Salary Snapshot Finance Leadership

As a recruitment partner to North American tech companies, we’ve had the opportunity to talk with hundreds of high-growth start-up and scale-up leaders about their experiences, aspirations, motivations, and of course…. their compensation strategies!‍

When establishing a target compensation range for a new search, clients always ask us “What are you seeing in the market right now for a role like this?”. Since we’re having these conversations regularly, we thought we would pull back the curtains and share some insights to help you create a competitive compensation package. Alternatively, if you’re on the hunt for your next challenge, we hope you’ll find this data to be useful in the negotiation process.

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The Evolving Role and Compensation of Finance Leaders in Tech

The last few years have brought wave after wave of change for tech companies, and finance leaders have been at the forefront of it all. From navigating lean capital environments and shifting investor expectations, to managing rising costs, currency pressure, and evolving go-to-market models, today’s finance execs are doing far more than balancing the books. They’re building forecasts, managing runway, and serving as critical strategic partners to founders and boards. We’ve been fielding lots of questions about what a competitive finance compensation package looks like in this climate… ask and you shall receive!

The TL;DR

• Director-level median compensation is $222K while VP and C-level leaders earn a median of $306K with the top quartile exceeding $350K
• Average bonus is 16 percent of base at the Director level and 31 percent at the VP and C-level
• VP-level compensation grew by 15.4 percent from 2022 to 2025 with the average now at $323K
• A gender pay gap persists with male VP and C-level respondents earning 33.5 percent more on average than female peers
• Only 35 percent of finance leaders are actively considering a job move in the next year with the majority staying put or undecided

Let’s Dive Into the Numbers 

Below is the breakdown of salary distribution within our sample, which includes Heads, Directors, VPs and C-level. This sample is reflective of Finance leaders within startup or scale-up companies throughout Canada.

What are you looking at?

The bar graphs below represent average compensation by level, including base salary and bonus/variable compensation (on target earnings or "OTE").

Digging Deeper

Wondering why those numbers feel higher than expected?

Finance leaders have seen a meaningful jump in compensation over the past few years, and for good reason! Since 2022, we’ve tracked an average increase of 15.4% at the VP level. Canadian companies are feeling the pressure to compete with US-based comp benchmarks, especially with an unfavourable exchange rate widening the gap between Canadian and US dollar offers. In lean capital conditions, finance leaders are tasked with preserving runway, building operational discipline, leading strategic trade-offs and preparing for investor scrutiny, so it’s no surprise that their value (and compensation) have risen accordingly.

What About Equity? 

There has been a dramatic uptick in the number of companies offering equity to finance professionals from 2022 to 2024. It's important to note that our data collection changed between 2022 and 2024 (read more about our new salary survey below), and might contribute to this trend. However, we have seen companies (especially earlier-stage start-ups) get creative with compensation packages in an increasingly cash-constrained environment, so this trend isn't entirely surprising. Offering equity to offset cash expenditure is a great way to retain top talent before significant growth has been achieved.

Hot tip: One thing we've seen work well in early-stage start-ups is offering a few cash/equity options (ie. lower cash/ higher equity, higher cash/lower equity) that allows the candidate to choose the ratio that works best for them.

Broader Market Trends 

Beyond the numbers, a few broader themes stand out that are shaping how companies think about hiring finance leaders, and how those leaders are approaching their careers.

The Gender Wage Gap Persists‍

Despite increased awareness and a growing commitment to pay equity, a significant compensation gap remains between male and female finance executives. In our data set, male VP and C-level respondents reported earning 33.5 percent more on average than their female peers. This gap reflects broader systemic issues - ranging from how roles are scoped and offers are structured, to bias in perceived leadership value.

Companies should take a proactive and accountable approach to compensation design, ensuring that equity is embedded in every stage of the hiring and promotion process. At the leadership level, pay transparency and intentional benchmarking are essential steps toward closing the gap. With new Canadian pay transparency laws rolling out across provinces, we’re hopeful that increased visibility into compensation will help drive more equitable outcomes in the years ahead. In the meantime, sharing compensation data (especially with women in your network) is one small but meaningful way to support pay equity in action.

The Passive Talent Market Is Real

While the broader talent market remains active, with many candidates exploring new opportunities, we’re seeing a different story when it comes to top-tier finance leaders. In our survey, only 35 percent of finance executives indicated they were open to a new role right now. And even that figure is likely inflated, given that our sample skews toward individuals who’ve already chosen to engage with a recruiting partner.

From what we’re seeing in practice, the strongest strategic finance leaders are heads-down, focused on preserving runway, navigating uncertainty, and delivering on growth plans in a lean capital environment. In the searches we’ve supported, a high volume of inbound applicants rarely translates to a strong shortlist - the right candidates are often passive, hard to reach, and highly selective. True to form, finance leaders tend to be methodical decision-makers. In today’s market, they aren’t making moves unless the opportunity aligns with their values, the numbers check out, and the path forward is clear.

Remote and Hybrid Work Are the Norm

While early-stage companies may still value occasional in-person collaboration, most finance leaders today expect some level of flexibility. Over 88 percent of respondents are working in either a hybrid or fully remote model. For executive candidates - especially those with deep experience and strong track records - rigid return-to-office policies can be a dealbreaker. Companies that offer autonomy and trust, along with location flexibility, are still better positioned to attract top-tier talent.

What’s Behind the Data?

Our snapshots provide valuable and current insights, derived from a select sample of individuals with verified and noteworthy experience in successful Canadian companies. This data, gathered from our recent searches and our newly launched Salary Survey, offers a more focused and relevant perspective than standard salary surveys.

• Each Salary Snapshot represents between 60 - 140 sources.
• Sources analyzed within the snapshots are aggregated from both direct conversations with candidates as well as our invitation-only tech salary survey of over 400 responses.
• Each source is an individual who we deem a promising candidate for a role within a high-growth tech company. Most are gainfully employed and many were recommended as exceptionally talented. As a result, our salary numbers might be skewed towards the top of the range.
• We elected not to show compensation figures related to equity or options. Though this was a significant aspect of the comp package for many execs, it’s often tough to put an annual dollar value on equity.

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For privacy reasons, we will not disclose any specific information that could reveal the identity of an individual or their employer.

Sharing is Caring! 

In the dynamic landscape of employment, salary data transparency acts as a transformative force benefiting both employers and job seekers alike. For employers, it provides a strategic advantage by aligning compensation packages with industry benchmarks, fostering equity, and enhancing recruitment appeal. Job seekers, armed with this knowledge, navigate their careers more strategically, negotiate effectively, and make informed decisions, contributing to a more open, fair, and empowered job market.

We believe that our Salary Snapshots are an effective delivery method for this data with our 4 T’s model:

Targeted: Specializing in the tech and innovation industry, our data reflects the compensation landscape of tech companies, making it directly relevant to your world.

Timely: Unlike traditional reports with multi-year lags, our 2024 salary data is up-to-date, providing you with the latest insights.

Trustworthy: Unlike free crowdsourced data, our information comes from one-on-one conversations with candidates actively involved in searches for our clients, ensuring reliability and accuracy.

Trim: We're agile and focused, offering a concise snapshot of current compensation trends, avoiding lengthy reports while retaining all the essential contextual information and analysis.

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