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Australia
Engineering Manager salary guide Australia 2026
The median Engineering Manager salary in Australia is $192,000, with pay ranging from $165,000 at entry level to $222,000 for senior professionals.
Overview
What does an Engineering Manager earn?
The median salary of Engineering Managers in Australia is $192,000. Most professionals earn within a typical range of $165,000–$221,000, depending on team scale and commercial responsibilities. Senior leaders who hold a formal Bachelor Degree in Engineering or direct large technical departments command closer to $222,000.
Optional — pick a state first
Median for Engineering Manager, nationally across Australia.
10th $165,000
25th $192,000
50th (median) $221,000
75th $261,000
90th
Figures above update by state/city. For a full breakdown by seniority, see the table below.
Location
Engineering Manager salary by city
Sydney offers the highest Engineering Manager salaries among Australia's major cities, at around $211,000. Opportunities remain strong across the country, with Perth following closely at $190,000.
What drives salary
Factors that affect Engineering Manager pay
Stepping into engineering leadership changes how your value is measured. Several core factors determine where your compensation lands within the market range.
Managing several delivery squads or leading cross-functional teams commands a substantial premium over guiding a single group of engineers.
Employers pay more for leaders who link technical roadmap milestones directly to business revenue and cost efficiency.
Deep background in Software as a Service (SaaS) or cloud-based application development positions you for high-growth tech companies that compete aggressively for top talent.
Holding a Bachelor Degree in Engineering provides technical credibility that matters to enterprise employers and regulated industries.
Demonstrated success in mentoring junior engineers and retaining top talent saves businesses recruiting costs, which translates to stronger offers.
Comparison
How Engineering Managers compare to related roles
An Engineering Manager typically earns on par with a Solution Architect, reflecting their equivalent senior technical and strategic responsibilities. Compared to a Project Engineer, Systems Engineer or Network Engineer, an Engineering Manager commands a higher salary because of the broader people leadership and department-wide delivery accountability the role requires.
| Role | Range | Relative | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Manager You are here | $165,000–$221,000 | $192,000 | |
| Solution Architect | $148,000–$206,000 | $174,000 | |
| Project Engineer | $110,000–$160,000 | $133,000 | |
| Network Engineer | $100,000–$151,000 | $121,000 | |
| Systems Engineer | $91,000–$142,000 | $114,000 |
Employment Hero Job Data
Salary figures are derived from Employment Hero proprietary data. All figures represent base salary only and exclude bonuses, superannuation and other benefits. Last updated October 2026.
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