1st Line IT Helpdesk Most accessible entry point for career changers. High volume of vacancies across the UK. | Support | £22,000-£26,000 | £26,000-£32,000 | £32,000-£38,000 | +15-20% | CompTIA A+ | Very high |
2nd Line IT Support Natural progression from 1st line. Typically 12 to 18 months experience required. | Support | £26,000-£32,000 | £32,000-£40,000 | £40,000-£48,000 | +15-20% | CompTIA A+ | High |
Microsoft 365 Administrator Huge demand across NHS, local government and private sector. MS-102 certification strongly preferred. | Microsoft | £28,000-£34,000 | £34,000-£45,000 | £45,000-£58,000 | +20% | MS-102 | Very high |
Azure Cloud Engineer One of the fastest growing roles in UK tech. Strong demand from NHS Digital and large enterprises. | Cloud | £32,000-£40,000 | £40,000-£55,000 | £55,000-£80,000 | +20-25% | AZ-104 | Very high |
Cloud Solutions Architect Senior progression from cloud engineer. Usually requires 3 to 5 years cloud experience. | Cloud | £55,000-£70,000 | £70,000-£90,000 | £90,000-£130,000 | +25% | AZ-305 | High |
Cyber Security Analyst Shortage of qualified professionals. NHS, defence and finance sector pay premium rates. | Security | £28,000-£36,000 | £36,000-£50,000 | £50,000-£70,000 | +20% | CompTIA Security+ | Very high |
IT Project Manager Strong demand in NHS digital transformation programmes. PRINCE2 widely recognised in public sector. | Management | £35,000-£45,000 | £45,000-£60,000 | £60,000-£85,000 | +20% | PRINCE2 + AZ-900 | High |
DevOps Engineer High growth role. Terraform and CI/CD pipeline experience increasingly expected alongside cloud certs. | Cloud | £38,000-£50,000 | £50,000-£70,000 | £70,000-£100,000 | +20% | AZ-104 + Terraform | Very high |
Service Desk Analyst Similar to 1st line helpdesk. NHS and local government are major employers of this role type. | Support | £22,000-£27,000 | £27,000-£34,000 | £34,000-£42,000 | +15% | CompTIA A+ | High |
IT Business Analyst Strong fit for NHS workers with clinical audit or change management experience. | Management | £30,000-£40,000 | £40,000-£55,000 | £55,000-£75,000 | +20% | PRINCE2 + BCS | Growing |
NHS Digital Specialist A specialist role requiring clinical systems knowledge, typically pursued after entry-level IT experience. Not the direct target of the SmoothOps 365 course, but a strong longer-term path for those with a clinical background. | Healthcare IT | £30,000-£38,000 | £38,000-£50,000 | £50,000-£65,000 | +10% | MS-102 or AZ-104 | Growing |
Clinical Systems Admin Manages EPR systems like EMIS, SystmOne, Lorenzo. Clinical background is a major advantage. | Healthcare IT | £26,000-£34,000 | £34,000-£44,000 | £44,000-£56,000 | +15% | MS-102 | High |