Current salary data based on 18 job postings with disclosed compensation.
San Francisco remains the highest-paying market for sales leadership, driven by the concentration of well-funded startups and enterprise tech companies. Competition for talent is fierce, with many companies offering premium packages to attract proven leaders.
Based on 18 job postings with disclosed compensation, VP Sales roles in San Francisco pay between $244K and $347K base salary. The 42% spread reflects differences in company stage, industry, and specific role scope. OTE typically adds 30-50% for revenue-carrying roles.
The 42% salary spread reflects real market variation. Key factors: (1) Company stage - Series A pays 20-30% less base but offers more equity; (2) Deal size responsibility - enterprise sales leaders ($500K+ ACV) command premiums; (3) Team size - managing 50+ reps vs 10 impacts compensation; (4) Industry - fintech and cybersecurity pay 15-20% above average. The 'right' salary depends on your specific situation.
San Francisco VP Sales salaries average $347K, which is 32% above the national average of $261K. However, cost of living in San Francisco is 40-60% higher than the national average, which affects real purchasing power.
Focus on base salary for stability and comp benchmarking, but understand the full picture. At startups, negotiate equity vesting and acceleration clauses. At public companies, ask about RSU refresh grants. For OTE, clarify quota attainment rates (ask: 'What % of the team hit quota last year?') and whether targets are realistic. A high OTE with 20% attainment is worse than moderate OTE with 80% attainment.
Our data comes from 18 actual job postings with disclosed compensation ranges, not self-reported surveys (which typically skew 10-15% high). We track VP Sales, SVP Sales, and CRO roles weekly, filtering for executive-level positions. Limitations: not all companies disclose salary, and posted ranges may differ from final offers after negotiation.
Weekly analysis of compensation trends, red flags, and negotiation insights for VP Sales and CRO roles.
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