A guide to infrastructure and energy sector salaries

Whether you want to be a geologist or an environmental consultant, there are a wealth of opportunities in the infrastructure and energy sector. To give you an idea of how much you could earn as a graduate and beyond in this field, we’ve created a list of infrastructure and energy sector salaries paired with some of the different roles you could choose from.

An Infrastructure Architect will work with business leaders to design, build and implement information systems. Ensuring all systems work, supporting new technologies and meeting business requirements are all part of the role. At entry level, you can expect to make around £50,000. Employers will look for at least an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering or Architecture. Graduate and postgraduate qualifications are relevant in some cases, but it’s as important to gain experience because it will take time to earn the role of Infrastructure Architect straight after university. Learn about the key skills you need for the infrastructure sector. 

The salary for a Project Manager depends entirely on what you are required to manage in the role, but a junior Project Manager should expect to earn a starting salary of £45,000 depending on the employer. The top graduate employers in energy and infrastructure may look for a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant subject for a Project Manager role. However, some smaller firms look for experience rather than degrees.

Environmental consultants are there to offer advice on environmental matters. You may be working in one specific area, including noise pollution, effects on agriculture or wildlife from new developments, or the effect of waste management or recycling. A graduate environmental consultant salary will be around £30,000, depending on the candidate’s range of skills and years of experience. 

As a Geologist, your role is to study the materials that make up the earth, perhaps specialising in studying earthquakes, flooding or volcanoes. Roles in geology look for a degree in Geology, or in other science disciplines like Chemistry, Biology and Physics. As a starting salary, you can expect to earn from £27,000 if you’re self-employed, or more than £45,000 if you work for a large oil and gas company.

Employers in the solar engineering sector look for a degree in disciplines including Chemical Engineering, Computer Software or Industrial Engineering. As an entry-level Solar Engineer, you can expect to earn around £35,000.

As the world becomes more focused on sustainable and renewable energy uses, Energy Analysts are needed more by the day. A starting salary for an Energy Analyst begins at £28,000. Employers look for high-quality maths skills – it’s beneficial to hold a degree in a numerical or analytical discipline or have existing experience in the field, gained through shadowing or work experience.

As a mid-level or senior Energy Analyst, you could be measuring energy efficiency, recommending improvements and developing energy models for a building. In a mid-level role, you can expect to earn roughly £38,000, rising to around £60,000 as you become more experienced and move into senior roles.

As a Project Manager, you’ll spend your time managing staff, finalising design work and executing project proposals. In the energy and infrastructure sector, mid-level Project Managers can expect to be paid around £55,000, rising to £70,000 at a senior level. Likewise, the salary for a renewable energy engineer averages at around £34,000, rising to £65,000. At mid or senior level, you’ll be expected to have a wealth of experience. For example, for a renewable energy Project Manager role, employers may look for experience in plumbing, heating, electrical and project management.

Environmental consultants are offered a higher salary if they hold postgraduate qualifications, such as a sustainability or environmental management master’s degree. If you’re employed by a consultancy, this will come with employee benefits like new work equipment – such as a laptop, courtesy car and pension scheme. As a senior consultant with a plethora of experience, you can expect to earn from £37,500 to £50,000 per year.

There are many different engineering roles in the energy and infrastructure sector – but let’s take a Solar Engineer as an example. A Solar Engineer works with customers, governments or businesses to design, plan and implement solar projects. A known example is solar panels, popular among homeowners and businesses who want to use a more sustainable energy source. Senior Solar Engineers can earn up to £55,000 depending on who they work for and what qualifications they have.

For geology roles, you’ll need strong numerical and scientific analytical ability, knowledge of office programmes or specialised software and flexibility, as your role could require adapting to different working environments. It can be difficult to gain experience as a geologist, but working in a similar area like data engineering can set you up with transferable skills.

Lastly, senior and mid-level infrastructure architects can expect to earn from £67,500 to £85,000 depending on the location of work and employer. But, employers will look for someone who can deal with responsibility and pressure, build relationships, have high-quality communication skills and anticipate problems and solve them. Be prepared!