VP Sales OTE: What Total Compensation Actually Looks Like in 2026

Across 704 executive sales postings with disclosed salary data, the average VP Sales base runs $167,295 to $251,443. Apply the industry-standard 60/40 base-to-variable split, and modeled on-target earnings land between $279,000 and $420,000. That number climbs to $331,000-$432,000 at the CRO level (70/30 split) and can exceed $500,000 at growth-stage companies running aggressive variable structures. The problem: almost none of this shows up in job postings. Base is disclosed 54.8% of the time. OTE is disclosed almost never.

This article models what total compensation looks like for VP Sales, SVP, CRO, and EVP roles using base salary data from 704 postings tracked by The CRO Report, combined with industry-standard variable compensation splits. The base figures come directly from job postings. The OTE figures are modeled. That distinction matters, and we'll be explicit about it throughout.

What Job Postings Tell You (and What They Don't)

Of the 1,349 executive sales postings we track, 54.8% include any salary information at all. The ones that do almost always disclose base salary only. Variable compensation, OTE, accelerator structures, equity grants, and signing bonuses live outside the posting, discussed during the interview process or presented at the offer stage.

The CRO Report's data shows that less than 15% of VP Sales job postings explicitly disclose OTE. When disclosed, the median OTE is approximately 1.8x the base salary midpoint.

This creates an information gap that benefits employers. A candidate evaluating two VP Sales roles can compare base ranges from the postings but has no way to compare total compensation until deep in the process. One company might offer $200,000 base with a 50/50 split ($400,000 OTE). Another might offer $220,000 base with a 70/30 split ($314,000 OTE). The higher base is the worse total comp package.

The reasons postings omit OTE are straightforward:

• Variable comp is negotiable. Base ranges are set by compensation bands. Variable structures have more flexibility, especially at the VP level and above, where quota assignment and plan design are often tailored to the role.
• OTE implies quota. Disclosing OTE creates an implicit expectation about what quota looks like. Companies prefer to discuss quota in the context of their specific pipeline, territory, and ramp expectations.
• Pay transparency laws focus on base. States requiring salary disclosure (California, Colorado, New York, Washington) typically mandate base salary or salary range. OTE disclosure is not consistently required.
• Equity complicates the picture. For startups and growth-stage companies, equity can represent 20-40% of total compensation value. Including equity in a posted number requires assumptions about valuation, vesting, and exit scenarios that companies are unwilling to publish.

The result: base salary is the one reliable data point available at scale. Everything else requires modeling.

Modeling OTE from Base Data

On-target earnings equal base salary plus variable compensation at 100% quota attainment. The ratio between base and variable, commonly called the "split," varies by seniority and company stage. The standard splits used across B2B SaaS sales leadership:

• VP Sales: 60/40 (60% base, 40% variable). Multiply base by 1.67 to get OTE.
• SVP Sales: 65/35 (65% base, 35% variable). Multiply base by 1.54.
• CRO / C-Level: 70/30 (70% base, 30% variable). Multiply base by 1.43.
• Early-stage (Seed through Series B): Often 50/50. Multiply base by 2.0. Higher risk, higher upside.
• Enterprise/Public: Typically 70/30. Multiply base by 1.43. Lower variable risk, more predictable comp.

These are not universal rules. Individual comp plans vary based on deal cycle length, average contract value, team size, and whether the VP carries a personal quota alongside a team number. A VP Sales running a $2M personal book in addition to a $20M team number will often have a different split than one who is purely managing. But as modeling benchmarks, these ratios reflect the center of the market.

One important caveat: "on-target" means 100% attainment. Industry data suggests that roughly 60-70% of sales reps hit quota in a given year, and VP-level attainment rates are comparable. OTE is the plan, not the guarantee. Actual variable payout depends on performance, and most plans include accelerators above 100% that can push total comp well above OTE for top performers.

VP Sales OTE by Seniority Level

Here's how base salary and modeled OTE stack up across four seniority tiers, drawn from 704 postings with disclosed compensation.

Level	Roles	Avg Base Range	Typical Split	Modeled OTE Range
VP	636	$167,295 - $251,443	60/40	$279,382 - $419,910
SVP	37	$202,153 - $262,432	65/35	$311,313 - $404,145
C-Level / CRO	26	$231,873 - $302,246	70/30	$331,576 - $432,209
EVP	5	$248,000 - $292,000	65/35	$381,538 - $449,231

A few things stand out in this data.

The VP-to-CRO jump is less dramatic than many candidates expect. At the low end, modeled VP OTE of $279,000 compares to CRO OTE of $332,000, a gap of roughly $52,000. At the high end, the gap narrows to about $12,000 ($420,000 VP vs. $432,000 CRO). The CRO carries a higher base but takes less variable risk as a percentage of total comp, which compresses the OTE range.

