Chief Executive Officer / Founder CEO
Company leadership, fundraising and strategic directionPre-funded$120k to $180k + equity
Funded$180k to $280k + equity
+0.5%Flat. Founder pay remains controlled, with upside usually weighted toward equity.
US SaaS General Salary Guide 2026
Indicative annual cash compensation for US SaaS startups and scale-ups hiring leadership, go-to-market, customer, product, engineering, platform, security and data roles in major high-tech US cities.
Updated monthly
Last updated: 1 May 2026
* Guide only. Ranges reflect expected annual cash compensation in major US tech hubs. Equity, bonus, stage, geography, ownership scope and technical complexity can materially change packages.
Market direction
A quick macro view to frame the monthly compensation movements below.
Startup funding
↗Funding is available for strong categories, but investors still expect discipline.
Job growth
→Hiring is active in critical roles, but broad team expansion remains cautious.
Commercial hiring
→Premium packages are reserved for clear revenue, pipeline and retention impact.
Salary pressure
→Broad salary inflation is calmer, but key technical and leadership roles still move.
Leadership roles
Chief Operating Officer
Operating rhythm, execution, hiring and cross-functional deliveryPre-funded$170k to $230k + equity
Funded$220k to $300k + equity
+2.5%Up. Startups want operators who can add structure without slowing execution.
Chief Financial Officer / VP Finance
Runway, forecasting, fundraising support and financial controlsPre-funded$170k to $230k + equity
Funded$220k to $310k + equity
+3.0%Up. Runway discipline and investor reporting are making finance leaders more important.
Chief Revenue Officer
Revenue strategy, sales leadership, customer growth and GTM executionPre-funded$190k to $250k + equity
Funded$240k to $340k + equity
+3.0%Up. Revenue leadership pay is strongest where growth is efficient and measurable.
Chief Marketing Officer
Marketing leadership, demand generation, brand and growth strategyPre-funded$180k to $240k + equity
Funded$220k to $310k + equity
-0.5%Flat to down. Marketing spend is tied more closely to pipeline proof.
Chief of Staff
Founder support, strategic projects and operating cadencePre-funded$130k to $180k + equity
Funded$160k to $220k + equity
+1.5%Flat to up. Demand rises where founders need leverage across multiple functions.
Chief People Officer / Head of People
People strategy, hiring systems, culture and organisational designPre-funded$150k to $210k + equity
Funded$190k to $260k + equity
+1.0%Flat to up. People leadership returns where headcount plans become more structured.
Go-to-market and customer roles
Head of Sales / VP Sales
First sales leader or scaling revenue teamPre-funded$170k to $220k base
$260k to $350k OTE
$260k to $350k OTE
Funded$200k to $260k base
$320k to $420k OTE
$320k to $420k OTE
+2.0%Flat to up. Demand remains strong for leaders who can create repeatable pipeline.
Enterprise Account Executive
Complex B2B SaaS salesPre-funded$110k to $140k base
$220k to $280k OTE
$220k to $280k OTE
Funded$130k to $170k base
$260k to $340k OTE
$260k to $340k OTE
+0.5%Flat. Companies are selective and expect proven quota performance.
Solutions Engineer / Pre Sales
Technical sales support and demosPre-funded$140k to $175k base
$180k to $230k OTE
$180k to $230k OTE
Funded$160k to $200k base
$210k to $260k OTE
$210k to $260k OTE
+3.5%Up. Technical buyers and complex implementation needs increase demand.
Head of Customer Success
Retention, adoption and expansionPre-funded$150k to $190k + bonus
Funded$180k to $230k + bonus
+3.0%Up. Retention and expansion remain high-priority board metrics.
VP Marketing / Head of Marketing
Demand, brand, product marketing and growthPre-funded$170k to $220k + bonus
Funded$200k to $260k + bonus
-1.0%Flat to down. Spend is tied more closely to pipeline proof.
Revenue Operations Lead
Systems, forecasting, data and processPre-funded$140k to $180k + bonus
Funded$170k to $210k + bonus
+4.0%Up. Cleaner data, forecasting and process are important for lean teams.
Partnerships / Alliances Lead
Channel, strategic partners and ecosystemPre-funded$140k to $180k + bonus
Funded$170k to $230k + bonus
+1.5%Flat to up. Partner revenue is attractive where customer acquisition cost is high.
Product Marketing Lead
Positioning, launches, enablement and messagingPre-funded$145k to $185k + bonus
Funded$170k to $220k + bonus
+3.0%Up. Crowded categories need sharper messaging and better conversion.
Customer Support / Technical Support Lead
Support quality, process and customer experiencePre-funded$110k to $150k + bonus
Funded$130k to $180k + bonus
0.0%Flat. Automation improves efficiency, but enterprise support quality still matters.
SDR / BDR Manager
Outbound, early sales process and pipeline generationPre-funded$100k to $140k + bonus
Funded$120k to $165k + bonus
+0.5%Flat. Demand is stable but tightly tied to pipeline quality.
Account Manager / Renewals Manager
Retention, renewals, expansion and account healthPre-funded$105k to $145k + bonus
Funded$125k to $175k + bonus
+2.0%Up. Renewals remain important as companies protect existing revenue.
