CQV and validation engineers are the backbone of Irish pharma and medtech capital projects. Site expansions across Cork, Limerick, Dublin and Sligo keep demand ahead of supply, and contract rates in CQV and automation have moved faster than permanent salaries over the last two years.
Market Floor
€400
per day
Market Average
€500
per day
Top Rate
€600
per day
Generic salary guides don’t cut it for Irish contractors. Revenue’s PRSI Class S rules, the USC surcharge over €100k, pension relief at marginal rate — these compound in ways that make a spreadsheet essential before you accept any offer.
DayRate.ie calculates your floor rate with full 2026 Revenue compliance — so you walk into negotiations knowing exactly what €500/day actually means for your take-home.
Validation and CQV engineers typically bill €50–€75 an hour in Ireland — roughly €400–€600 a day at an 8-hour day. Engineers with aseptic fill-finish, biologics or large capital project experience sit at the top of that band, and greenfield project work can exceed it.
Nearly always hourly, because site hours vary and overtime is common. Multiply the hourly rate by your contracted hours to get the day rate this calculator works in — most Irish life science contracts run 39–40 hours a week.
Project-based validation work tends to run in blocks with gaps between sites, so 200–215 billable days is a more honest plan than 230. Set the billable days slider to what you actually expect and let the risk premium cover the rest.
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Takes 30 seconds. 2026 Revenue.ie compliant.
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