Empathy Engineer: Is This the £110k Job of Your Dreams?

Why It Matters

Unclear job titles are causing talent leakage in the UK tech market, limiting firms’ ability to fill emerging, high‑value positions. Clarifying role definitions will help companies capture skilled candidates and sustain innovation.

Key Takeaways

• Empathy engineer roles can pay up to £110k
• 80% of surveyed Brits unfamiliar with belonging manager
• New titles like prompt engineer lack clear definitions
• Employers risk missing talent due to vague job names

Pulse Analysis

The rise of titles such as empathy engineer signals a strategic pivot toward human‑centred design in software and gaming. These roles demand a blend of psychology, narrative crafting, and technical fluency, enabling products that foster emotional intelligence and social connection. While the salary ceiling of £110,000 makes the position attractive, the lack of a standardized job description leaves both recruiters and applicants navigating an ambiguous landscape, often resulting in missed opportunities for qualified talent.

Recent research by the financial platform Tide underscores the scale of the confusion: 80% of 2,000 respondents could not identify what a belonging manager does, and many admit to never hearing of an empathy engineer. This knowledge gap hampers the UK’s ability to fill niche, high‑impact roles that could drive competitive advantage in sectors ranging from gaming to enterprise software. Companies that continue to coin novel titles without clear competency frameworks risk alienating a workforce already stretched by rapid digital transformation.

To bridge the divide, organisations should anchor new titles to existing skill clusters and publish transparent role specifications. Upskilling programs that combine empathy training with technical curricula can create a pipeline of candidates ready for these interdisciplinary positions. As the market matures, we can expect empathy engineering to evolve from a novelty into a core function of product development, reinforcing inclusive design and delivering measurable business outcomes. Clear communication now will ensure firms capture the talent needed to sustain this growth.

Empathy engineer: is this the £110k job of your dreams?

British applicants are missing out on lucrative contracts in the tech sector because they haven’t got a clue what the job actually is · Wed 11 Feb 2026 11:39 EST (last modified 13:34 EST)

An empathy engineer in gaming can make moments like this possible … Photograph: Posed by models; Noko LTD/Getty Images

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Name: Empathy engineer.

Age: New.

Appearance: Sporadic, bewildering.

Empathy engineer? What’s that?

It could be you.

Maybe, but I think I would know.

Are you a proactive disruptor with excellent communications skills and a world‑class library of proven frameworks?

Not that I’m aware of.

Are you ready to earn up to £110k per annum?

Why, yes. Yes, I am. How many other applicants are being considered for the position?

It’s just you so far.

How can that be?

Because nobody knows what an empathy engineer is.

I don’t know what an empathy engineer is!

It’s someone who considers the social, cultural and emotional factors that influence how society interacts with technology, and focuses on blending the human perspective with tech‑driven problem‑solving.

And now I still don’t know.

According to new research from the business‑financial platform Tide, you’re not alone. British job applicants are missing out on lucrative tech‑sector careers because they don’t understand the roles, or even believe the jobs exist.

Are they right?

In this case, yes: LinkedIn isn’t advertising any openings in empathy engineering at the moment.

So no one is applying for the job because there’s no such thing?

There is one listing – expired, sadly – for an empathy engineer in gaming.

What does that entail?

“Implementing game mechanics, narratives and experiences that foster empathy, emotional intelligence and social awareness among players, promoting meaningful connections and understanding within virtual worlds.”

I’m gutted to have missed out on that one.

Empathy engineer is just one of a number of confusing new job titles, such as prompt engineer and belonging manager.

Belonging manager? Never heard of it.

Again, you’re not alone: 80 % of 2,000 participants surveyed had no idea what a belonging manager was or did.

What do they do?

“The role of a belonging manager is to embed an inclusive culture at the heart of the organisation, ensuring employees feel valued, included and heard,” according to a spokesperson from Tide.

How much?

Up to £80k.

I accept. What are the qualifications?

Just experience.

In what?

That’s the problem – as the job market adapts to rapid growth and changing needs, new roles emerge that have no previous parallels in the workplace.

**Isn’t the real problem that employers are coming up with **silly, off‑putting names for their pretty ordinary jobs?

Possibly. Other titles include skills architect and augmented intelligence officer.

You wouldn’t want to admit to being any of those on a blind date.

No – just say marketing.

Do say: “As someone experienced at building consistent frameworks that are supported, accountable and impactful, I am the very model of a modern empathy engineer.”

Don’t say: “Can I empathise from home?”