Implementation / Onboarding Lead
Customer onboarding, implementation process and adoptionPre-funded$120k to $160k + bonus
Funded$145k to $190k + bonus
+2.5%Up. Faster implementation supports retention and earlier customer value.
Growth Marketing Manager
Acquisition, experiments, funnel optimisation and conversionPre-funded$120k to $165k + bonus
Funded$145k to $195k + bonus
0.0%Flat. Budgets remain controlled unless clear conversion impact is visible.
Product, engineering, platform, security and data roles
Head of Product / VP Product
Product strategy, roadmap and customer valuePre-funded$180k to $230k + equity
Funded$220k to $280k + equity
+4.0%Up. Product leadership is central to efficient growth and feature strategy.
Senior Product Manager
Roadmap, customer discovery, delivery and measurable product outcomesPre-funded$150k to $195k + equity
Funded$175k to $230k + equity
+2.0%Flat to up. Demand is strongest for product managers tied to revenue or retention outcomes.
Technical Product Manager
Technical roadmap, API/platform work and engineering-facing deliveryPre-funded$160k to $210k + equity
Funded$190k to $250k + equity
+3.0%Up. Technical product depth is increasingly valued in complex SaaS environments.
Product Designer / UX Lead
Product experience, design systems and customer-facing workflowsPre-funded$135k to $180k + equity
Funded$160k to $220k + equity
+1.5%Flat to up. Design talent is strongest where product usage and activation matter.
Chief Technology Officer
Technical strategy, architecture, product engineering and senior hiringPre-funded$210k to $280k + equity
Funded$260k to $360k + equity
+5.5%Up. Data, scale and technical depth lift senior technical leadership pay.
VP Engineering
Engineering leadership, delivery, team structure and hiringPre-funded$200k to $260k + equity
Funded$250k to $330k + equity
+5.0%Up. Funded startups still pay for engineering leaders who can scale teams cleanly.
Engineering Manager
Team delivery, people management and executionPre-funded$180k to $220k + equity
Funded$210k to $260k + equity
+1.5%Flat to up. Hands-on delivery managers are preferred.
Senior Software Engineer
Core product developmentPre-funded$160k to $210k + equity
Funded$190k to $240k + equity
+0.5%Flat. Strong engineers still move, but hiring is more selective.
Full Stack Software Developer
Frontend, backend and product feature deliveryPre-funded$145k to $190k + equity
Funded$170k to $225k + equity
+0.5%Flat. Demand is steady for developers who can ship across the stack.
Backend Software Developer
APIs, systems, data flow and platform logicPre-funded$150k to $200k + equity
Funded$180k to $235k + equity
+1.5%Flat to up. Complex integrations support backend demand.
Frontend Software Developer
UI, product experience and customer-facing featuresPre-funded$135k to $180k + equity
Funded$160k to $210k + equity
0.0%Flat. Strong product UI talent is valued, but salary movement is controlled.
Staff / Lead Engineer
Architecture, technical direction and complex deliveryPre-funded$190k to $240k + equity
Funded$220k to $280k + equity
+4.0%Up. High-leverage technical leadership commands a premium.
DevOps / Platform Engineer
Cloud, infrastructure, deployment and reliabilityPre-funded$165k to $210k + equity
Funded$190k to $240k + equity
+3.0%Up. Cloud cost, reliability and security drive demand.
Security Engineer / AppSec Lead
Security, compliance and enterprise readinessPre-funded$170k to $220k + equity
Funded$210k to $270k + equity
+3.5%Up. Enterprise readiness needs earlier security depth.
Data Engineer / Analytics Engineer
Pipelines, warehouse, product and revenue dataPre-funded$160k to $210k + equity
Funded$190k to $250k + equity
+3.0%Up. Data quality supports pricing, reporting and customer workflows.
Data Scientist
Modelling, experimentation, analytics and decision supportPre-funded$160k to $215k + equity
Funded$190k to $260k + equity
+3.5%Up. Demand is strongest where data science links directly to product decisions.
QA Automation Engineer
Test automation, release quality and engineering processPre-funded$115k to $155k + equity
Funded$135k to $180k + equity
0.0%Flat. Quality remains important but broad salary movement is controlled.
Mobile Engineer
iOS, Android and cross-platform mobile product deliveryPre-funded$150k to $200k + equity
Funded$180k to $240k + equity
+1.0%Flat to up. Demand depends on whether mobile is core to product strategy.
Looking for AI-first salary benchmarks?
The main salary guide now focuses on AI roles for US SaaS companies, including senior AI builders, AI infrastructure, GenAI, agent, NLP, computer vision and AI solutions roles.
Market notes
Brief monthly view for general US SaaS hiring in high-tech cities.
Cash remains disciplined
Funded startups are still willing to pay for high-impact operators, but broad salary inflation is more controlled than the 2021 to 2022 market.
Technical leadership remains strong
CTO, VP Engineering, staff engineering, platform, security and data roles remain among the stronger compensation areas.
Commercial hiring is more selective
Go-to-market compensation is stable, with higher packages reserved for candidates who can show repeatable pipeline, revenue impact and strong market fit.
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