Why read this guide
This comprehensive report surfaces compensation trends across different company stages and regions, focusing on technology, product, and design leadership roles, based on director-level and above placements between 1st January 2023 and 31st December 2023. It provides a nuanced understanding of market compensations to enable leaders to make competitive offers for top candidates, breaking down compensation into salary, annual bonuses, sign-on bonuses, and equity.
Key findings by sector:
VC backed companies:
- Compensation has stabilised after years of increases, with a notable differentiation between early-stage and growth-stage companies.
- Equity plays a significant role, especially in early-stage companies.
- Trends likely to persist in 2024
- a mentality of hiring "wartime" technical leaders who can operate hands-on and do more with less
- a rise in founding AI engineer roles.
PE backed companies:
- Compensation remained stable, with technical leaders’ base salaries in the mid-$300Ks and total compensation including bonuses and equity in the $600Ks.
- There's a swing back to relocation requirements for leadership roles and a focus on hiring leaders with previous private equity experience.
Public companies:
- The compensation remains strong, with the largest spread in equity compensation.
- Public companies across all sectors are now seen as technology businesses, leading to increased competition for top technical talent.
EMEA region:
- Compensation trends in EMEA show a flat base salary trend with a greater emphasis on equity compensation.
- The report identifies a smaller pool of top candidates due to various factors, including the focus on mission-driven companies in climate tech and health tech.
2024 Outlook
- A cautious optimism for increased hiring, with a focus on intentional growth and strategic hires across all sectors.
- A particular note on the growth potential in EMEA for roles around data, AI, and machine learning, despite a lack of deep talent bench in these areas.
If you need a warm introduction to specialists at Riviera Partners, either to hire technology and design talent, or for compensation insights to make informed decisions in attracting top talent, let us know at platform@albion.vc