development
PHP (Laravel, Codeigniter, Symfony or SilverStripe), Node.js, MySQL make the engine room hum delivering super smooth websites & web applications
Graduate Back End Web Developer $60k-$70k
Junior Back End Web Developer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Back End Web Developer $80k-$100k
Senior Back End Web Developer $100k-$130k
Lead / Principal Back End Web Developer $130k-$150k
Web Development Manager $100k-$150k
Full Stack Web Development
HTML/CSS/JavaScript (Angular/React/Vue) with PHP (Laravel, Codeigniter, Symfony or SilverStripe) or Node.js, MySQL or other tech - you like variety coding across the full stack
Graduate Full Stack Web Developer $60k-$70k
Junior Full Stack Web Developer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Full Stack Web Developer $80k-$100k
Senior Full Stack Web Developer $100k-$130k
Lead / Principal Full Stack Web Developer / Architect $130k-$150k
Web Development Manager $100k-$150k
Creative / Digital Strategist $100k-$130k
Digital & Web Project Management
Manage the customer’s expectations bringing the team together to deliver fantastic digital experiences
Junior Digital / Web Project Manager $60k-$75k
Intermediate Digital / Web Project Manager $75k-$90k
Senior Digital / Web Project Manager $90k-$110k
Digital / Web Operations Manager $100k-$150k
Digital Creative Strategist
The ideas person that comes up with great creative concepts and takes them through to execution, delighting users & the audience with excellent customer experience & outcomes
Digital Creative Strategist - $100k-$130k
Lead / Principal Digital Creative Strategist - $130k-$150k
Visual Design
You'll create outstanding visual designs for websites, visual identities and marketing assets using Figma, Canva, Adobe or other tools working with HTML/CSS and so on
Graduate Visual Web Designer $57.5k-$70k
Junior Visual Web Designer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Visual Web Designer $80k-$100k
Senior Visual Web Designer $100k-$130k
Visual Web Design Manager - $100k-$150k
User Interface Design
Design aesthetically pleasing & functional UIs to create a great user experience
Graduate UI Software Designer $60k-$65k
Junior UI Software Designer $65k-$80k
Intermediate UI Software Designer $80k-$100k
Senior UI Software Designer $100k-$130k
Principal UI Designer Software $130k-$150k
UI Design Manager $100k-$150k
User Experience Research & Design
You'll get inside the user's head, with research techniques & deliver great user-centric designed software, web & mobile apps to delight users using tools like Canva & Figma etc
Graduate UX Designer $60k-$65k
Junior UX Designer $65k-$80k
Intermediate UX Designer $80k-$100k
Senior UX Designer $100k-$130k
Principal UX Designer $130k-$150k
UX Design Manager $100k-$150k
User Interface and user experience research & design
A mix of UI & UX design ensuring software, web & mobile apps look great & are awesomely usable
Graduate UI / UX Designer $60k-$65k
Junior UI / UX Designer $65k-$80k
Intermediate UI / UX Designer $80k-$100k
Senior UI / UX Designer $100k-$130k
UI / UX Manager $100k-$150k
User Experience Research
You’ll use research based quantitative & qualitative techniques to understand, analyse user behaviour & requirements to improve user experience
Graduate UX Researcher $60k-$65k
Junior UX Researcher $65k-$80k
Intermediate UX Researcher $80k-$100k
Senior UX Researcher $100k-$130k
UX Research Manager $100k-$150k
Marketing
Digital Marketing
Understand the audience profile & deliver great content across multiple digital channels (AI/web/social/mobile/in-bound)
Graduate Digital Marketing $55k-$60k
Junior Digital Marketing $60k-$75k
Intermediate Digital Marketer $75k-$90k
Senior Digital Marketer $90k-$110k
Digital Marketing Manager $100k-$140k
Marketing Manager $100k-$130k
Global or Senior Marketing Manager $130k-$170k
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) $150k-$200k
VP of Marketing / Marketing Director $160k-$220k
Marketing Automation
You’ll enjoy setting up, implementing & integrating marketing automation tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, Klaviyo, Marketo etc
Graduate Marketing Automation Specialist $55k-$70k
Junior Marketing Automation Specialist $60k-$75k
Intermediate Marketing Automation Specialist $75k-$90k
Senior Marketing Automation Specialist $90k-$130k
Marketing Automation Manager $120k-$150k
Content Digital Marketing
Love creative writing using the power of your words to capture the brand & use powerful messaging to inspire the audience across multiple digital channels
Graduate Content Digital Marketer $55k-$60k
Junior Content Digital Marketer $60k-$75k
Intermediate Content Digital Marketer $75k-$90k
Senior Content Digital Marketer $90k-$110k
Content Digital Marketing Manager $100k-$130k
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Analyse search data and optimise content, create campaigns, and get great outcomes
