2024 Annual Salary Guide for UK Construction Claims and Disputes Jobs

Due to popular demand, we are pleased to launch the 4^th annual salary guide for construction claims and disputes professionals working in the UK.

This information is proven to have become very useful to both jobseekers and employers working in this specialist area of the construction industry.  We have had a very positive response from those looking to use it when considering a transition into a career within construction claims and disputes.

As usual, we have made every effort to gather and provide information that is as accurate as possible based on our first-hand experience recruiting extensively within this niche sector of the construction industry.

It should be acknowledged that a range of factors come into play when discussing achievable salary levels, including location (with London being the obvious highest-paying area), whether jobseeker experience has been gained in the UK or internationally to name but a few.

The figures below are based on Basic Salary and Car/Travel Allowances (where offered) added together as part of a package but excludes any other benefits and excludes bonuses (whether “guaranteed” or discretionary). The information relates purely to staff employed on a permanent (PAYE) basis and does not include freelance or contract staff remuneration or pay rates.

We have collated salary figures we have secured for Maxim candidates since the last salary guide that we published a year ago. We have continued to use the 4 main levels of seniority despite some evidence of further ‘Americanism’ of job titles.

2024 Salary Guide for Construction Claims and Dispute Professionals in UK Employment:

A Guide to the Different Job Titles & Levels of Seniority:

I think it's important to go into more detail about the 4 levels of seniority that we have decided to use.  Many employers use different job titles and some use slightly different hierarchical structures. However, these are the commonly used job titles/grades we are using here:

Consultant (aka Analyst or ‘Associate’ in some companies)

Consultant-level roles are essentially entry-level positions into construction claims and disputes. Generally, candidates are required to hold a minimum of 4 years of practical work experience in traditional construction roles such as Planner, Project Manager, Engineer for Delay roles and Quantity Surveying for Quantum roles.

On occasion, we have also seen candidates with less than 4 years of experience transition into construction claims and disputes roles, either as a graduate role or consultant position. For this, a clear motivation and willingness to specialise must be demonstrated to potential employers.

Senior Consultant (aka ‘Senior Associate’ or sometimes ‘Manager’)

Although some disputes consultancies prefer candidates who have worked for a specialist disputes consultancy, more often than not, we have seen candidates with circa 5-12 years of experience working for a contractor, PQS or client organisation transition into a senior consultant position.

At this level, candidates will combine a solid technical grasp of the work they have done thus far with some experience managing construction disputes on behalf of their employer. This could be a Senior QS working on contract review and claims assessment, or a Planner assessing a project's critical path and presenting delays.

For Senior Consultant positions, candidates with little to no prior experience handling disputes but a strong theoretical background may also be taken into consideration. This theoretical knowledge is frequently acquired by obtaining specialist degrees, which are highly sought after at this level and can include an MSc or LLM in Construction Law.

Associate Director (aka ‘Director’)

Candidates for the position of Associate Director will typically have extensive expertise in handling complicated disputes and have experience working as a No. 2 / lead assistant to an expert witness.

In addition to taking on some responsibility for business development tasks, Associate Directors in this context will be capable of training and leading teams of consultants through dispute resolution procedures.

At this level, candidates are usually required to hold one or more professional memberships and be dual certified, having a technical degree and a qualification in construction law.

Director (aka ‘Senior Director’)

Candidates for director positions will usually have experience testifying in court as expert witnesses, having prepared for and successfully testified on several occasions. At this stage, Quantum Directors and Delay Directors will have extensive experience, be qualified to lead disputes, testify, withstand cross-examination, and effectively oversee teams in the preparation of expert reports.

A strong network of legal professionals and clients (and possibly employees) will be possessed by candidates for director-level construction appointments, and they will be able to leverage this network to create and produce new dispute work for their employers.

Which Levels of Seniority within Construction Disputes Have Experienced the Highest Salary Increases?

As might have been expected, salaries at pretty much all levels for both Quantum and Delay specialisms have increased. Surprisingly, the data appears to have indicated a greater % increase in salaries for Consultants and Senior Consultants compared to those at a more senior level. So why might this be?

