The 2026 APAC Partnerships Salary Survey, produced by Hockey Stick Advisory in collaboration with Pointer Strategy, is the first comprehensive compensation benchmark for partnership professionals across the Asia-Pacific region. Over 200 partnerships professionals contributed data spanning base salary, commission, bonuses, equity, benefits, and mobility.
This is the data the market has been missing. If you're hiring for partnership roles, negotiating your next move, or trying to benchmark your team's compensation - this is where you start.
What you're reading: This article presents key findings from the Snapshot Edition of the 2026 APAC Partnerships Salary Survey. The full Comprehensive Report includes deeper benchmarks, segmented insights by role level, industry, company stage, and region, plus actionable frameworks for hiring and retention. To access the full report, contact Hugo Bieber and the Pointer partnership recruitment team.
The Headline Numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Median base salary | $164,167 AUD |
| 25th percentile | $120,000 AUD |
| 75th percentile | $205,451 AUD |
| Minimum reported | $47,500 AUD |
| Maximum reported | $397,000 AUD |
| Median compensation split | 73% base / 27% commission |
| Commission eligibility | 45% of respondents |
| Bonus eligibility | 52% of respondents |
The distribution is concentrated in the $91K–$222K range, with a meaningful tail extending to $397K at the top end. This is a market where the middle is wide and the ceiling is real - particularly for revenue-adjacent roles at enterprise companies. For regularly updated benchmarks, view live partnership salary data on Pointer Market Data.
Salary by Role Level
Role level is the single strongest predictor of base salary. The banding is clear and - for the first time in APAC - standardising.
| Role Level | Median Base Salary (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Director of Partnerships | $222,500 |
| VP / Head of Partnerships | $185,000 |
| Senior Manager (Strategic Partnerships) | $160,000 |
| Partnerships Manager & Revenue-Owning ICs | $121,800 |
"For the first time, we are seeing clear mid-senior salary banding form in APAC. Median salaries for Senior Managers, VPs, and C-suite roles are clustering tightly within the $170K–$185K AUD band." - Bryan Williams, Founder, Hockey Stick Advisory
The gap between a Partnerships Manager ($122K) and a Director ($222K) is $100K in base alone. That differential creates real optionality for how companies structure their partnership investment - more on that below.
Salary by Company Stage
Company stage materially affects what partnership professionals earn.
Startups (1–100 employees)
Scaleups (100–500 employees)
Enterprise (500–1,000+ employees)
The progression is clear: enterprises pay the highest base and commissions, scaleups offer the strongest equity, and startups compensate with growth upside and flexibility.
Salary by Industry
Manufacturing and Industrial leads the pack - a finding that challenges the assumption that tech always pays the most for partnership roles.
| Industry | Median Base Salary (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing/Industrial | $188,500 |
| Technology (SaaS/Software) | $170,000+ |
| Fintech/Financial Services | $165,000+ |
| Professional Services | $155,000+ |
Financial Services has unexpectedly overtaken Tech as the primary driver of partnership job posts in the region. This signals a broadening of the function beyond its traditional SaaS roots.
Salary by Region and Remit
Partnership professionals with APAC-wide scope earn the most, reflecting the complexity and strategic importance of cross-market roles.
| Region/Remit | Median Base Salary (AUD) |
|---|---|
| APAC scope | $177,500 |
| ANZ scope | $165,000+ |
| Single market | $150,000+ |
Partnership Role Density Across APAC
| Country | Partnership Roles |
|---|---|
| Australia | 13,695 |
| Singapore | 4,542 |
| New Zealand | 1,683 |
| Malaysia | 1,598 |
Singapore has almost 3x more partnership roles per capita than Australia, reflecting its position as APAC's regional HQ hub. New Zealand, despite a smaller population, has nearly the same number of partnership roles as Malaysia - showing strong adoption of partner-led GTM among mid-sized Kiwi SaaS and services companies.
Commission and Variable Compensation
Commission Structure
Commission by role level:
| Role Level | Median Commission (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Director | $130,000 |
| VP / Head of Partnerships | $80,000 |
| Senior Manager | $50,000 |
| Partnerships Manager | $50,000 |
| Associate/Analyst | $30,000 |
Bonuses
Equity
Want the full variable compensation breakdown? The Comprehensive Report includes detailed commission and bonus data segmented by role level, industry, and company stage - plus OTE distributions and equity analysis. Contact Hugo and the team to get the full report.
Premium Report Data
Detailed benchmarks from the 2026 APAC Partnerships Salary Survey Comprehensive Report. Talk to our partnership team to access the full data.
Contact Us for the Full ReportBenefits: Flexibility Is Non-Negotiable
| Benefit | % Received | Most Valued |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible work & leave | 87.1% | 64% |
| Learning & growth | 48.5% | 6% |
| Health & wellbeing | 45.0% | 9% |
| Social & lifestyle | 32.7% | 3% |
| Financial perks | 22.8% | 13% |
The gap between "received" and "valued" is telling. Learning and wellbeing benefits are widely offered but rarely decisive in role decisions. Flexibility is both ubiquitous and overwhelmingly the most valued - it has become a baseline expectation and the strongest differentiator in partnership roles.
Work Arrangements
Job satisfaction is highest where flexibility is structured. Hybrid arrangements show the strongest satisfaction profile, while fully in-office roles show the most polarisation.
What This Means for Hiring
If you're building or scaling a partnership team in 2026, three things matter:
1. Get base salary right first. Higher base salary is the #1 reason partnership professionals leave. Variable comp and equity add upside, but they rarely compensate for under-market base pay. Benchmark against the role-level medians above.
2. Flexibility is table stakes. 87% already receive it. 64% call it their most valued benefit. If you're not offering hybrid or remote options, you're competing with one hand tied behind your back.
3. Career pathways drive retention. Career advancement (26%) and lack of growth opportunities (14%) together account for 40% of reasons people leave. A clear progression blueprint - mapped to specific capabilities and milestones - reduces the 73% flight risk.
Methodology
The 2026 APAC Partnerships Salary Survey was conducted by Hockey Stick Advisory in collaboration with Pointer Strategy, with data enrichment from Firmable. Over 200 partnership professionals across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia contributed anonymised compensation and career data. The survey covers base salary, bonuses, commissions, equity, benefits, work arrangements, mobility intentions, and job satisfaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get the Full Report
What you've read here is the Snapshot Edition. The Comprehensive Report goes deeper with:
To access the full report or discuss partnership hiring benchmarks for your team, [contact Hugo Bieber and the Pointer partnership recruitment team](/recruitment/partnerships).
*The 2026 APAC Partnerships Salary Survey was produced by Hockey Stick Advisory in collaboration with Pointer Strategy, with data enrichment from Firmable.*