What is Salary Benchmarking?
Salary benchmarking is the process of comparing pay levels for a specific role against the wider market to determine whether compensation is below, at, or above market rate.
In Building Management Systems (BMS), Smart Buildings, and Energy Optimisation, salary benchmarking must account for far more than just job titles — including technology stack, experience, region, and market demand.
Why salary benchmarking matters in BMS & Smart Buildings
The BMS and Smart Buildings market is highly specialised and constantly evolving. Skills shortages, new technologies, and regional demand mean salaries can shift rapidly.
- Engineers with the same title may earn vastly different salaries
- Technology exposure (Niagara, Trend, Distech, analytics) impacts pay
- Energy and ESG-driven roles command increasing premiums
- Regional labour supply varies significantly across the UK
Common problems with salary data
Many salary benchmarks fail because they rely on incomplete or outdated information.
- Annual surveys that are outdated within months
- Self-reported salaries with no verification
- Generic job titles masking very different roles
- No distinction between contractor and permanent markets
- National averages that ignore regional realities
What good salary benchmarking looks like
Accurate salary benchmarking is driven by live market signals rather than static assumptions.
- Live job movements, offers, and placements
- Granular role definitions and tech stack breakdowns
- Regional and sector-specific segmentation
- Frequent updates as market conditions change
- Context alongside averages, highs, and lows
How salary benchmarking is used
For employers
- Setting competitive and realistic offers
- Reducing offer rejections and dropouts
- Retaining critical technical talent
- Planning hiring budgets and headcount
For candidates
- Understanding true market value
- Negotiating offers with confidence
- Planning career progression
- Identifying skills that increase earning potential
Salary benchmarking at VIGO
At VIGO, salary benchmarking is built from live Smart Buildings and BMS market data — including tracked job moves, offers, and placements across engineering, commissioning, project, and leadership roles.
This data-led approach ensures salary insights reflect what is actually happening in the market, not what happened last year.