Understanding salary benchmarking within in healthcare Market Research

One of the most common questions I get from candidates, whether they’re weighing up a new offer or just curious how they compare, is simple: am I being paid what I’m worth?

It’s a harder question to answer than it sounds, because “the market rate” isn’t a single number. It’s a range, and where you sit within that range usually says something real about your role, your experience, and the scope of what you’re actually responsible for. Our latest salary benchmarking data gives a clear, level-by-level picture of the Life Sciences insight and consultancy sector, so you can see exactly where you stand.

Figures below are presented in GBP, reflecting the primarily UK-based survey sample this data is drawn from.

At every level, we’ve broken the data into three figures: the lowest observed salary, the core range where most people at that level actually sit, and the highest observed salary. The lowest and highest figures are usually outliers, driven by unusual circumstances rather than typical market practice, so don’t panic if you’re not close to either end. The core range is the one to measure yourself against.

Research Executive

This is the most standardised salary band in the sector. Most organisations align closely around the core range, so if you’re being offered within it, you’re being paid competitively. The £36,000 outlier tends to reflect an unusually broad role or accelerated responsibility rather than a typical Research Executive package. At this level, career development, flexibility, and culture are usually better indicators of a good offer than salary alone.

Senior Research Executive

Similar story here: a relatively narrow, well-agreed band, with a small number of outliers reaching £45,000. If you’re being offered towards the top of the core range, that’s a genuinely strong offer at this level, not just market noise.

Research Manager

This is where a Senior Research Manager distinction often starts to appear, usually reflected through a higher ceiling within the same band rather than a completely separate title. If your offer sits at £56,000 to £58,000, it likely reflects extended management responsibility rather than a standard Research Manager remit, so it’s worth checking your job title and scope match what you’re being paid for.

Associate Director

This is the point where the range genuinely starts to widen, and where salary becomes a more meaningful differentiator between offers. Lower figures in this band tend to reflect Associate Director roles that are closer in scope to senior management, while offers reaching towards £75,000 usually come with real client ownership or revenue responsibility attached. If you’re being offered at the top of this range, it’s worth being clear-eyed about what commercial accountability comes with it.

Research Director

Variability increases again here. Offers clustering around £80,000 tend to reflect a stronger delivery or technical focus, while those reaching towards £110,000 usually involve substantial business development responsibility or a hybrid Director/key account management-style role. If two Research Director offers look very different on paper, the difference is almost always in what you’re expected to bring in commercially, not in the seniority of the title itself.

Senior Research Director and Above

At this level, pay is driven far more by impact than by tenure. Base salaries typically sit between £80,000 and £120,000, but total compensation can extend well beyond that where revenue ownership or business development is genuinely part of the role. The highest figures, £150,000 to £180,000, are generally linked to performance-based or partner-level positions rather than representing a typical benchmark, so treat them as a ceiling to be aware of, not a target to expect.

The Pattern Worth Noticing

If there’s one thing this data makes clear, it’s that the market gets less standardised the more senior you become. At Research Executive and Senior Research Executive level, most organisations pay within a tight, predictable band. By the time you reach Research Director and above, salary is being used deliberately to reward commercial contribution and leadership scope, which means two people with the same job title can be paid very differently for genuinely different reasons.

That’s useful to know whichever side of an offer you’re on. If you’re earlier in your career, a below-core offer is worth querying. If you’re more senior, it’s worth understanding exactly what’s driving the number you’ve been given, because it usually isn’t your title alone.

Are you being paid enough in your current role?

If you’re currently weighing up an offer, benchmarking your current salary, or just want a second opinion on where you sit in the market, I’m always happy to talk it through. This data reflects the current state of the sector, and it’s worth revisiting every time your role, or your responsibilities, genuinely change.

Data sourced from Carrot Life Sciences’s Market Research Salary and Benefits Report. Survey respondents include specialist Life Sciences market research consultancies, multi-sector agencies, and PE/VC-backed and independently owned firms of varying scale. For enquiries about the report, contact Matt Goldrick at Carrot Life Sciences.

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Looking to hire?

As salary bands converge and benefits packages become increasingly aligned, the difference between securing top talent and losing them to a competitor often comes down to strategy, speed and market knowledge.

At Carrot Life Sciences, we work exclusively across Pharma, Biotech and MedTech, giving our clients access to a deep, pre-qualified network of professionals across insight and consultancy, from Research Executive through to Senior Director.

Whether you’re scaling a team, replacing a critical hire or benchmarking your offering against the market, our specialist knowledge, market intelligence and established networks help you move quickly and hire with confidence.

In a more competitive talent market, having the right insight and connections can make all the difference.

Matt Goldrick

Associate Director