2026 Executive Compensation Guide
Interactive Compensation & Salary Benchmark Explorer
Verified compensation bands for C-Suite, Healthcare, Technology, and Operations leaders. Sourced from active 2026 engaged searches, placement disclosures, and board compensation committees.
Healthcare C-Suite
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) · Health System / Post-Acute
25th Percentile
$450,000
50th Median
$650,000
75th Percentile
$920,000
90th Percentile
$1,350,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
35% – 60% Target Bonus · LTIP / Board Phantom Equity
Key Placement Drivers:
Census growth, CMS Quality Star ratings, EBITDA performance, regional expansion.
Healthcare C-Suite
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) · Healthcare / Hospital
25th Percentile
$310,000
50th Median
$420,000
75th Percentile
$580,000
90th Percentile
$780,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
25% – 45% Target Bonus · Performance Bonus / Long-Term Incentive
Key Placement Drivers:
PDPM reimbursement optimization, debt covenants, M&A integration, revenue cycle management.
Healthcare C-Suite
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) · Regional Health System
25th Percentile
$380,000
50th Median
$480,000
75th Percentile
$620,000
90th Percentile
$810,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
20% – 35% Target Bonus · Retention Stipend / Incentive Pool
Key Placement Drivers:
Medical Executive Committee alignment, physician recruitment, clinical governance, service-line ROI.
Senior Care Leadership
Director of Nursing (DON) · 120+ Bed Skilled Nursing Facility
25th Percentile
$115,000
50th Median
$142,000
75th Percentile
$168,000
90th Percentile
$195,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
15% – 25% Target Bonus · Sign-on Bonus + Survey Performance Pool
Key Placement Drivers:
CMS 2567 deficiency-free surveys, travel agency reduction, RN retention, MDS accuracy.
Senior Care Leadership
Licensed Nursing Home Administrator (NHA)
25th Percentile
$125,000
50th Median
$158,000
75th Percentile
$185,000
90th Percentile
$220,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
15% – 30% Target Bonus · Annual Occupancy Bonus
Key Placement Drivers:
Facility P&L, state regulatory compliance, occupancy census >90%, staff turnover metrics.
Technology & AI
VP of Engineering · Series C Tech / AI-Native
25th Percentile
$260,000
50th Median
$330,000
75th Percentile
$420,000
90th Percentile
$540,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
20% – 35% Target Bonus · 0.50% – 1.25% Equity ISOs
Key Placement Drivers:
AI product delivery velocity, 100+ engineer scale, inference cost optimization, retention.
Technology & AI
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) · Fintech
25th Percentile
$280,000
50th Median
$360,000
75th Percentile
$460,000
90th Percentile
$610,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
25% – 40% Target Bonus · 0.40% – 0.90% Equity / RSUs
Key Placement Drivers:
SOC 2 Type II compliance, bank partnership security audits, zero breach record.
Operations & Industrial
Plant General Manager · Continuous Process Manufacturing
25th Percentile
$190,000
50th Median
$240,000
75th Percentile
$310,000
90th Percentile
$410,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
25% – 40% Target Bonus · PE Sponsor Co-Invest / Carry
Key Placement Drivers:
OSHA recordable rate = 0, OEE efficiency, multi-shift floor retention, EBITDA margin.
Finance & Wealth
Senior Wealth Advisor · Regional RIA ($150M+ Book)
25th Percentile
$220,000
50th Median
$340,000
75th Percentile
$520,000
90th Percentile
$850,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
40% – 60% Grid Payout Target Bonus · Equity Partnership / Book Transfer Multiplier
Key Placement Drivers:
AUM portability percentage (>65%), household retention, non-solicit legal clearance.
Private Equity & Executive
PE Operating Partner (GTM / Technology / AI)
25th Percentile
$400,000
50th Median
$550,000
75th Percentile
$750,000
90th Percentile
$1,100,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
50% – 100% Target Bonus · 0.75% – 2.25% Fund Carry / Co-Invest
Key Placement Drivers:
100-day plan execution velocity, EBITDA uplift, portfolio tech modernization, exit multiples.
Technology & AI
Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) Lead · Enterprise AI
25th Percentile
$220,000
50th Median
$285,000
75th Percentile
$360,000
90th Percentile
$450,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
20% – 35% Target Bonus · 0.25% – 0.75% Equity ISOs
Key Placement Drivers:
Customer deployment latency, enterprise LLM integration, ACV expansion, client satisfaction.
Executive Search
Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) · Scale-Up / B2B SaaS
25th Percentile
$320,000
50th Median
$420,000
75th Percentile
$580,000
90th Percentile
$800,000
Annual Bonus & Equity Structure:
75% – 100% OTE Target Bonus · 1.00% – 2.50% Equity
Key Placement Drivers:
ARR velocity, net retention >120%, sales team quota attainment, multi-channel GTM scale.