Graduate SEO Analyst $55k-$60k
Junior SEO Analyst $60k-$75k
Intermediate SEO Analyst $75k-$90k
Senior SEO Analyst $90k-$110k
SEO Analytics Manager $100k-$130k
Data Analytics
Analyse data sets to draw out customer insights to help marketing & business decisions
Graduate Data Analytics Analyst $55k-$65k
Junior Data Analytics Analyst $60k-$70k
Intermediate Data Analytics Analyst $70k-$120k
Senior Data Analytics Analyst $90k-$140k
Senior Data Analytics Architect $120k-$150k
Senior Data Analytics Manager $130k-$160k
Infrastructure & Networks
DevOps / Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
Ensure build processes are smooth while you continuously integrate or continuously deploy efficient software releases
Graduate DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) $60k-$70k
Junior DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) $70k-$80k
Intermediate DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) $80k-$100k
Senior DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) $100k-$140k
Principal DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) Architect $140k-$170k
DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) Manager $140k-$180k
Cloud Engineering
Work with cloud services like AWS, Azure or Google Cloud Platform ensuring high availability & low latency
Graduate Cloud Engineer $58k-$70k
Junior Cloud Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Cloud Engineer $80k-$100k
Senior Cloud Engineer $100k-$150k
Cloud Architect $150k-$200k
Cloud Engineering Manager $160k-$200k
Network Engineering
Ensure the network infrastructure & security is sound working with routers, switches, firewalls etc enabling data packets to be transported smoothly
Graduate Network Engineer $57.5k-$70k
Junior Network Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Network Engineer $80k-$100k
Senior Network Engineer $100k-$140k
Network Engineering Architect $140k-$150k
Network Engineering Manager $130k-$160k
Systems Administration / Systems Engineering
Configure & support OS, servers, desktops & devices automating processes with scripting - creating optimal performance. Ensure the infrastructure security is sound, the servers are humming and it's all backed-up safe & sound you might be more Windows or Linux based or a bit of both
Graduate Systems Administrator $57.5k-$70k
Junior Systems Administrator $70k-$80k
Intermediate Systems Engineer $80k-$90k
Senior Systems Engineer $100k-$130k
Systems Engineering Architect $130k-$150k
Systems Engineering Manager $130k-$160k
Infrastructure Project Management
Bringing all the resources together, delivering to budget and on time across the whole technical infrastructure
Infrastructure Project Manager $100k-$140k
Senior Infrastructure Project Manager $140k-$160k
Infrastructure Programme Manager $160k-$200k
Helpdesk / Service Desk / Support Analyst
Give those users some love at the coal face and troubleshoot their problems with a smile
1st line Helpdesk $50k-$70k
2nd Line support / service desk $60k-$80k
Applications Support $75k-$100k
3rd line support / field service engineer $70k-$120
Service Desk Team Leader $80-$120k
Helpdesk Support Manager / Customer Support Manager $90k-$120k
Hardware Engineering
Embedded C/C++ Firmware Development
Love designing & developing embedded systems / firmware for production hardware products
Graduate Embedded C/C++ Firmware Developer $60k-$70k
Junior Embedded C/C++ Firmware Developer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Embedded C/C++ Firmware Developer $80k-$110k
Senior Embedded C/C++ Firmware Developer $110k-$140k
Principal Embedded C/C++ Firmware Architect $140k-$180k
Hardware Engineering Manager $130k-$180k
Hardware Design Engineering
Design & develop circuit boards & processors for computers, smart devices / IoT / hardware
Graduate Hardware Design Engineer $60k-$70k
Junior Hardware Design Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Hardware Design Engineer $80k-$100k
Senior Hardware Design Engineer $100k-$140k
Principal Hardware Design Engineering Architect $140k-$180k
Hardware Design Manager $130k-$180k
Prototype Engineering
From coding stuff up in Python, creating schematics, test beds / harnesses, getting working prototypes up & running in the hardware product lifecycle
Graduate Prototyping Engineer $57.5k-$70k
Junior Prototyping Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Prototyping Engineer $80k-$100k
Senior Prototyping Engineer $100k-$140k
Test design engineering
Create test strategies / plans, cases, harnesses to find bugs & validate hardware products before release
Graduate Test Design Engineer $57.5k-$70k
Junior Test Design Engineer $70k-$80k
Intermediate Test Design Engineer $80k-$110k
Senior Test Design Engineer $110k-$140k
Principal Test Design Engineer $140k-$180k
Senior Leadership Team (SLT) / Executive IT Management
