SaaS VP Engineering Salary 2026: $193K Median

Vice President of Engineering Salary Overview

$104,063

Bottom 25% Average

Early-stage startups

$186,530

Middle 50% Average

Growth companies

$227,934

Top 25% Average

Late-stage/public companies

Vice Presidents of Engineering at SaaS companies lead the entire engineering organization, setting technical strategy, managing multiple teams, and driving execution. They oversee Directors of Engineering, Engineering Managers, and Senior Software Engineers, while partnering with the CTO on architecture and technology direction.

VP of Engineering compensation reflects the role's executive scope and team-building responsibility. This role works closely with VP of Product on roadmap execution and is a common stepping stone to CTO. View all SaaS salary benchmarks.

Detailed Vice President of Engineering Compensation Breakdown

Percentile Band	Average Base Salary	# of salaries
Top 25%	$227,934	35 salaries
Middle 50%	$186,530	61 salaries
Bottom 25%	$104,063	32 salaries

What Drives Higher VP of Engineering Pay?

Size of engineering org (50+ engineers commands top-tier pay)
Company stage and ARR — Series D+ pays 20–35% more
Track record of scaling teams through rapid growth phases
Prior VP or CTO experience at successful SaaS companies

VP of Engineering Compensation Structure

Base salary is 60–75% of total compensation
Equity grants are substantial (0.25–1.0% at growth-stage)
Performance bonuses tied to delivery milestones and team metrics
Public company RSUs can double total compensation beyond base

Frequently Asked Questions

The median SaaS VP of Engineering base salary is $192,500, with a typical range of $157,500–$205,155. The average base is $177,234 across 128 verified salaries. Total compensation including equity and bonuses often exceeds $300K at growth-stage and public companies.

VPs of Engineering and CTOs can earn similar base salaries, but CTOs typically receive larger equity grants and broader scope. At smaller companies the CTO is often the sole engineering leader, while at larger companies the VP of Engineering manages day-to-day execution and the CTO focuses on technical vision and strategy.

The most common path is Software Engineer to Senior Engineer, then Engineering Manager, Director of Engineering, and VP of Engineering. Some reach the role through the technical track via Principal Engineer or Head of Engineering. The next step is typically CTO or a general management role.

Yes. Our data shows a $157,500–$205,155 typical range across 128 salaries. Late-stage companies (Series D+) pay the highest base salaries, while early-stage startups compensate with larger equity stakes (0.5–1.0%) that can be worth significantly more if the company succeeds.

Equity varies by company stage. At Series A startups, VPs of Engineering can expect 0.5–1.0% equity. At Series C+, grants shrink to 0.1–0.5% but at higher valuations. At public SaaS companies, annual RSU refreshers of $100K–$300K are common, making total compensation $350K–$500K+.

Related Salary Benchmarks

Engineering Manager$125K - $200K Director of Engineering$160K - $183K Head of Engineering$99K - $189K CTO$100K - $210K Software Engineer$75K - $140K Senior Software Engineer$92K - $165K

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