SaaS GTM Hiring Snapshot

+19% average comp uplift, H1 2026 · 5,000+ candidate conversations a month · 30,000+ candidates in our network.

The Market Right Now

Hiring's back, but not 2021 back. SDR/AE searches are live across AI infrastructure, fintech, cybersecurity and telco SaaS. Series B/C teams are rebuilding outbound functions they wound down last year.

Briefs are sharper. Vague scopes and below-market offers no longer move candidates who have options. The companies moving fastest already know their ICP and have a real onboarding plan.

Biggest shift: companies are moving from inbound and partner-led growth to direct outbound. That usually means a different SDR profile, and often a different manager.

What's Moving Candidates

• A real path to AE. 18 to 24 months is now the expected timeline, and candidates will ask for specifics. Vague answers lose them.
• Money, said out loud. Candidates are explicit about wanting to hit six figures, and they'll check OTE attainment on Glassdoor before interview one.
• Autonomy over micromanagement. Candidates increasingly screen for this at interview. It's the top reason they give for leaving a role.
• Ex-agency recruiters are converting well. Recruiters with 2 to 4 years of agency experience arrive already trained in cold calling and CRM hygiene.

The Hire Your GTM Team Probably Needs Next: The GTM Engineer

This role builds and owns the outbound engine: signal-triggered sequences, AI personalisation at scale, intent data, CRM automation. Tools we see repeatedly in these briefs: Clay, Apollo, Unify, Instantly. It's a technical, hands-on build role, closer to a growth engineer than a people manager. Traditional SDR Managers are consistently failing interviews for it, because managing people and building systems are different skills.

£80–120k OTE in London · rare supply · move fast when you find one

Where Searches Stall

• Office policy. Three days is the London norm for SDRs and AEs. Five shrinks your pool by roughly half, more in competitive searches. Germany and the Netherlands run the opposite way: one to two days is the expectation there.
• Salary. Being 15 to 20% below market means fewer applicants, more candidates declining to interview, and searches running 6 to 10 weeks longer than planned.

The fix: benchmark before you brief. A 20-minute call before going to market is cheaper than restarting a search.

The EMEA Language Premium

• German speakers are the most sought-after profile in London SaaS right now. DACH expansion is the most common growth motion for UK scale-ups, and supply hasn't kept pace.
• Experienced German SDRs are routinely declining offers below £60k.
• Candidates based in Germany expect different office and comp terms, so a London search for a Berlin hire needs its own brief.
• French speakers carry a similar premium. Dutch and Nordic speakers are rising fast for Benelux and Nordics expansion.

Recent Placements

Average base salary uplift, H1 2026: +19%.