Salary Guide

2026 Permanent Salary Guide Ireland | HERO Recruitment

Benchmark permanent salaries across Ireland’s specialist STEM and business-support markets

Ireland’s permanent hiring market has become more selective, but experienced professionals with scarce, commercially valuable skills remain difficult to secure.

HERO’s 2026 Permanent Salary Guide provides base salary benchmarks across Technical & Engineering, Technology, Life Sciences, Research & Development, EHS, Energy & Renewables, Human Resources and Supply Chain.

What is included in HERO’s 2026 Permanent Salary Guide?

The full guide includes salary ranges by role and experience level. Below is a sample of the positions covered.

Role	0–3 years	3–5 years	5+ years
Engineering Manager	€80k–€90k	€90k–€110k	€110k–€140k
DevOps / SRE Engineer	€40k–€55k	€55k–€75k	€75k–€100k
Quality Manager	€80k–€90k	€90k–€100k	€100k–€110k
R&D Manager	€85k–€95k	€95k–€100k	€100k–€120k
EHS Manager	€70k–€90k	€90k–€100k	€100k–€120k
HR Manager	€60k–€75k	€70k–€85k	€85k–€120k
Supply Chain Manager	€60k–€70k	€70k–€85k	€85k–€100k

These figures represent permanent base salary ranges. Bonus, commission, equity, pension and other elements of total compensation are not included.

What is changing in Ireland’s permanent hiring market?

Ireland’s hiring market in 2026 is more deliberate than during the rapid post-pandemic hiring period.

Employers are still competing strongly for experienced professionals, but candidates are evaluating more than salary alone. Flexibility, leadership quality, career progression, culture, purpose and long-term stability are playing a greater role in whether an offer is accepted.

Demand remains particularly strong in areas connected to:

Automation, validation and operational improvement
Cloud, cybersecurity, data and AI
Quality, regulatory affairs and life sciences compliance
Laboratory digitisation and AI-supported research
Sustainability, environmental risk and renewable energy
Workforce planning, employee relations and organisational change
Procurement, planning, supply-chain resilience and digital transformation

The most competitive organisations are combining credible salary offers with faster decisions, clear progression and a compelling employee value proposition.

Permanent salaries are only half the market picture

Many organisations use a combination of permanent employees and specialist contractors.

HERO’s 2026 Contracting Rate Guide provides the other side of the comparison, with contractor day-rate benchmarks across Ireland’s specialist STEM sectors. [View the 2026 Contracting Rate Guide]

📥 Submit the form to get your copy of HERO’s 2026 STEM Permanent Salary Guide.

Looking to talk through your options? Contact us today to discuss your options. Alternatively, connect with us on LinkedIn.

Common questions

FAQs

Permanent engineering salaries in Ireland in 2026 vary by discipline and experience. For example, Manufacturing Engineers range from €40,000 to €75,000, Automation Engineers range from €40,000 to €100,000, and Engineering Managers range from €80,000 to €140,000.

Permanent IT salaries in Ireland in 2026 range widely depending on specialisation and seniority. DevOps and SRE Engineers range from €40,000 to €100,000, Technical Architects range from €65,000 to €100,000, and IT Directors or CTOs range from €100,000 to €150,000.

Some of the most in-demand permanent skills in Ireland in 2026 include automation, validation, cloud engineering, cybersecurity, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, laboratory digitisation, AI-enabled research, EHS risk management, workforce planning, procurement and supply-chain analytics. Demand differs by sector, but employers are consistently prioritising specialist expertise, digital capability and the ability to support change.

HERO’s 2026 permanent salary ranges are informed by its salary survey, sector-specific recruitment knowledge, client and candidate conversations, professional networks and wider market insight. The figures are intended to provide practical national benchmarks for permanent hiring in Ireland.

A permanent salary is normally expressed as annual base pay and is part of an employment package that may include benefits, paid leave and pension contributions. A contractor rate is usually expressed as an hourly or daily amount and reflects a different employment, tax and benefits structure. HERO publishes separate permanent salary and contracting rate guides because the figures should not be compared as direct equivalents.

Yes. Comparing permanent salaries with contractor rates can help an employer decide whether a long-term permanent hire or flexible specialist contractor is more appropriate. The decision should consider project duration, urgency, skills availability, employment costs, continuity and the organisation’s long-term workforce requirements.

Permanent EHS salaries in Ireland in 2026 vary by responsibility and seniority. EHS Officers range from €35,000 to €60,000, EHS Specialists range from €40,000 to €70,000, EHS Managers range from €70,000 to €120,000, and experienced EHS Directors can earn €150,000 or more.

Permanent R&D salaries in Ireland in 2026 range from approximately €35,000 for early-career technical positions to more than €160,000 for senior leadership appointments. R&D Engineers range from €40,000 to €75,000, R&D Managers from €85,000 to €120,000, and experienced R&D Directors from €145,000 to €160,000 or more.

Related Information

Salary Guide