In Manchester, typical starting salaries for Junior Software Engineers range around £28,000–£40,000, rising to £45,000–£60,000 for mid-level and £60,000–£85,000+ for senior/principal roles, depending on stack, sector and company size. Fintech, cloud-native and high-scale product companies often pay at the upper end, while London roles may command higher averages overall. Standard hours are 37.5–40 per week with occasional out-of-hours releases or on-call rotations compensated by time off or allowances. Career paths include Senior/Principal Engineer, Tech Lead, Engineering Manager, Solutions/Enterprise Architect or moves into Product, DevOps/SRE and Data. Jobwise insights help you spot high-paying employers, trending skills and roles aligned to your progression targets.

• Core languages and frameworks: Java, C#, .NET, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Node.js, React, Angular, Spring, Django.
• Cloud and DevOps: AWS, Azure or GCP; CI/CD, GitHub Actions/Jenkins; Docker and Kubernetes; IaC (Terraform).
• Data and storage: SQL (PostgreSQL/MySQL), NoSQL (MongoDB/Redis), messaging/streaming (Kafka).
• Engineering practices: TDD/BDD, code reviews, clean architecture, performance profiling, observability and security-by-design.
• Soft skills: problem solving, stakeholder communication, agile collaboration, documentation and mentoring.
• Qualifications: Computer Science/Software Engineering degree or equivalent experience; recognised cloud certs (AWS/Azure/GCP), Microsoft, Oracle Java, Scrum/Agile (PSM/CSM), ISTQB for test-focused roles.
• Compliance: some roles (especially public sector/defence) may require background checks such as BPSS or SC clearance.
• Transferable skills: analytical thinking, data literacy, scripting, API design and version control — jobwise surfaces these from your CV to match you with relevant roles.

Upload your CV and jobwise parses your tech stack, projects and achievements instantly, then matches you to suitable Full-Time vacancies in Manchester. Use powerful filters for salary, skills, frameworks, cloud platforms and hybrid/remote options. Create job alerts, save searches, track applications and receive recommendations that adapt as you apply and update your profile.

• Vibrant tech ecosystem with scale-ups and global brands, plus a lower cost of living than London.
• Strong regional demand across fintech, media, e‑commerce, healthtech and the public sector around MediaCityUK and the Oxford Road corridor.
• Jobwise's AI ensures fewer missed opportunities by matching hidden skills in your CV to live roles and alerting you as soon as new vacancies go live.