UK Solutions Engineer hiring skews heavily toward principal level
Nearly half of all open roles are pitched at principal level, and new postings just hit their highest weekly count in two months.
of open roles are at employers on the UK Home Office sponsor register. Capgemini, Amazon, Salesforce and Cisco are on the list.
UK sponsor register, matched by employeris what the typical role asks for. 20% ask for 10 years or more.
48% of open roles state years246 new roles in the last 30 days, against 247 the 30 days before, at the same companies.
Companies read for 60 days or moreThis week's read
There are 765 open Solutions Engineer roles in the UK right now, spread across 441 companies. The most striking thing is who they want: 47% of roles are labelled principal level, against just 11% senior, 3% lead, and 2% junior. If you are earlier in your career, this is a market built for people with years behind them, not a typical ladder with room at every rung.
That shows up in the experience numbers too. Where postings state a minimum, the median ask is 5 years, and 1 in 5 roles want 10 or more. Only 48% of postings state a years requirement at all, so almost as many leave it open, which is worth checking before you rule yourself out.
New postings had been steady for weeks, running between 52 and 61 a week from early September into late October. Then the week of 26 October jumped to 78, the highest of the last eight weeks. Over the full 30 days the total is flat against the prior 30 days, 246 new roles versus 247, so this looks like one strong week rather than a shift in the overall pace yet.
Hiring is not concentrated in a few big names: the top 8 employers together hold only 16% of open roles. Capgemini leads with 35 open roles, followed by Amazon on 24 and Salesforce on 19. Of those top employers, Capgemini, Amazon, Salesforce and Cisco appear on the UK Home Office sponsor register, and more broadly 53% of all open roles sit at employers with recent visa filings.
On the job itself, AI and machine learning is named in 31% of postings, well ahead of AWS at 18% and Azure at 17%. Consulting is the biggest named industry context at 16%, ahead of SaaS at 14%. Remote work is scarce at 13% of roles, and pay is rarely stated, just 7% of postings, so there is not enough data here to say what the market actually pays.
What this means for you
Three things you can act on this week
- Pitch yourself at principal level
47% of open roles are principal level versus only 2% junior and 3% lead. If you have the years, lead with them; the median minimum asked is 5 years and 1 in 5 roles want 10 or more.
- Look past the big names
The top 8 employers hold only 16% of open roles, and 441 companies are hiring in total. Capgemini, Amazon and Salesforce have the most roles, but the market is spread wide.
- Check the sponsor register, not pay pages
53% of open roles sit at employers with recent visa filings, including Capgemini, Amazon, Salesforce and Cisco. Only 7% of postings state pay, so you will likely need to ask directly.
Momentum
New Solutions Engineering roles each week
Last 30 days: 246 new roles, against 247 the 30 days before (0%). Each week counts the same companies, and a role counts as new only in the week it was posted, so a careers site we start reading never shows up as growth.
See the numbers
| Week starting | New roles |
|---|---|
| 7 Sep | 64 |
| 14 Sep | 60 |
| 21 Sep | 59 |
| 28 Sep | 60 |
| 5 Oct | 52 |
| 12 Oct | 61 |
| 19 Oct | 60 |
| 26 Oct | 78 |
Who is hiring
The companies with the most open Solutions Engineering roles
441 companies are hiring. The top eight hold 16% of the open roles.
| Company | Open roles | Change in new roles | Sponsor register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capgemini | 35 | On the list | |
| Amazon | 24 | On the list | |
| Salesforce | 19 | On the list | |
| Atos | 11 | ||
| Computacenter AG & Co. oHG | 11 | ||
| DXC Technology | 9 | ||
| Cisco | 8 | On the list | |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise | 8 |
Change compares new roles in the last 30 days with the 30 days before, shown where a company posted 25 or more in the earlier 30 days. Staffing agencies are left out. A company name links to its Ashney company page where there is one.
What they ask for
The technology Solutions Engineering roles ask for most
Ask Rate is the share of roles that name a skill, from 747 postings read in full. Ways of working (methods such as Agile, tools such as Jira) are listed apart; office tools and soft skills are left out.
Ways of working
Industries named most: Consulting 16%, SaaS 14%, Financial services 9%. Certifications named: CISSP 2%, ACCA 1%, AWS Certified Solutions Architect 1%. 13% of open roles say they are remote.
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