Here is how much EV engineers earn

From the newsletter

Most electric vehicle engineering leaders in Africa are being paid between $64,000 and $87,000 in average annual salary, according to benchmarking data from Shortlist, a leading recruitment agency. The data reflects salaries paid by mid-size electric mobility companies to their most senior staff in four major countries: Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt.  

• Product leaders, some of whom are also engineers, start lower at $55,000 but have the top of the range as engineering leaders. This is significantly lower than the top end of the annual pay scale of $109,000 for human resource leaders. Meanwhile, operations leaders make between $73,000 and $91,000 per year.

• Rather than a minimum and maximum, this data set is based on a threshold rate below which good candidates are hard to find and a retention benchmark that in most cases ensures long tenure in a role.

• Our take: The actual pay could be higher or lower as some companies offer additional benefits not captured in the salary data for senior staff… Read more (2 min)

More details

• EV engineering leaders in South Africa get paid the highest salaries, with their annual pay, ranging from $82,000 to $111,000 beating Kenya, where they get paid between $63,000 and $86,000. In Egypt, engineering leaders get paid from $54,000 to $73,000, the lowest of the four countries while in Nigeria, they earn between $57,000 and $77,000. 

• The pay for product leaders starts at $70,000 in South Africa and goes up to $111,000, while in Kenya, they get paid between $54,000 and $86,000. In Nigeria, product leaders earn between $49,000 and $77,000, while in Egypt, their pay ranges from $46,000 to $73,000. 

• Human resource leaders, who are tasked by mobility firms with recruiting the best talent in the market, earn more than both engineering and product leaders. In South Africa, they make between $82,000 and $140,000, while in Kenya, they are paid between $63,000 and $108,000. In Nigeria and Egypt, their salary ranges from $57,000 to $97,000 and $54,000 to $92,000 respectively. 

• Operations managers are also paid handsomely. In South Africa, they earn between $94,000 and $117,000 per year, followed by Kenya, where they make between $72,000 and $90,000. They earn the lowest in Egypt, where they are paid from $61,000 to $77,000 while in Nigeria, their salary ranges from $65,000 and $81,000. 

• At the same time, bigger companies such as multinationals often pay top dollar to attract talent, with their salaries blowing out of the waters what the smaller local firms can afford. For instance, engineering and product leaders can earn as much as $263,000 per year in those organisations in South Africa. For human resources and operations leaders, the premium pay in South Africa can go as high as $176,000 and $187,000 respectively. 

Our take

• As Africa’s electric mobility sector grows and attracts big multinationals like BYD, competition for skilled professionals like engineers will intensify. Multinational companies offer higher salaries and benefits and will attract the top talent, leaving smaller firms struggling to compete. 

• In an increasingly globalised world, the significant salary differences between the top African EV markets may drive talent migration within the continent. This could see professionals increasingly migrate to countries that offer better pay such as South Africa. 

• As the EV industry matures, we could see growing pressure to standardise compensation packages across the sector to attract a diverse workforce. This could extend beyond salaries and include benefits like housing allowance, health insurance and performance bonuses.