Head of Customer Success Salary Overview
Heads of Customer Success at SaaS companies lead the CS organization, owning retention, expansion, and customer health. They manage Directors of Customer Success, Customer Success Managers, and Implementation Specialists. The role typically reports to the CRO or CEO and partners closely with Head of Sales.
Head of Customer Success compensation reflects the role's direct impact on net revenue retention and expansion revenue. The career path focuses on driving retention and customer outcomes, advancing to VP of Customer Success. View all SaaS salary benchmarks.
Detailed Head of Customer Success Compensation Breakdown
Percentile Band | Average Base Salary | # of salaries |
|---|---|---|
| Top 25% | $151,750 | 22 salaries |
| Middle 50% | $80,274 | 41 salaries |
| Bottom 25% | $35,435 | 17 salaries |
What Drives Higher Head of Customer Success Pay?
NRR and GRR ownership — direct accountability for retention metrics
Customer base size and total ARR under management
Enterprise vs SMB focus — enterprise CS leaders earn more
Upsell and expansion revenue responsibility
Head of Customer Success Compensation Structure
Base salary is the primary component (70–80% of total comp)
Variable pay tied to NRR, GRR, and churn reduction targets
Equity grants significant at growth-stage companies (0.05–0.3%)
Expansion bonuses for exceeding upsell and cross-sell targets
