Executive Salary Guides

The VP of Engineering is one of the most competitive executive roles in the technology sector. Demand has remained high despite the 2022 to 2023 tech correction, driven by the ongoing need for engineering leadership at AI-native companies, cloud platforms, and enterprise software businesses.

The CFO role has expanded significantly in scope over the past decade. Today's CFOs are expected to be strategic partners to the CEO, lead M&A and capital markets activities, and increasingly serve as the voice of the company to investors and lenders. This expanded charter is reflected in compensation, and in how selective the best candidates are about the opportunities they pursue.

The CRO role has proliferated as companies seek unified revenue accountability across sales, marketing, and customer success. Compensation is highly variable, tied closely to company ARR, the scope of the CRO's charter, and the equity/OTE structure. CROs at $50M+ ARR companies typically receive the highest compensation packages of any commercial executive.

The CTO is simultaneously one of the most sought-after and most misunderstood executive titles. Some CTOs are deeply technical builders; others are primarily external-facing technology evangelists. The scope dictates the compensation, and understanding which CTO you need is the prerequisite to building a competitive offer.

The CMO role has undergone a dramatic transformation. Today's top CMOs are expected to drive measurable pipeline, own brand positioning, and increasingly influence product roadmap through market intelligence. The shift from brand-first to revenue-accountable marketing leadership has reshaped the comp structure, and the candidate profile companies are willing to pay for.

The CHRO and Chief People Officer role has elevated from a compliance function to a core business leadership position. At growth-stage and transformation-stage companies, the CPO sits alongside the CEO, owns talent architecture, and drives culture, all of which directly impact company valuation. The market for strategic people leaders who think like business operators is highly competitive.

The COO role varies enormously in scope, from pure operational executor to strategic co-leader with succession potential. Compensation reflects that variance. COOs at PE-backed companies with full enterprise accountability regularly out-earn their peers at public companies on a total cash basis, especially when carry and co-investment rights are included.

The VP of Sales remains one of the most hired and most replaced executive roles in the market. Demand is consistently high, but so is turnover, which makes competitive compensation and clear expectations both critical. OTE structure, quota attainability, and equity are the three levers that separate offers that close from offers that don't.

The VP of Operations is one of the most undercompensated executive roles relative to its organizational impact, particularly in manufacturing and industrial sectors. As PE-backed platforms consolidate and scale, demand for experienced multi-site operations leaders has grown significantly, pushing comp upward in a talent pool that hasn't historically commanded premium prices.

The VP of Product role has become one of the most debated titles in the executive suite, with its scope varying from a single product line to full platform ownership across multiple business units. Compensation reflects that variance. In 2025, companies that can articulate a clear product charter attract stronger candidates and close faster; those that can't pay a premium for patience.

The Corporate Controller is the backbone of any finance organization, responsible for the integrity of financial reporting, close processes, technical accounting, and increasingly, ERP and systems oversight. Demand for strong Controllers has remained consistently high as private equity continues to drive M&A activity and public company compliance requirements grow more complex. The best Controllers are being recruited aggressively, particularly those with both technical GAAP expertise and the communication skills to partner with CFOs and boards.