Sector Guide
Security buyers can tell in ninety seconds whether a seller understands the threat model. Our cyber practice is led by Fenn Hogan, a specialist in cyber security search and an ethical hacker, so the technical screen is real.
Key Facts
Fenn Hogan, cyber security specialist
SecOps, cloud security, identity, GRC
Security premium at top of band
From kick-off, every engagement
Offensive security and pen testing platforms, SecOps and detection and response, cloud and application security, identity and access management, data security and DSPM, GRC and cyber risk quantification, network security and DDI, and OT and IoT security.
We have placed revenue teams for vendors across these categories including Tenable, Infoblox, Swimlane, Safe Security, Hexrays and Kovrr.
Security deals are budget-constrained, compliance-driven and heavily influenced by analyst positioning and peer reference. A seller from generic SaaS usually struggles because the discovery conversation is about threat surface and control gaps, not workflow efficiency.
We screen for the vocabulary and the buying-committee map: CISO, security architect, SecOps lead, procurement and, increasingly, the board risk committee.
Enterprise and named account executives, security sales engineers and solutions architects, channel and MSSP alliances managers, customer success and technical account managers, and regional leadership from RVP to CRO.
2026 pay benchmarks
| Role | UK | US | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise AE | £90k–£110k base · £180k–£220k OTE | $140k–$170k base · $280k–$340k OTE | Large-ACV roles run 5.5–6x quota-to-OTE |
| Sales Engineer / SA | £85k–£110k base · £105k–£140k OTE | $150k–$185k base · $190k–$240k OTE | 80/20 split; cyber and AI infra pay a premium |
| VP / CRO (EMEA or NA) | £170k–£230k base · £320k–£430k OTE | $200k–$300k base · $400k–$600k OTE | Equity typically 0.5–1.5% at Series B |
Full dataset: 2026 GTM salary and hiring benchmarks. Model the cost of a vacant seat with the quota loss calculator.
FAQ
Yes. Our cyber practice is led by Fenn Hogan, a cyber security specialist and ethical hacker, which means candidates are technically screened by someone who understands the products they will sell. We cover offensive security, SecOps, cloud security, identity, data security and GRC.
Sometimes, and it works best where the buyer overlaps, for example an infrastructure or DevOps seller moving into cloud security. Moving from generic business SaaS into a CISO-facing role usually adds three to six months of ramp, which should be priced into the plan.
Contingent searches are charged as a percentage of first-year base salary, payable only on placement. Retained and RPO engagements are staged or fixed-fee and work out lower per hire at volume. We quote before any work starts, with no fee for the market map.
You receive a shortlist within 14 days of kick-off. Median time from kick-off to signed offer across our 2025 to 2026 searches is under six weeks, with the interview process itself the usual bottleneck rather than pipeline.
Contingent suits one-off or opportunistic hires. Retained suits leadership and confidential searches where you need guaranteed focus. RPO suits teams hiring five or more revenue seats in a year and wanting a single embedded partner.
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A short intro call is usually enough to tell whether we're the right partner for the search.