Explanations for Fast Growing Salaries for Consultants and Senior Consultants

The increase in salaries for those transitioning into this niche sector can perhaps be attributed to the current high salaries in the wider construction industry. In particular, we have noticed that quantity surveyors and planners (especially from a main contracting background) are on good salaries after only a few years post-qualification. As candidates in such roles are high priority targets for disputes consultancies looking to hire at Consultant or Senior Consultant level, there seems to have been a case for claims and dispute employers needing to revise their salary bandings upwards to attract the best candidates into these disputes roles and allowing a smoother and more attractive financial transition.

Having said this, my advice to those looking to move into their first role in disputes, is once you have gained an adequate level of experience to make the transition, move into specialist disputes work as soon as practicable!

The claims and disputes recruitment team at Maxim often have difficult conversations with candidates who have progressed too far into their Quantity Surveying or Planning career and have effectively priced themselves out of a sideways move – despite knowing that their true passion lies within claims/disputes work.  It is the case that some Commercial Managers or Planning Managers do make the transition into specialist disputes, it will most likely involve a substantial hit to the pocket for 12-24 months while they learn the skills required to operate at a senior level.

Is it Just About Salary?

For those looking to transition into the construction disputes sector, I would also advise to consider other important factors in addition to just salary.  We have often seen cases where candidates are happy to accept either a lower or the same basic salary to join a supportive disputes consultancy.  This can often be because they see that this new employer is committed to their professional development and will fund/sponsor their further studies such as the LLM/ Masters in Construction Law.  Such commitments are a significant investment and cost for employers, but will be mutually beneficial for both parties in the longer term.

Bonus Levels for Senior Construction Dispute Professionals

It is worth noting that salaries and bonuses at senior levels within construction disputes, at Expert Witness level for example, are likely to be higher than for comparable roles within the construction sector more generally.  Therefore, when evaluating pay in the construction disputes and expert sector, it makes sense to look at long term salary prospects alongside short-term earning power. If you are successful with your construction dispute work, salary discrepancies resulting from switching sectors are usually resolved within 6 to 18 months.

Senior candidates that have extensive previous experience in the disputes sector are in increasingly high demand. So, we would have expected a greater salary increase for AD/Director level, yet this didn’t appear to be the case from our salary findings. There are several reasons why this could be the case:

Firstly, candidates at Associate Director and Director level usually have their annual earnings further increased by performance related bonuses that can equate to 10% - 30% of basic salary per annum (and sometimes even more).

We also see candidates at this level moving employer for reasons other than purely financial gain. For example, for a better work-life balance, a change of workplace environment/culture or the opportunity to work on larger projects/assignments. For example, I recently spoke to a delay expert whose primary experience was in adjudication, and they wanted to move to work on larger arbitrations. Because of the salary he was already on, moving required them taking a pay cut due to a lack of arbitration experience, that they expected to restore and exceed once they had gained extensive arbitration experience.

A final factor that should be considered by senior candidates when evaluating salaries, is the level of work they can bring with them to their next consultancy. Directors that have testifying experience, live cases and a black book of legal contacts that can generate new business, will obviously be worth significantly more to their next employer.

Summary

It seems that both the figures provided above and our gut feeling from our daily work within construction claims and disputes recruitment that in the last year, salaries have risen again.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that as with all salary surveys, the above figures should be taken as a general reference point only. They should be used with caution and individual circumstances will always influence what salary a candidate will be offered and what an employer feels they want or need to pay.

The best way to confirm these figures (as an employer or as a potential jobseeker) is to arrange a confidential discussion with one of the Maxim construction disputes team.

Moreover, in today's competitive job market, whilst it's natural to be drawn to opportunities that offer a higher salary, our advice is that salary should not be the sole determinant when contemplating a job change. Evaluating other important aspects such as career growth opportunities, training, work-life balance, company culture and long-term career prospects should also be given significant importance.

2023 Annual Salary Guide

2022 Annual Salary Guide

2021 Annual Salary Guide

Nilam Modhwadia
Recruitment Consultant
Maxim Recruitment
LinkedIn

Nilam is a Recruitment Consultant based in the Maxim head office in Leicester, UK. She supports the team with researching, headhunting, shortlisting, and interviewing valuable construction industry candidates, to place them in premium construction jobs with our market-leading UK and international clients.