Sales Salary and Job Market in Australia 2026

You are chasing a sales role in Australia and you cannot find a single job ad that says what it pays. That is the reality right now. As of 14 October 2026, the JobRise live jobs feed shows 130 open sales listings in Australia, and not one of them shows a salary.

That gap is normal in sales hiring here. It also means you have to do the pay homework yourself before you get to the offer stage.

What the current listings show#

The 130 open sales listings on the Australian jobs hub are moving fast: 110 were posted in the last 30 days, and 66 in the last 7 days. So roughly half the market is fresh. If you have been sitting on the same shortlist for a month, it is stale.

Sydney dominates. Of the 130 open sales listings across Australia, Sydney has 60, Melbourne 21, Perth 5, Brisbane 3, and Macquarie Park 2. That concentration matters for pay, because Sydney packages are usually pitched higher to cover housing and commute costs, while Melbourne tends to run a little below.

The roles are almost all permanent. Full-time accounts for 125 of the 130 open sales listings, with 3 part-time and 2 contract. Contract sales work exists but it is thin, so treat a contract offer as a negotiation on day rate, not salary.

Here is a blunt read: the market is not desperate for juniors. Entry-level looking titles, meaning intern, graduate, junior, trainee and similar, account for 0 of the 130 open sales listings. If you are early career, you are competing for "Sales Coordinator" or "Sales Administration and Support Advisor" type roles, and you should be building transferable skills in the meantime.

Who is hiring#

Okta has 11 open sales listings, the most of any company in the slice. Rentokil Initial has 8, Stripe 7, Datadog 6, Anthropic 5, Red Bull 5, Intercom 5, Lyka 4, Stranger Soccer 4, and efm 4. Some of these names are recruiters or staffing firms advertising on behalf of clients, so read the fine print before you assume you are applying to the brand itself.

The job titles tell you where the demand sits. Examples currently open include "Sales Administration and Support Advisor" at Online Education Services, "APAC GTM Enablement Lead" at Anthropic, "AI Senior Sales Development Representative (SDR)" at ShiftCare, "Senior Business Development Manager - Outbound (AU)" at ShiftCare, "Sales Coordinator" at Crown Equipment, "Field Sales Consultant" at Red Energy, "Account Executive, Enterprise - Financial Services" at Braze, and "Expression of Interest - Account Manager" at We Are Social.

Enterprise account executives and outbound business development managers are the two shapes showing up most. Both are quota-carrying. Both come with variable pay.

For country context, the JobRise Hiring Report for Australia shows 462 open listings across all categories, 346 posted in the last 30 days. Sales is roughly a quarter of that, so it is a healthy slice but not the whole market.

What sales roles typically pay#

No listing in this slice shows a salary, so treat everything below as a rough reported range, not a promise. Pay varies by city, industry, quota size, and how much of the package is at risk. Verify against current sources before you anchor to any figure.

Account executives in Australia commonly report base salaries in the low-to-mid six figures once they are past the graduate stage, with variable pay on top that can add 30% to 100% of base depending on the plan. SDR and BDM roles sit lower on base and higher on variable. Enablement and operations roles like "APAC GTM Enablement Lead" tend to be mostly fixed pay with a small bonus.

The pattern I would expect if you asked around: entry-ish sales roles land somewhere in the $65k to $85k base range, mid-level AEs and BDMs in the $95k to $140k base range, and enterprise or strategic AEs pushing past $150k base with a big variable component. Those are indicative only. Check current salary data before you quote them in a negotiation.

Local pay norms you need to know#

Superannuation is the big one. The super guarantee rate is a percentage of your ordinary time earnings that your employer pays on top of your base, and it goes into your nominated fund. When you compare offers, confirm whether the quoted figure is inclusive or exclusive of super. It is not a bonus and you cannot negotiate it as one.

On-target earnings, or OTE, is the number recruiters quote. It is base plus variable if you hit quota. Ask what percentage of the team actually hit quota last year. If they dodge the question, assume the OTE is aspirational.

A 13th month salary is not standard in Australia. If you see it offered, treat it as a genuine differentiator and get it in writing. Equity or share options show up in tech roles, especially at companies like Stripe, Datadog, Okta, and Anthropic, but the grant size and vesting terms matter far more than the headline number.

Commission plans vary wildly. Ask about the draw period for new hires, the clawback terms on lost deals, and whether commission is paid on bookings or on collected revenue. The second one kills more deals than people expect.

How to negotiate the offer#

Do not start the conversation before you know your number. Use the salary negotiation tool to build a range from what you actually need plus what the market is showing, so you are not negotiating from nerves.

Then script it. Here is a version you can say out loud:

"Thanks for the offer. Based on the quota and the enterprise scope of the role, I was expecting a base closer to $145,000. The OTE you have described lines up with what I want to earn, but the base is what I need to commit to the ramp period. Can we look at moving the base up, or at a signing bonus to cover the gap in the first six months?"

That works because it is specific, it is tied to the role scope, and it gives the hiring manager two ways to say yes. Never negotiate against yourself by naming a range with a low floor.

Practical checklist before you accept:

• Confirm whether the quoted base includes super, and get the number both ways in writing.
• Ask for the commission plan as a document, not a verbal summary.
• Ask what percentage of the sales team hit quota in the last full year.
• Ask about the ramp period, any draw, and clawback terms on lost deals.
• Check the notice period and any non-compete clause in the contract.
• Ask about equity: grant size, vesting schedule, and what happens if you leave early.
• Get the OTE split written as base and variable, not one blended number.

Free tools#

• Sales jobs in Australia
• JobRise Hiring Report: Australia
• free salary negotiation guide

FAQ#

How many sales jobs are open in Australia right now?

As of 14 October 2026, the JobRise live jobs feed shows 130 open sales listings in Australia, with 110 posted in the last 30 days and 66 in the last 7 days. Treat this as a dated snapshot of live listings, not a full market survey.

Which companies have the most open sales roles?

Okta has 11 open sales listings, Rentokil Initial 8, Stripe 7, Datadog 6, Anthropic 5, Red Bull 5, Intercom 5, Lyka 4, Stranger Soccer 4, and efm 4. Some of these are recruiters or staffing firms, so check who the actual employer is.

Why do Australian sales job ads rarely show pay?

Pay in sales is heavily variable, so employers prefer to negotiate based on your experience and the quota. That is why 0 of the 130 open sales listings in this slice show a salary. You have to research ranges yourself and ask directly.

Is OTE the same as my actual earnings?

No. OTE is what you earn if you hit quota exactly. Ask what percentage of the team hit quota last year and how the commission plan pays out before you treat OTE as real money.

Should I negotiate superannuation?

No, the super guarantee rate is set by the government and applies to your ordinary time earnings. You can negotiate base, variable target, signing bonus, equity, and leave, but not the super rate itself.