Lily Shippen, the Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant and HR recruitment specialists, share the results of their 2026 salary survey which analysed EA Manager salaries, responsibilities, and perceptions for UK-based professionals. The survey included 126 responses, primarily from London, Manchester, and Leeds, across various sectors.
1. Role definition and benchmarking challenges faced in this EA Manager salary survey
- Most EA Managers are the only ones in their business, making benchmarking difficult.
- The role often evolves from an EA position, with management duties added but not always recognised in title or pay.
- 73% of those who took on management received no or only a token pay increase; 55% kept the same job title.
- Many EA Managers continue to support executives directly while managing others, effectively doing two jobs for the pay of one.
2. Compensation insights into EA Manager salaries
- Median base salary (UK): £65,000 (half earn between £55,000 and £80,000).
- London median: £74,000; Manchester/Leeds median: £55,000.
- Title matters: EA Managers with 1–2 reports earn a median of £65,000; Executive Assistants with the same reports earn £56,500.
- Route into the role: Those hired directly as managers earn a median of £78,750; those promoted with a token increase earn £60,000.
- Pay compression: 41% of managers earn no more, or only marginally more, than the highest-paid person they manage; 14% earn less.
- Bonus: 33% received no bonus; bonuses are more common and higher in financial services and London.
- Benefits: Most receive private healthcare, enhanced pension, and life assurance; only 21% receive study/qualification support.
- Equity: 77% receive no equity or long-term incentives.
3. What does the job and responsibilities of and EA Manager entail
- 84% recruit, 83% train/onboard, 80% run appraisals, 79% manage rotas/holiday cover, and 56% set pay for their reports.
- 82% still support at least one executive; 34% support two or more while managing.
- 63% manage additional functions (e.g., office management, events, reception).
- 40% own no budget; 35% own a budget (higher budget responsibility correlates with higher pay).
4. Perceptions and retention risks of the role
- 61% feel underpaid; 76% would move for more money; 27% are actively looking for new roles.
- Of those who received no increase when taking on management, 86% would move and 44% are actively looking.
- Only 25% have had their salary formally benchmarked by their employer; 67% have never been benchmarked or do not know.
5. Regional and sector differences
- London pays significantly more than other regions, but dissatisfaction and retention risks are similar across regions.
- The title gap (EA Manager vs. Executive Assistant with reports) is largest in the North (£18,000) and smaller in London (£7,000).
- Technology, creative/media, and financial services sectors pay the highest medians.
6. Key conclusions and recommendations
- The EA Manager role is often unplanned and under-classified, leading to pay that does not reflect management responsibilities.
- Title is the biggest driver of pay, more than team size or years of experience.
- The route into the role (hired vs. promoted) sets salary for years; deferred pay increases are rarely caught up.
- The main cost of underpaying is retention: high turnover among those not properly recognized or compensated.
7. Recommendations for EA Managers and employers
- For EA Managers: Document your responsibilities, compare your pay to benchmarks, and advocate for management classification, a pay premium over your highest-paid report, and eligibility for management bonuses.
- For Employers: Classify the role in a management job family, review pay at the point of scope change, and ensure pay reflects both management and support duties.
7. Survey limitations
- Self-reported, self-selected sample; not a national statistic but the most comprehensive data available for this role.
- Small sample sizes in some subgroups; medians should be interpreted with caution.
In summary: The EA Manager role in the UK is typically under-recognized and underpaid relative to its management responsibilities. Title, route into the role, and region are the biggest drivers of pay. Most EA Managers feel underpaid and are open to moving roles, posing a significant retention risk for employers who do not address these issues.
You might also like to read about Lily Shippen, the woman behind the recruitment firm, in our exclusive interview.