SVP and EVP roles are thin in the dataset (37 and 5 postings respectively), so the numbers are directional rather than definitive. The EVP data in particular, drawn from just 5 roles, should be treated as illustrative. That said, the SVP range of $311,000 to $404,000 in modeled OTE sits logically between VP and CRO, which is what you'd expect from the organizational hierarchy.

The VP tier at 636 roles provides the most robust sample. If you're benchmarking a VP Sales offer, the $279,000 to $420,000 modeled OTE range is the reference frame. Below $279,000 in total comp for a VP Sales role suggests either a below-market base, a conservative split, or both. Above $420,000 suggests a premium market (San Francisco, late-stage company) or an aggressive variable structure.

How Company Stage Changes the Variable Split

Company stage is the single biggest factor in how variable compensation is structured. A Series A company and a public company may offer similar base salaries, but the split, and therefore the OTE, can diverge substantially.

Stage	Roles	Avg Base Range	Likely Split	Modeled OTE Range
Seed / Series A	14	$192,955 - $257,169	50/50	$385,910 - $514,338
Series A/B	38	$147,289 - $183,553	50/50	$294,578 - $367,106
Series B/C	30	$164,710 - $226,373	60/40	$275,066 - $378,043
Series C/D	79	$222,046 - $314,444	60/40	$370,817 - $525,122
Late Stage	27	$224,635 - $318,772	65/35	$345,592 - $490,419
Enterprise / Public	195	$171,438 - $264,592	70/30	$245,054 - $378,274

The highest modeled OTE in the dataset belongs to Series C/D companies: $370,817 to $525,122. These are growth-stage companies with proven revenue, institutional backing, and aggressive hiring mandates. They combine strong base salary ($222,000-$314,000, the highest base range by stage) with variable structures that still reward individual deal contribution.

Seed/Series A is the wild card. The base is healthy ($193,000-$257,000, reflecting that early companies need to pay market rate for a first VP Sales), and the 50/50 split drives modeled OTE to $386,000-$514,000. But the "on-target" part of on-target earnings carries more uncertainty at this stage. The quota itself may be based on limited historical data. The product may still be finding market fit. The variable comp is high-upside, high-risk.

Series A/B shows the lowest base range in the dataset at $147,289-$183,553. These companies are typically post-seed but pre-growth, stretching budgets across multiple hires. Even with an aggressive 50/50 split, modeled OTE of $295,000-$367,000 lands below Series C/D and Late Stage. The compensation trade-off at this stage is equity. A Series A/B VP Sales may receive 0.5-1.5% in options, which at a successful exit can dwarf the base and variable comp combined.

Enterprise/Public companies present a different calculation entirely. Base is moderate ($171,000-$265,000), and the 70/30 split produces the most conservative modeled OTE in the table at $245,000-$378,000. But the predictability is higher. Public company quotas are built on established territories, known pipeline, and historical conversion rates. The variable comp is less volatile, and the total comp package includes RSUs, ESPP, and benefits that don't appear in these numbers.

OTE by Metro: Where Total Comp Is Highest

Geography still moves the needle on total comp, even with remote roles accounting for a growing share of the market. Here are the top six metros by base salary, with modeled OTE at a 60/40 VP-level split.

Metro	Roles	Avg Base Range	Modeled OTE (60/40)
San Francisco	18	$244,452 - $347,218	$408,235 - $579,854
Seattle	8	$200,909 - $296,696	$335,518 - $495,482
Boston	26	$201,227 - $282,527	$336,049 - $471,820
New York	58	$180,780 - $250,499	$301,902 - $418,333
Chicago	20	$151,832 - $222,485	$253,559 - $371,550
Remote	73	$151,533 - $217,341	$253,060 - $362,959

San Francisco leads by a wide margin. At modeled OTE of $408,000-$580,000, the Bay Area VP Sales package can approach $600,000 in total cash compensation before equity. The base alone ($244,000-$347,000) exceeds the modeled OTE for Remote and Chicago roles at the low end. Cost of living explains some of this gap, but not all of it. San Francisco's concentration of late-stage and public SaaS companies, combined with intense local competition for sales leadership talent, drives comp above what cost-of-living adjustments alone would predict.

Seattle ($336,000-$495,000 modeled OTE) and Boston ($336,000-$472,000) cluster closely. Both are tech hubs with a dense population of SaaS companies competing for senior sales talent. Seattle benefits from the presence of Amazon, Microsoft, and a growing cohort of enterprise software companies. Boston's SaaS ecosystem, anchored by HubSpot, Toast, Drift, and dozens of growth-stage companies, keeps local comp elevated.