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) or IT Director Influences the strategy and lead teams shaping the whole IT environment including people, processes & technologies, delivering business goals & value to shareholders
Chief Information Officer (CIO) / IT Director $200k-$300k
Chief Technology Officer leads teams to strategise, design, develop & innovate technical products & services for the company including R&D (Research & Development) to deliver value to the business and customers
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) / IT Director $170k-$300k
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is responsible for overseeing and safeguarding an organisation's information and cybersecurity strategy.
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) $170k-$300k
The IT Manager oversees the planning, implementation, and maintenance of an organization’s technology systems to ensure efficient and secure operations.
IT Manager $130k-$180k
IT Management / IT Support Management
People managing successful delivery of IT services & infrastructure including incident management, 3rd party vendors and putting out fires to keep things running smoothly
IT Support Manager $100k-$130k
Service Delivery Management
Managing SLA's and facilitating smooth IT change, it'll be rocky at times, but you'll be the person who smooths the path
Service Delivery Manager $110k-$140k
Senior Service Delivery Manager $140k-$160k
Customer Success, IT Sales & Account Management and Business Development
IT Account Management The farmer not the hunter - nurture relationships and leverage off previous accounts to drive growth by spotting new opportunities by upselling & cross-selling.
Please note: Some Account Manager roles don’t have commission
Graduate IT Account Manager $50k-$60k (+Commission $5k-$10k)
Junior IT Account Manager $60k-$70k (+Commission $5k-10k)
Intermediate IT Account Manager $70k-$100k (+Commission $10k-$20k)
Senior IT Account Manager / IT Sales Executive $90k-$120k (+Commission $10k-$30k)
IT Account Director $100k-$190k (+Commission $20k-$50k)
IT Sales Representative / Business Development
The hunter not the farmer - sell to customers, manage those expectations, and get win-win outcomes. Looking for that person to break into new markets, open channels, build relationships and promote your product/service at the highest level bringing in revenue
Graduate IT Sales Representative $50k-$60k (+Commission $5k-$10k)
Junior IT Sales Representative $60k-$70k (+Commission $10k-20k)
Intermediate IT Sales Representative / Business Development $70k-$100k (+Commission $20k-$50k)
Senior IT Sales Consultant / Business Development $100k-$120k (+Commission $50k-$100k)
IT Business Development Manager $85k-$130k (+Commission $50k-$170k)
Senior IT Business Development Manager $130k-$150k (+Commission $50k-$150k)
IT Sales Manager $100k-$200k (+Commission $50k-$180k)
Customer Success Management (CSM) Enable customers to achieve their goals with a product or service to drive satisfaction by product adoption, user health, retention, and long-term value
Graduate Customer Success Manager $50k-$60k
Junior Customer Success Manager $60k-$70k
Intermediate Customer Success Manager $80k-$90k
Senior Customer Success Manager $90k-$110k
Customer Experience Manager $110k-$150k
Contract rates hourly
Contents:
1- Software & web development
2- Machine Learning, BI, Data & AI
3- Project & Product, Management & Business Analysis
4- Digital / Web digital design agency or in-house
5- Marketing
6- Infrastructure & Networks
7- Hardware Engineering
8- IT Executive & Management
9- Customer Success, IT Sales & Account Management and Business Development
Software & Web Development
Software Development
JavaScript and/or TypeScript (with React, Angular or Vue or other JS frameworks) and C#.Net, Java, Scala, Rust, Go, Ruby on Rails, Python or Node in the backend with databases in SQL, MySQL, PostGreSQL, Firebase, Supabase or NoSQL. Whatever languages & tools you choose working within agile to craft features & functionality across the tech stack to produce great software products
Graduate Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer $100-$120 per hour
Principal Full Stack Developer / Architect / Lead Software Engineer $120-$140 per hour
Front End Development
Working on modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular or Vue in JavaScript or TypeScript within agile to develop awesome user interfaces that delight users
Graduate Front End Software Developer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Front End Software Developer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Front End Software Developer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Front End Software Developer $100-$120 per hour
Principal / Lead Front End Software Developer / Architect $120-$140 per hour
