%201.webp)
Pointer Index found that advertised pay for Account Executive roles in Australia and New Zealand ranges from $78,750 to $219,500, making it the most advertised title in go-to-market hiring.
The analysis counted 2,439 unique employer advertisements for Account Executive positions since late March. The title spans markedly different roles across technology, insurance, and advertising, media and public relations, with pay varying accordingly.
In technology, the median advertised package for an Account Executive was about $135,000. In insurance, where the work is more likely to centre on broking and client service, the median was about $105,000. In advertising, media and public relations, the median was about $78,750, reflecting a more junior client-service position.
At the upper end of the market, some enterprise software advertisements listed ranges above $500,000. Those figures refer to on-target earnings rather than base salary.
Account Executive was the most ambiguous title among the common go-to-market roles tracked in the report. Of the seven most common titles in the dataset, it had the widest pay spread.
Among advertisements that disclosed pay, the bottom tenth offered $78,750 or less, while the top tenth offered $219,500 or more. By comparison, the pay band for Marketing Manager roles ranged from low to high by 1.9 times, while Sales Manager roles showed a 2.2 times spread.
Ricky Pearl, Founder, Pointer Strategy, said the title often conceals very different work.
"It is virtually three jobs sharing the same name. The data suggests candidates should look beyond the Account Executive title when assessing opportunities, because the underlying business model and the type of sales work have a major impact on pay.
"Of the seven most common go-to-market titles the Index tracks, Account Executive has the widest pay spread by far. Among the ads that disclose pay, the bottom tenth advertises $78,750 or less and the top tenth $219,500 or more. Same words on the ad, 2.8 times apart. Every other common title, such as Marketing Manager at 1.9 times and Sales Manager at 2.2 times, holds a far tighter band."
City gap
The figures also showed a gap between Sydney and Melbourne. Median advertised pay for Account Executive roles in Sydney was $128,750, compared with $110,000 in Melbourne, a difference of 17% for the same title.
Most advertisements did not disclose salary. According to the report, 88% of Account Executive listings omitted pay information, and the published analysis relied on 266 unique advertisements that did include it.
Pearl said employers also face risks when using broad salary benchmarks for such a loosely defined title.
"If a salary benchmark quotes a market median for an Account Executive, ask which Account Executive. A blended median averages a $78,750 job with a $135,000 one and calls it a market rate.
"And with a title this ambiguous, an ad that hides the pay is asking candidates to guess which of the three jobs it is. The expensive ones guess wrong and never apply."
Hiring backdrop
The wider Pointer Index recorded 5,673 open go-to-market roles at the close of the latest measured week. That was down 3.6% from the previous week, marking a second consecutive weekly decline and the lowest level since late June.
The findings suggest a labour market where familiar job titles can mask large differences in seniority, remit, and pay. For candidates and employers alike, the label Account Executive no longer appears to reliably indicate what the job pays.