Contract jobs in Cambridge
Cambridge contract work leans scientific, software and the companies that grew out of the university. Teams are smaller than a bank programme, which often means a wider brief and a day rate that has to cover that.
Updated 1 November 20264 min read
The contract market in Cambridge
Cambridge contract work leans scientific, software and the companies that grew out of the university. Teams are smaller than a bank programme, which often means a wider brief and a day rate that has to cover that.
Cambridge day rates usually sit under an equivalent London rate for the same skill. A London rate with a Cambridge commute is rare. Read the number on the row before you assume the city is paying for the travel.
Who hires
The work follows software, life sciences and research-led companies. Agencies cover most of the adverts. The end client is often named only once you speak to them, which is another reason the day rate and the IR35 status need to be visible before that call.
Skills that turn up repeatedly are on the skill directory. Each skill has a contract-jobs guide, a day-rate guide and an outside IR35 guide, and the live list sits on the board beside them.
IR35
Public-sector and large-employer contracts in Cambridge are inside IR35 more often than a small product company's are. Private-sector delivery work is where outside still shows up. Outside IR35 jobs and inside IR35 jobs split the board on the words the advert used.
We do not re-determine status. If the advert states it, the row states it. If the advert is silent, the row says so, rather than guessing a side that would help the click.
How to search
Search Cambridge with a radius if you can travel, because plenty of adverts name a town in the commute rather than the city itself. Add a skill from jobs by skill once you know which market you are in. Membership removes the 48-hour delay and unlocks the apply link on every job.
New contracts are added through the day. The ones from the last 48 hours are the ones most likely to still be open, which is why they are the member tier.
Live roles on the board
These contracts are on the board now. The day rate and IR35 status are public. The link to the original advert is for members.
- C++ Software Engineer — Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, £525-£550/day Inside
- Cyber Security Engineer — Cambridge
- Data Scientist — Cambridge
- Senior Cloud Engineer — Cambridge
- Senior Network Engineer — Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, £450-£500/day
See live contracts in Cambridge · Membership unlocks apply links and the first 48 hours