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Role guide

Enterprise sales recruitment for software scale-ups

Enterprise account executives carry the largest single line in your plan. We identify, assess and secure AEs who close six and seven-figure, multi-stakeholder deals in cloud, cyber, DevOps and AI.

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Key facts

Shortlist
14 days

From kick-off, every engagement

UK enterprise AE OTE
£180k–£220k

£90k–£110k base, 50/50 split

US enterprise AE OTE
$280k–$340k

$140k–$170k base

Quota-to-OTE
5.5x–6x

Typical large-ACV enterprise seat

What an enterprise AE search looks like

An enterprise search starts with a live market map, not a database dump. We build the list of companies selling into the same buyer, at the same deal size, through the same motion, then work that list directly. Most of the people we place are not applying to anything when we call them.

Every search is founder-led. You speak to the person doing the work, not an account manager, and you see the map before we approach anyone so you can veto competitors, partners or investors.

How we assess enterprise sellers

Attainment claims are checked, not accepted. We ask for the plan, the territory, the number, the ranking in the team and the split between new logo and expansion, and we reference those numbers with people who managed the candidate rather than the referees they nominate.

We also test process literacy. Enterprise buyers run procurement, security review and legal in parallel, so a seller who cannot articulate multi-threading, mutual action plans and commercial structure will stall in month four regardless of how well they interview.

Why speed matters on an enterprise seat

An unfilled enterprise seat with a £1m quota at 75% attainment leaks roughly £2,900 of expected bookings for every selling day it stays open. Cut a 90-day hire to 30 days and you recover around £170,000 of pipeline capacity, which is several times any search fee.

That is the whole argument for paying for speed and accuracy: you are not comparing a fee to zero, you are comparing it to the cost of waiting.

2026 pay benchmarks

What these roles pay

RoleUKUSNote
Mid-market AE£70k–£85k base · £140k–£170k OTE$120k–$140k base · $240k–$280k OTE50/50 split standard, quota 4–5x OTE
Enterprise AE£90k–£110k base · £180k–£220k OTE$140k–$170k base · $280k–$340k OTELarge-ACV roles run 5.5–6x quota-to-OTE
Sales Director / RVP£120k–£150k base · £240k–£300k OTE$180k–$230k base · $360k–$450k OTETeam quota 5–6x, equity meaningful

Full dataset: 2026 GTM salary and hiring benchmarks. Model the cost of a vacant seat with the quota loss calculator.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to hire an enterprise account executive?
Plan for six weeks from kick-off to signed offer. We deliver the shortlist inside 14 days; the remaining time is your interview process, panel availability and notice negotiation. Searches that overrun almost always do so on interview scheduling, not on candidate supply.
What should an enterprise AE be paid in 2026?
In the UK, £90k to £110k base with £180k to £220k OTE. In the US, $140k to $170k base with $280k to $340k OTE. Large-ACV seats run a 5.5x to 6x quota-to-OTE ratio, and equity is expected at Series B and earlier.
What does GTM Search cost?
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.
How long does a search take?
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, retained or RPO: which should we use?
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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