Front End Development Manager $120-$140 per hour
Back End Software Development
Working on complex backend development in C#.Net, C++, Java, Python, PHP with SQL, MySQL, PostGreSQL Firebase, Supabase or NoSQL or other technologies making functionality work seamlessly with data & databases
Graduate Back End Software Developer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Back End Software Developer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Back End Software Developer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Back End Software Developer $100-$120 per hour
Principal Back End Software Developer / Architect $120-$140 per hour
Lead Back-end Developer $120-$140 per hour
Software Development Manager $120-$140 per hour
Software Development Director $140-$160 per hour
AI Engineer / Software Developer
We have mostly seen traditional skills in OO programming being sought after by clients with an AI lens / experience on top. This is to leverage off the current tech stack & increase features & functionality by utilising AI
Graduate AI Engineer / Developer $40-$60 per hour
Junior AI Engineer / Developer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate AI Engineer / Developer $80-$100 per hour
Senior AI Engineer / Developer - $100-$120 per hour
Principal AI Engineer / Developer / Architect $120-$140 per hour
Lead AI Engineer / Developer $140-$160 per hour
AI Development Manager $160-$180 per hour
AI / Software Development Director $180-$200 per hour
Mobile Apps Development
Native iOS (Swift/ObjectiveC) or Android (Kotlin / Java) or maybe hybrid mobile tools (Xamarin / .Net MAUI or similar) to create a sublime user experience for mobile users
Graduate Mobile Apps Developer - $40-$60 per hour
Junior Mobile Apps Developer - $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Mobile Apps Developer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Mobile Apps Developer $100-$120 per hour
Mobile Apps Architect $120-$140 per hour
Mobile Apps Development Manager $120-$160 per hour
Software Technical Architecture
Applications or data you'll be designing new technical solutions to architect great products
Software / Technical Architect $120-$140 per hour
Senior Software / Technical Architect $140-$160 per hour
Lead Technical Architect $150-$180 per hour
Technical Architecture Manager $150-$180 per hour
VP of Technical Architecture $160-$200 per hour
Software Solutions Architecture
You'll have the helicopter view to create new solutions and how to design, resource & map these out
Software Solutions Architect $120-$140 per hour
Enterprise Architect $140-$160 per hour
Lead Solutions Architect $150-$180 per hour
Solutions Architecture Manager $150-$180 per hour
VP of Solutions Architecture $160-$200 per hour
QA / Software Testing
Manual, functional and regression testing to sculpt quality software products
Graduate Software Tester / QA Engineer $30-$40 per hour
Junior Software Tester / QA Engineer $40-$60 per hour
Intermediate Software Tester / QA Engineer $60-$80 per hour
Senior Software Tester / QA Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Principal QA / Software Testing Architect $100-$120 per hour
QA / Software Test Manager - $100-$130 per hour
Automation Test Engineering
Create & maintain the automation suite of tests to get your software working super-fast & efficiently using frameworks like Cypress, TestCafe, FlaUI or Playwright
Graduate Automation Test Engineer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Automation Test Engineer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Automation Test Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Automation Test Engineer $100-$120 per hour
Principal Automation Test Engineer / Architect - $120-$140 per hour
Automation Test Manager - $120-$150 per hour
Database Administration
Maintain the complex art of the database from triggers to performance tuning you'll be that go to whether it's Oracle, MySQL, PostGreSQL or MSSQL
DBA / Database Analyst $80-$100 per hour
Senior DBA / Database Analyst $100-$120 per hour
DBA / Data Architect $120-$140 per hour
DBA / Database Manager $120-$150 per hour
Technical Software Leadership
Hands-on software team leader who codes/designs, project manages and mentors & guides the team on technical decisions
Technical Lead / Senior Developer $120-$140 per hour
Software Team (People) Leadership
Leads & manages the team, some hands-on tech but more focused on pastoral care of the people, project management and mentors & guides the team
Software Team Leader $120-$140 per hour
Software Development Manager $140-$160 per hour
Software Development Director $160-$180 per hour
VP of Software Development $160-$200 per hour
Machine Learning, BI, Data & AI
Business Intelligence (BI) Datwarehousing
Design & develop datawarehouse solutions with SQL, including data modelling and ETL / ELT processes. Work with modern cloud solutions like Azure data lake presenting to users with PowerBI
