Based on 70+ submitted data points across BizOps, CoS, and Strategic Finance roles
The market has effectively split in two. Mega-funded AI companies are offering packages disconnected from the rest of startup land — $200K+ base for candidates with just 2–3 years of experience, and $300K+ for those with 5–10 years. Everyone else — earlier-stage startups, non-AI companies — is operating in a different band entirely.
For most founders hiring into BizOps, CoS, or Strategic Finance roles, the AI lab comp levels are not the relevant benchmark. Candidates evaluating those offers are making a fundamentally different bet — higher current valuation, lower equity upside, more cash up front.
Across Omna data, the equity gap between Seed and Series E+ is 13x — averaging 1.2% at Seed vs. 0.09% at Series E+. Base salary moves in the opposite direction: Series E+ pays $227K vs. $165K at Seed.
The jump from 4–6 years to 7–10 years (+$31K, or +18%) is the steepest step-up in our dataset — a bigger move than from 1–3 to 4–6 years (+$28K). This bracket is also Omna's highest-volume cohort by a wide margin.
| YOE | Avg base | n |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 yrs | $146K | 18 |
| 4–6 yrs | $174K | 18 |
| 7–10 yrs | $205K | 36 |
| 11+ yrs | $223K | 12 |
In earlier versions of this report, MBB candidates commanded a ~10% / $18K base-salary premium over non-MBB peers. With more data points, that gap has narrowed to ~5% / $9K. Top-tier non-MBB profiles — T2/boutique consulting, banking + PE, F500 + MBA, deep operators — are increasingly winning premium offers, especially in Senior Leadership and Strategic Finance.
Senior Leadership roles (VP, Director, GM, Head of Ops) average $222K — the highest of any role type, with a heavy concentration of bonus-eligible offers. Strategic Finance follows at $208K. BizOps and Strategy & Ops sit in the $170s, reflecting their broader use across stages and YOE levels.
| Role type | Avg base | n |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Leadership | $222K | 20 |
| Strategic Finance | $208K | 11 |
| Chief of Staff | $179K | 13 |
| Strategy & Ops | $172K | 15 |
| BizOps | $170K | 24 |
Senior Leadership data points included a bonus in 65% of offers — the highest of any role type. Chief of Staff roles had a bonus 46% of the time. For BizOps, Strategy & Ops, and Strategic Finance, bonuses appeared in only ~33–36% of offers and were typically 8–15% of base. The highest bonuses were concentrated in Series B–D companies — enough revenue to pay performance comp, enough growth pressure to make it meaningful.
Combined, B2B SaaS and AI account for roughly half of all data points (n=41). Their averages sit within $14K of each other — and many companies in the dataset are explicitly cross-labeled (AI B2B SaaS, AI Infra SaaS, AI Consumer SaaS) — so we treat them as a single sector here. Healthcare follows at $187K, with Consumer/Retail and FinTech clustered just behind in a tight band.
| Sector | Avg base | n |
|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS / AI | $195K | 41 |
| Healthcare | $187K | 19 |
| Consumer/Retail | $183K | 10 |
| FinTech | $183K | 8 |
Within the combined bucket, AI placements skew slightly higher on starting equity (0.36% vs 0.22%) and MBB share (52% vs 35%) — useful to keep in mind when calibrating offers for AI-first companies specifically.
For founders calibrating offers in BizOps, Chief of Staff, or Strategic Finance roles, the table below reflects average base salary and starting equity grant across Omna's data points by stage. Equity is heavily front-loaded; cash compensation rises steadily through Series B and accelerates again at Series E+.
| Stage | Avg base | Avg equity | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Seed/Seed | $165K | 1.18% | 11 |
| Series A | $183K | 0.40% | 27 |
| Series B | $198K | 0.22% | 18 |
| Series C | $184K | 0.05% | 9 |
| Series D | $180K | 0.07% | 9 |
| Series E+ | $227K | 0.09% | 5 |