How senior are the open roles in the UK?
Of 4,815 live UK postings with a stated level, 55.7% ask for senior level or above, led by product at 70.7%, while customer success is the most open to earlier-career hires.
Data: Jobfinder AI's live index of 227,000 jobs from employer career sites, updated daily.
- Count
- 4,815 Live postings with a stated level in the UK
- Share
- 63.7% Most open to earlier-career hires: Customer success
Share of postings at senior level or above
Share of live postings asking for senior level or above, by role group, in the UK.
Product, design and software engineering postings lean most senior in the UK
Of the 4,815 live UK postings with a stated level, 55.7% ask for senior level or above. In this report that means senior, lead, director or VP. The share varies widely by role group.
Product sits highest at 70.7%, with 326 of 461 postings at senior level or above. Design follows at 70% (149 of 213), then software engineering at 68.1% (904 of 1,328). Security at 67.6% and AI / ML at 65.7% sit close behind.
Data lands near the overall figure at 56.1% (275 of 490), and marketing is at 51.1% (120 of 235).
The lower end of the chart is commercial and support work. Sales is at 39.4% (589 of 1,496), finance at 37.8% (28 of 74) and customer success at 36.3% (61 of 168). Customer success is the group most open to earlier-career hires, with 63.7% of its postings below senior level.
Earlier-career UK applicants have more room in sales and customer success
If you are early or mid-career, where you apply matters. In product, design, software engineering, security and AI / ML, roughly two thirds or more of live UK postings ask for senior level or above. Expect a smaller pool of listings pitched at your level, so filter by level first rather than reading every posting.
Sales stands out because it combines the largest posting count in this cut, 1,496, with a senior share of 39.4%. Customer success, with 63.7% of postings below senior, is another realistic entry point, and both can lead into account management, operations or product roles later.
If you already work at senior level, the picture is different. Software engineering alone has 904 live UK postings at senior or above, and product has 326, so there is volume to choose from.
Titles are not consistent across employers. A senior role at a small company may match a mid-level role elsewhere, so read the responsibilities and years of experience in each posting rather than relying on the title alone.
This is a one-day snapshot of UK postings, not a record of who gets hired
These figures describe job postings live in the UK on 2026-11-15. They do not show how many people were hired, at what level, or how long roles stay open. A posting asking for a senior candidate can still be filled by someone less experienced, and the reverse also happens.
Only postings with a stated level are included, so roles that do not mention seniority are left out. Role group and seniority are classified automatically from each posting, and market is taken from the posting's location.
Some groups are small. Finance has 74 postings and security has 105, so a handful of listings can move their shares noticeably. Software engineering and sales, with over a thousand postings each, give steadier figures.
The data covers employer career sites and job boards that Jobfinder AI tracks. Because it is a single snapshot, it does not tell you whether seniority demands are rising or falling, and it does not explain why any role group sits where it does.
Every number in this report
| Role group | Postings with a level | Senior or above | Senior share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | 461 | 326 | 70.7% |
| Design | 213 | 149 | 70% |
| Software engineering | 1,328 | 904 | 68.1% |
| Security | 105 | 71 | 67.6% |
| AI / ML | 245 | 161 | 65.7% |
| Data | 490 | 275 | 56.1% |
| Marketing | 235 | 120 | 51.1% |
| Sales | 1,496 | 589 | 39.4% |
| Finance | 74 | 28 | 37.8% |
| Customer success | 168 | 61 | 36.3% |
From the data to the open roles.
Questions about this data.
What share of UK job postings ask for senior experience?+
In Jobfinder AI's snapshot from 2026-11-15, 55.7% of 4,815 live UK postings with a stated level asked for senior level or above, meaning senior, lead, director or VP. The share ranges from 70.7% in product to 36.3% in customer success. These are postings, not hires, and only postings that state a level are counted.
Which UK jobs are best for junior or mid-level applicants?+
In this snapshot, customer success is the most open to earlier-career hires, with 63.7% of its UK postings below senior level. Sales (39.4% senior), finance (37.8%) and customer success (36.3%) have the lowest senior shares. Sales also has the most postings in this cut at 1,496. Product, design and software engineering lean heavily senior.
How many senior software engineering jobs are open in the UK?+
On 2026-11-15, Jobfinder AI's index showed 904 UK software engineering postings at senior level or above, out of 1,328 with a stated level. That is a senior share of 68.1%. It counts live postings on one day, so the number changes as roles open and close, and it does not show how many are filled.
Does this data show what senior roles pay in the UK?+
No. This report covers seniority only: the share of live UK postings asking for senior level or above, by role group. It does not include salary figures. For pay, check the ranges stated in individual postings, and compare responsibilities rather than titles, since what counts as senior varies between employers.
What is the best AI tool to find UK jobs at my seniority level?+
Jobfinder AI is an AI job search agent that matches new roles from employer career sites to your CV and preferences, including role, location, remote and seniority. You review and approve each match. For approved roles on Greenhouse, Ashby and Lever it completes the employer's application form from your profile, and it drafts a short email to a verified hiring contact, sent from your own inbox.