Graduate BI / Data Warehouse Developer $40-$60 per hour
Junior BI / Data Warehouse Developer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate BI / Data Warehouse Developer $80-$100 per hour
Senior BI / Data Warehouse Developer $100-$120 per hour
Principal BI / Data Warehouse Developer / Architect $120-$140 per hour
BI / Data Warehouse Manager $120-$160 per hour
Data Science / AI
Solving real world problems with data. You'll take data, create mathematical models & algorithms to design big data solutions to solve business problems. Applying LLMs / AI to enhance efficiencies and training these models
Graduate Data Scientist / AI Engineer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Data Scientist / AI Engineer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Data Scientist/ AI Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Data Scientist / AI Engineer $100-$120 per hour
Principal Data Scientist / AI Architect $120-$140 per hour
Data Science / AI Engineering Manager $140-$180 per hour
Machine Learning
Build & deploy scalable machine learning models in production environments
Graduate Machine Learning Engineer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Machine Learning Engineer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Machine Learning Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Machine Learning Engineer $100-$120 per hour
Machine Learning Architect $120-$140 per hour
Machine Learning Manager $120-$180 per hour
Data Engineering
Taking the mathematical models from the data scientists and putting the robust software engineering around the solution
Graduate Data Engineer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Data Engineer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Data Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Data Engineer $100-$120 per hour
Principal Data Engineer / Architect $120-$140 per hour
Data Engineering Manager $140-$160 per hour
VP of Data Engineering Manager $160-$180 per hour
Project & Product, Management & Business Analysis
Business Analyst
Working with software developers and 'the business' to understand requirements / write user stories for the team to deliver great software outcomes
Junior Business Analyst $60- $80 per hour
Intermediate Business Analyst $80-$100 per hour
Senior Business Analyst $100-$130 per hour
Business Analyst Team Leader / Principal Business Analyst $120-$140 per hour
Business Analysis Manager $120-$140 per hour
Product Ownership
Sees the overall big picture ensuring the software product meets the market, managing product features backlog and so on
Junior Product Owner $60- $80 per hour
Intermediate Product Owner $80-$100 per hour
Senior Product Owner $100-$140 per hour
Next progression is into ‘Product Manager’ please see below
Implementation Consulting
Own the process to plan, implement, integrate software & migrate any data ensuring the software is working just right
Junior Implementation Consultant $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Implementation Consultant $80-$100 per hour
Senior Implementation Consultant $100-$120 per hour
Implementation Manager $120-$140 per hour
Product Management
You'll oversee software product strategy / roadmap and be the link between development, marketing, customers, and the business to deliver superb outcomes
Product Manager $100-$120 per hour
Senior Product Manager $120-$140 per hour
VP of Product Management $140-$180 per hour
Software Project Management / Change Management / Programme Management
Software projects managing internal / external teams, 3rd parties and business stakeholders to deliver great project outcomes
Project Administrator $40k-$60 per hour
Project Coordinator $60-$80 per hour
Junior Software Project Manager $80-$100 per hour
Intermediate Software Project Manager $100-$120 per hour
Senior Software Project Manager $120-$140 per hour
Change Manager $100k-$120 per hour
Senior Change Manager $110k-$130 per hour
Software Programme Manager $160-$180 per hour
PMO Manager $140-$160 per hour
Software Programme Manager $160-$180 per hour
Project Director $160-$180 per hour
Digital / Web digital design agency or in-house
Web & Digital Development
HTML/CSS/JavaScript (Angular/React/Vue) creating optimum performance for websites & UI applications
Grad Front End / UI Web Developer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Front End / UI Web Developer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Front End / UI Web Developer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Front End / UI Web Developer $100-$120 per hour
Web Development Manager $100-$140 per hour
Back End Web Development
PHP (Laravel, Codeigniter, Symfony or SilverStripe), Node.js, MySQL make the engine room hum delivering super smooth websites & web applications