New York at $302,000-$418,000 sits closer to the national average despite being the largest metro by role count (58 postings). The range is broad because New York VP Sales roles span fintech, adtech, media, and enterprise SaaS, each with different comp norms. The fintech and enterprise SaaS roles in Manhattan pull the average up. The broader set of industries dilutes it.

Remote roles ($253,000-$363,000) and Chicago ($254,000-$372,000) anchor the lower end. The remote discount relative to San Francisco is stark: a remote VP Sales at the high end of modeled OTE ($363,000) makes less than a San Francisco VP Sales at the low end ($408,000). For candidates weighing a remote role against a Bay Area relocation, the cash comp gap can exceed $100,000 annually before accounting for cost-of-living differences.

One data point worth noting: remote roles that disclose salary show a base range of $175,886-$259,173 when looking at the broader dataset, compared to $169,077-$250,238 for on-site roles. The remote "premium" in base salary is modest, roughly $5,000-$9,000 on average. The metro premium is where the real spread lives.

The Equity Layer Nobody Quantifies

OTE captures cash compensation. It does not capture equity, which for many VP Sales roles represents a material portion of total value. Job postings almost never disclose equity grants, making it the least visible component of the comp package.

Rough benchmarks by stage, based on market norms rather than posting data (because postings don't include this):

• Seed/Series A: 0.5%-2.0% in stock options, four-year vest with one-year cliff. At a $50M exit valuation, 1% equals $500,000 pre-tax over four years. At a $500M exit, it equals $5M. The variance is enormous.
• Series B/C: 0.1%-0.5% in options. The percentage drops as valuation rises, but the dollar value of each percentage point increases. A 0.25% grant at a $500M valuation represents $1.25M in paper value.
• Series C/D and Late Stage: 0.05%-0.25% in options or RSUs. Companies at this stage sometimes offer RSUs with immediate or near-immediate liquidity (through secondary markets or tender offers), which changes the risk calculus.
• Public companies: RSU grants typically valued at $100,000-$400,000 annually for VP-level roles, vesting quarterly or annually. These have a known market value and function more like a cash supplement than a lottery ticket.

The practical impact: a VP Sales at a Series A company earning $280,000 OTE with a 1% equity grant could realize more total compensation over four years than a VP Sales at a public company earning $400,000 OTE with $200,000 in annual RSUs. Or the equity could be worth nothing. The asymmetry of startup equity makes direct OTE comparisons across company stages incomplete without considering the equity component.

When evaluating offers, the equity conversation requires asking specific questions: What is the current 409A valuation? How many fully diluted shares are outstanding? What is the liquidation preference stack? What is the expected timeline to liquidity? Without these answers, an equity grant is a number on a page with no calculable value.

What "On-Target" Actually Means in Practice

The numbers in this article assume 100% quota attainment. Actual variable payouts depend on three structural factors that shape what a VP Sales takes home.

Quota Setting and Attainability

A $400,000 OTE built on a 60/40 split implies $240,000 base and $160,000 variable. That $160,000 variable pays out at 100% only if the VP hits quota. The question is whether the quota is set at a level that a competent VP can reasonably achieve. Quotas set at 2x the prior year's revenue with no incremental headcount or pipeline investment produce a different outcome than quotas set at 20% growth on a proven book of business. The OTE is the same on paper. The probability of earning it differs.

Before accepting any offer, understanding how the company sets and adjusts quotas is more important than the OTE number itself. Ask for historical attainment data. What percentage of quota-carrying reps hit 100% last year? What was the average attainment? If the company won't share that data, the OTE is aspirational rather than operational.

Accelerators and Decelerators

Most VP Sales comp plans include accelerators above 100% attainment. A common structure: 1x payout up to 100%, 1.5x from 100-120%, and 2x above 120%. Under this structure, a VP who hits 130% of quota on a $160,000 variable plan earns $160,000 + ($160,000 x 0.2 x 1.5) + ($160,000 x 0.1 x 2.0) = $160,000 + $48,000 + $32,000 = $240,000 in variable comp, bringing total cash to $480,000 on a $400,000 OTE.

Decelerators below quota are less common at the VP level but do exist, particularly at public companies. A 0.5x rate below 80% attainment means the variable comp drops faster on the downside than it grows on the upside.

Personal vs. Team Quota

Some VP Sales roles carry a personal quota (closing deals directly) alongside a team number. Others are purely management roles where comp is tied entirely to team performance. The split matters for OTE reliability. A VP with a $5M personal number and a $30M team number has more control over a portion of their variable comp than one whose payout depends entirely on team execution. The personal component also changes the day-to-day nature of the role, pulling the VP into deal cycles rather than coaching, hiring, and forecasting.