Salary guide
Senior salary guide, from our placements
Across the senior roles Headhuntly has placed over the last five years, the median base salary was $150K. Half of placements were on $150K or more. The range ran from $68K to $360K. C-suite and general management roles had the highest median, at $195K.
Based on Headhuntly placements over the last five years. Small sample, base salary only, not a market survey.
What do senior roles pay, by role family?
| Role family | Placements | Base salary range | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital and marketing managers Digital and marketing manager roles | 19 | $70K to $140K | $100K |
| Marketing leadership Head of Marketing, Head of Content, CMO, Marketing Director | 9 | $95K to $325K | $180K |
| C-suite and general management COO, CFO, CSO, CCO, General Manager, Director | 11 | $130K to $350K | $195K |
| Technology and product Technology and product leaders | 5 | $140K to $360K | $180K |
Last updated 24 September 2026.
How does this compare to published market benchmarks?
Alongside our own placements, here's what the published guides say for the same roles. Ranges are by state (Robert Walters) or mid-point (Gybe Consulting, Brisbane; mrkt Talent, national). We're not blending these with our own figures above, they're two different things: what a survey says the market pays, and what we've actually paid people.
| Role | NSW | QLD | Brisbane | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMO | $220K–$300K | $207K–$240K | $310K (mid) | $320K (mid, Retail/eCom) |
| Marketing Director | $215K–$305K | $149K–$190K | $219K (mid) | — |
| Head of Marketing | $170K–$220K | $165K–$207K | $182.5K (mid) | — |
| Head of Digital / Digital Marketing | $185K–$225K | $155K–$196K | $203.5K (mid) | — |
| CTO | $225K–$350K | $320K–$350K | — | — |
| Head of eCommerce | — | — | $202.5K (mid) | $150K–$270K |
Base salary, state figures from Robert Walters' 2026 Salary Guide, Brisbane figures from Gybe Consulting's 2026 Salary Guide, national figures from mrkt Talent's 2025/26 Salary Guide. Robert Walters publishes no eCommerce Director or Head of eCommerce band at all, and no national firm publishes an eCommerce Director row, which is why our own eCommerce Director guide exists.
How was this guide put together?
- Base salary only. No super, bonus or equity.
- Headhuntly placements over the last five years. No client names, no individual salaries.
- Grouped by role family. A family is only shown once it has 5 or more placements.
- Rounded to the nearest $5K.
- A small sample from one firm, so it won’t match every business.
Why isn’t my role here?
Some families are too small to report honestly, including digital leadership roles. The new AI titles, such as Chief AI Officer, aren’t here either. If you’re hiring for one of these, brief us and we’ll give you a straight read on the market for the calibre of person you want.
Role guides with salary context: CMO, CTO and COO. What a search costs is on how it works.
Questions, answered
Where do these salary figures come from?
From the senior roles Headhuntly has placed over the last five years. Each figure is the agreed base salary, grouped by role family and rounded to the nearest $5K. It’s a small sample from one firm, not a market survey.
Why is there no Chief AI Officer salary here?
We only publish figures from our own placements, and we only show a role family once we’ve placed at least five people in it. AI titles don’t meet that bar yet, so we leave them out.
Do the figures include super and bonuses?
No. They’re base salary only. Super, bonuses, equity and other benefits aren’t included, so a full package will be higher.
What does a CMO earn in Australia?
$95K to $325K, median $180K, across the 9 marketing leadership roles we’ve placed over the last five years (CMO, Head of Marketing, Head of Content, Marketing Director).
What does a Head of Marketing or Marketing Director earn?
Same group as CMO in our data: $95K to $325K, median $180K. Seniority and scope inside that band vary a lot by title.
What does a COO earn in Australia?
$130K to $350K, median $195K, across the 11 C-suite and general management roles we’ve placed over the last five years (COO, CFO, CSO, CCO, General Manager, Director).
What does a CFO earn in Australia?
We group CFO with COO, CSO, CCO, General Manager and Director in our data: $130K to $350K, median $195K. Too few CFO-only placements to report that title alone.
What does a General Manager earn in Australia?
Grouped with COO, CFO, CSO, CCO and Director in our data: $130K to $350K, median $195K. A GM’s pay varies a lot by whether they hold full P&L authority or run one site. See the General Manager hiring guide on our blog for more.
What does a CTO earn in Australia?
$140K to $360K, median $180K, across the 5 technology and product leadership roles we’ve placed over the last five years.
What does a digital marketing manager earn?
$70K to $140K, median $100K, across the 19 digital and marketing manager roles we’ve placed over the last five years. Below leadership level, so it’s a lower band than the CMO/Head of Marketing group.
How does Headhuntly’s data compare to Robert Walters or Gybe Consulting?
Our figures are what our own placements actually paid, a small sample from one firm. Robert Walters and Gybe survey the wider market, so their ranges are broader. We publish both side by side rather than picking one, since they answer slightly different questions.
Have a role to fill?
Tell us about the role. We’ll tell you straight whether it needs a headhunt, and what the search would look like.