Graduate Back End Web Developer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Back End Web Developer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Back End Web Developer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Back End Web Developer $100-$120 per hour
Web Development Manager $100-$140 per hour
Full Stack Web Development
HTML/CSS/JavaScript (Angular/React/Vue) with PHP (Laravel, Codeigniter, Symfony or SilverStripe) or Node.js, MySQL or other tech - you like variety coding across the full stack
Graduate Full Stack Web Developer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Full Stack Web Developer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Full Stack Web Developer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Full Stack Web Developer $100-$120 per hour
Principal Full Stack Web Developer / Architect $120-$140 per hour
Web Development Manager $120-$140 per hour
Creative / Digital Strategist $120-$140 per hour
Digital & Web Project Management
Manage the customer’s expectations bringing the team together to deliver fantastic digital experiences
Junior Digital / Web Project Manager $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate Digital / Web Project Manager $60-$80 per hour
Senior Digital / Web Project Manager $80-$100 per hour
Digital / Web Operations Manager $100-$120 per hour
Digital Creative Strategist
The ideas person that comes up with great creative concepts and takes them through to execution, delighting users & the audience with excellent customer experience & outcomes
Digital Creative Strategist - $100-$120 per hour
Visual Design
You'll create outstanding visual designs for websites, visual identities and marketing assets using Figma, Canva, Adobe or other tools working with HTML/CSS and so on
Graduate Visual Web Designer $40-$50 per hour
Junior Visual Web Designer $50-$60 per hour
Senior Visual Web Designer $60-$80 per hour
Visual Web Design Manager $80-$100 per hour
User Interface Design
Design aesthetically pleasing & functional UIs to create a great user experience
Graduate UI Software Designer $40-$50 per hour
Junior UI Software Designer $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate UI Software Designer $60-$80 per hour
Senior UI Software Designer $80-$100 per hour
Principal UI Designer Software $100-$120 per hour
UI Design Manager $100-$120 per hour
User Experience Research & Design
You'll get inside the user's head, with research techniques & deliver great user-centric designed software, web & mobile apps to delight users using tools like Canva & Figma etc
Graduate UX Designer $40-$50 per hour
Junior UX Designer $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate UX Designer $60-$100 per hour
Senior UX Designer $100-$120 per hour
Principal UX Designer $120-$140 per hour
UX Design Manager $120-$140 per hour
User Interface and user experience research & design
A mix of UI & UX design ensuring software, web & mobile apps look great & are awesomely usable
Graduate UI / UX Designer $40-$50 per hour
Junior UI / UX Designer $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate UI / UX Designer $60-$100 per hour
Senior UI / UX Designer $80-$120 per hour
UI / UX Manager $120-$140 per hour
User Experience Research
You’ll use research based quantitative & qualitative techniques to understand, analyse user behaviour & requirements to improve user experience
Graduate UX Researcher $40-$50 per hour
Junior UX Researcher $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate UX Researcher $60-$80 per hour
Senior UX Researcher $80-$100 per hour
UX Research Manager $100-$120 per hour
Marketing
Digital Marketing
Understand the audience profile & deliver great content across multiple digital channels (web/social/mobile/in-bound)
Graduate Digital Marketing $40-$50 per hour
Junior Digital Marketing $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate Digital Marketer $60-$80 per hour
Senior Digital Marketer $80-$100 per hour
Digital Marketing Manager $100k-$120k
Marketing Manager $100-$120 per hour
Global Marketing Manager $90-$120 per hour
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) $120-$150 per hour
Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) $150-$190 per hour
VP of Marketing / Marketing Director $150-$200 per hour
Marketing Automation
You’ll enjoy setting up, implementing & integrating marketing automation tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, Klaviyo, Marketo etc
Graduate Marketing Automation Specialist $40-$50 per hour
Junior Marketing Automation Specialist $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate Marketing Automation Specialist $60-$80 per hour
Senior Marketing Automation Specialist $80-$100 per hour
Marketing Automation Manager $100-$120 per hour
Content Digital Marketing
Love creative writing using the power of your words to capture the brand & use powerful messaging to inspire the audience across multiple digital channels
