Report · Professional Services

Stepping up in professional services: what it takes and what you should be paid

The BD and marketing career ladder, with what each rung pays and what it takes to climb it. Bandings are orientation, not gospel. Titles vary by firm. Packages in AUD including super.

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The BD and marketing career ladder in Australian professional services has five rungs. Titles vary by firm, and the bandings below are orientation, not gospel. Packages are in AUD including super.

Coordinator, $80k to $110k: the foundation. You run the mechanics of pitches, events, directories and CRM, and you learn how the firm wins work by watching it happen. Executive, $110k to $150k: adviser and coordinator of others. You own a practice group or a programme, you are trusted with partners, and you start to shape what gets pursued rather than just producing it.

Manager, $150k to $200k: leading pursuits. You run major tenders end to end, you manage people, and partners come to you for a view on whether to bid. Senior manager, $190k to $260k with 5 to 15 percent bonus: strategy and key clients. You own a sector or a key client programme, you carry targets, and you sit in the room when the firm decides where to invest.

Head of function, $240k to $350k with 15 to 25 percent bonus: leading the function. You set the strategy, build the team, report to the board or managing partner, and are judged on the firm’s growth rather than the quality of its pitches. Above that sit chief client and growth roles, which are priced individually.

The rule for moving up is the same at every rung. You are promoted only after you can already do the next level of work. Impact is the currency, not tenure. The people who climb fastest find a way to do the next job before they have the title, and make sure the right partners notice. Source: the ICON APAC 2026 salary and sentiment survey and our pay benchmarking benchmarks.

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