Graduate Content Digital Marketer $40-$50 per hour
Junior Content Digital Marketer $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate Content Digital Marketer $60-$80 per hour
Senior Content Digital Marketer $80-$100 per hour
Content Digital Marketing Manager $80-$120 per hour
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Analyse search data and optimise content, create campaigns, and get great outcomes
Graduate SEO Analyst $40-$50 per hour
Junior SEO Analyst $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate SEO Analyst $60-$80 per hour
Senior SEO Analyst $80-$100 per hour
SEO Analytics Manager $100-$120 per hour
Data Analytics
Analyse data sets to draw out customer insights to help marketing & business decisions
Graduate Data Analytics Analyst $40-$50 per hour
Junior Data Analytics Analyst $50-$60 per hour
Intermediate Data Analytics Analyst $60-$80 per hour
Senior Data Analytics Analyst $80-$100 per hour
Senior Data Analytics Architect $100-$120 per hour
Senior Data Analytics Manager $100-$140 per hour
Infrastructure & Networks
DevOps / Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
Ensure build processes are smooth while you continuously integrate or continuously deploy efficient software releases
Graduate DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) $40-$60 per hour
Junior DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) $80-$100 per hour
Senior DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) $100-$120 per hour
Principal DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) Architect $120-$140 per hour
DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) Manager $120-$160 per hour
Cloud Engineering
Work with cloud services like AWS, Azure or Google Cloud Platform ensuring high availability & low latency
Graduate Cloud Engineer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Cloud Engineer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Cloud Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Cloud Engineer $100-$120 per hour
Cloud Architect $120-$140 per hour
Cloud Engineering Manager $120-$160 per hour
Network Engineering
Ensure the network infrastructure & security is sound working with routers, switches, firewalls etc enabling data packets to be transported smoothly
Graduate Network Engineer $30-$40 per hour
Junior Network Engineer $40-$50 per hour
Intermediate Network Engineer $50k-$80 per hour
Senior Network Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Network Engineering Architect $100-$120 per hour
Network Engineering Manager $100-$140 per hour
Systems Administration / Systems Engineering
Configure & support OS, servers, desktops & devices automating processes with scripting - creating optimal performance. Ensure the infrastructure security is bomber, the servers are humming and it's all backed-up safe & sound you might be more Windows or Linux based or a bit of both
Graduate Systems Administrator $30-$40 per hour
Junior Systems Administrator $40-$50 per hour
Intermediate Systems Engineer $50k-$80 per hour
Senior Systems Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Systems Engineering Architect $100-$120 per hour
Systems Engineering Manager $100-$140 per hour
Infrastructure Project Management
Bringing all the resources together, delivering to budget and on time across the whole technical infrastructure
Infrastructure Project Manager $100-$120 per hour
Senior Infrastructure Project Manager $120-$140 per hour
Infrastructure Programme Manager $160k-$200k
Helpdesk / Service Desk / Support Analyst
Give those users some love at the coal face and troubleshoot their problems with a smile
1st line Helpdesk $30-$40 per hour
2nd Line support / service desk $40-$50 per hour
Applications Support $50k-$80 per hour
3rd line support / field service engineer $50-$80 per hour
Service Desk Team Leader $50-$80 per hour
Helpdesk Support Manager / Customer Support Manager $50-$80 per hour
Hardware Engineering
Embedded C/C++ Firmware Development
Love designing & developing embedded systems / firmware for production hardware products
Graduate Embedded C/C++ Firmware Developer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Embedded C/C++ Firmware Developer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Embedded C/C++ Firmware Developer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Embedded C/C++ Firmware Developer $100-$120 per hour
Principal Embedded C/C++ Firmware Architect $120-$140 per hour
Hardware Engineering Manager $120-$140 per hour
Hardware Design Engineering
Design & develop circuit boards & processors for computers, smart devices / IoT / hardware
Graduate Hardware Design Engineer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Hardware Design Engineer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Hardware Design Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Senior Hardware Design Engineer $100-$120 per hour
Principal Hardware Design Engineering Architect $120-$140 per hour
Hardware Design Manager $120-$140 per hour
Prototype Engineering
From coding stuff up in Python, creating schematics, test beds / harnesses, getting working prototypes up & running in the hardware product lifecycle
Graduate Prototyping Engineer $40-$60 per hour
Junior Prototyping Engineer $60-$80 per hour
Intermediate Prototyping Engineer $100-$120 per hour
Senior Prototyping Engineer $120-$140 per hour
Test design engineering
Create test strategies / plans, cases, harnesses to find bugs & validate hardware products before release
Graduate Test Design Engineer $30-$40 per hour
Junior Test Design Engineer $40-$50 per hour
Intermediate Test Design Engineer $50k-$80 per hour
Senior Test Design Engineer $80-$100 per hour
Principal Test Design Engineer $100-$120 per hour
Senior Leadership Team (SLT) / Executive IT Management
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) or IT Director Influences the strategy and lead teams shaping the whole IT environment including people, processes & technologies, delivering business goals & value to shareholders
Chief Information Officer (CIO) / IT Director $150-$180 per hour
Chief Technology Officer leads teams to strategise, design, develop & innovate technical products & services for the company including R&D (Research & Development) to deliver value to the business and customers
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) / IT Director $140-$180 per hour
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is responsible for overseeing and safeguarding an organisation's information and cybersecurity strategy.
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) $140-$170 per hour
The IT Manager oversees the planning, implementation, and maintenance of an organization’s technology systems to ensure efficient and secure operations.
IT Manager $120-$150 per hour
IT Management / IT Support Management
People managing successful delivery of IT services & infrastructure including incident management, 3rd party vendors and putting out fires to keep things running smoothly
IT Support Manager $80-$120 per hour
Service Delivery Management
Managing SLA's and facilitating smooth IT change, it'll be rocky at times, but you'll be the person who smooths the path
Service Delivery Manager $80-$120 per hour
Senior Service Delivery Manager $80-$120 per hour
Customer Success, IT Sales & Account Management and Business Development
IT Account Management The farmer not the hunter - nurture relationships and leverage off previous accounts to drive growth by spotting new opportunities by upselling & cross-selling.
Please note: Some Account Manager roles don’t receive commission
Graduate IT Account Manager $30-$40 per hour
Junior IT Account Manager $40-$50 per hour
Intermediate IT Account Manager $50-$80 per hour
Senior IT Account Manager / IT Sales Executive $80-$100 per hour
IT Account Director $100-$120 per hour
IT Sales Representative / Business Development
The hunter not the farmer - sell to customers, manage those expectations, and get win-win outcomes. Looking for that person to break into new markets, open channels, build relationships and promote your product/service at the highest level bringing in revenue
Graduate IT Sales Representative $30-$40 per hour (+Commission $5k-$10k)
Junior IT Sales Representative $40-$50 per hour (+Commission $10k-20k)
Intermediate IT Sales Representative / Business Development $50-$80 per hour (+Commission $20k-$50k)
Senior IT Sales Consultant / Business Development $80-$100 per hour (+Commission $50k-$100k)
IT Business Development Manager $80-$120 per hour (+Commission $50k-$170k)
Senior IT Business Development Manager $120-$140 per hour (+Commission $50k-$150k)
IT Sales Manager $140-$160 per hour (+Commission $50k-$180k)
Customer Success Management (CSM) Enable customers to achieve their goals with a product or service to drive satisfaction by product adoption, user health, retention, and long-term value
Graduate Customer Success Manager $30-$40 per hour
Junior Customer Success Manager $40-$50 per hour
Intermediate Customer Success Manager $50-$60 per hour
Senior Customer Success Manager $60-$70 per hour
Customer Experience Manager $80-$100 per hour
I’m Paul, lover of coffee, dogs, biking, surfing & skiing. Founder & Principal Consultant of Sunstone, an IT Recruitment and People & Culture Consultancy based in Christchurch & South Island of New Zealand.
We specialise in recruiting jobs around the product development lifecycle in software, hardware & engineering! We have also made successful appointments within AI, hardware & firmware engineering, mechanical engineering, IoT, electrical & electronics engineering, web & digital marketing and senior leadership roles.