SDR manager compensation plan: what to pay and what to pay on
The median UK SDR manager earns about £80K base and £131K OTE. That is a split of about 61:39. The source is RepVue's self-reported UK data for October 2026.
A manager's plan can end up as a copy of an AE plan with smaller numbers. Or it becomes a flat bonus that pays out whatever happens. The manager's job is to build a team that creates reliable pipeline. So pay for team results. Put enough weight on quality that nobody fills calendars with weak meetings.
SDR (sales development representative) and BDR (business development representative) are the same job at most companies. Everything here applies to managers of either team.
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How much do SDR managers earn?
There is less public data on SDR manager pay than on rep pay. Most of it is self-reported. Use it as a range.
| Market | Base | OTE | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK, median | About £80K | About £131K | RepVue, UK sales development manager data, October 2026 (self-reported) |
| US, 0 to 2 years as manager | $100K to $140K | $140K to $200K | Betts Recruiting, 2025 compensation data |
| US, 3 to 5 years as manager | $135K to $190K | $170K to $230K | Betts Recruiting, 2025 |
First, the gap between a manager and their reps is large. RepVue's UK median OTE for SDRs was about £62K in October 2026. Sales Recruit UK, 2026, gives a lower rep figure of £49K OTE for UK SaaS. So a manager's OTE is roughly double to 2.7 times a rep's, depending on source. Second, the RepVue UK medians imply a split of about 61:39 base to variable. That is more variable than the typical rep plan. Treat it as a reading of self-reported data. Our SDR and BDR compensation guide has the rep benchmarks for comparison.
What should an SDR manager be paid on?
The manager decides who is hired and how reps are coached. They also decide how hard the team chases quality. Pay on the outcomes those decisions drive.
| Measure | Why it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Team accepted opportunities (SQOs) against team quota | The closest measure to what sales needs | Needs clear acceptance rules, or AEs become the bottleneck |
| Team pipeline value from SDR-sourced opportunities | Rewards targeting the right accounts | Deal sizing can be inflated early; use value at acceptance |
| Team meetings held | Simple, fast feedback | Rewards volume over quality if used alone |
| Share of reps at or near quota | Rewards building the whole team | Easy to game by lowering quotas; use it as a gate only |
Our default is two measures. Put around 70% of variable on team SQOs and 30% on SDR-sourced pipeline value. That is our view, with no benchmark behind it. Pay the manager little or nothing on closed-won revenue. The SDR team does not control the close. In a long sales cycle, the manager would be paid on last year's team.
Monthly or quarterly?
Reps usually work to a monthly number because feedback needs to be fast. Managers suit a quarterly plan. It smooths out one rep's bad month and covers a hiring cycle. It also matches how pipeline is planned. Pay quarterly, report monthly.
Five design rules
- Pay on team numbers only. Individual rep results belong in the reps' plans.
- Keep it to two measures. With a third, it gets hard to work out the payout.
- Use the same accelerator tiers as the reps. If reps earn 1.5x above quota, the manager should too. Then everyone wins in the same quarter.
- Adjust the team quota for headcount. A vacancy or a rep in month one should reduce the team quota. Otherwise the manager pays for someone else's hiring decision.
- Model the cost at 70%, 100% and 150% of quota before launch.
See inside
Worked example
Brockley Fleet Software is an invented company. It runs a team of six SDRs under one manager. That is close to the 6.4 SDRs per first-line manager in The Bridge Group's 2025 report.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Manager OTE | £110,000: £72,000 base and £38,000 variable (about 65:35) |
| Quarterly variable at 100% | £9,500: £6,650 on team SQOs (70%) and £2,850 on pipeline (30%) |
| Team quota per quarter | 120 SQOs and £1.2M of SDR-sourced pipeline |
| Accelerator tiers | 1.0x up to 100% of quota, 1.5x from 100% to 150%, 2.0x above 150% |
Here is what the plan pays in three different quarters:
| Quarter | SQOs (attainment) | Pipeline (attainment) | SQO payout | Pipeline payout | Total variable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weak | 90 (75%) | £840K (70%) | £4,987.50 | £1,995.00 | £6,982.50 (74% of target) |
| Strong on volume | 138 (115%) | £1.02M (85%) | £8,146.25 | £2,422.50 | £10,568.75 (111% of target) |
| Exceptional | 192 (160%) | £1.2M (100%) | £12,967.50 | £2,850.00 | £15,817.50 (167% of target) |
How the strong quarter is worked out: the first 100% of the SQO measure pays £6,650. The next 15% pays at 1.5x, so 15% of £6,650 times 1.5 is £1,496.25. Total £8,146.25. Pipeline at 85% pays 85% of £2,850.
Look at the strong quarter. The team beat its SQO number, but pipeline value lagged. That suggests smaller deals or the wrong accounts. The manager still earns more than target. The shortfall costs money, though, and points next quarter's coaching at targeting. Try other numbers in our free SDR comp plan calculator, which uses the same tiers.
When the team is still being built
Do not pay a new manager who inherits a half-empty team on a full-team quota. There are two common fixes:
- Guarantee part of the first quarter. Pay, say, 75% of target variable whatever the results. Do it while the manager hires and stabilises the team. The 75% is our estimate of a common range, so set your own.
- Pay on an adjusted quota. Count each ramping rep at a fraction of full quota. Use the same ramp schedule as the reps' plans.
Either way, write down when the guarantee ends.
Common mistakes
- Paying the manager on individual rep results. That rewards managing the top performer instead of the team.
- Paying on meetings booked. Use held or accepted meetings.
- Changing the reps' plan mid-year but not the manager's. The two then pull in different directions.
- Ignoring headcount, so a hiring freeze makes the manager's quota impossible.
For the KPIs that feed these measures, see our SDR and BDR KPIs and benchmarks guide.
Want the rep comp plan, team definitions and reporting in one place? The SDR Programme Playbook (£29 + VAT) is a Notion workspace you can duplicate and adapt.
Next steps: model your reps' pay in the SDR comp plan calculator. The free comp calculator for Notion keeps one row per rep.
Sources
- RepVue, Sales Development Manager salaries in the UK, data as of October 2026
- RepVue, Sales Development Representative salary in the UK, data as of October 2026
- Betts Recruiting, Tech sales manager compensation trends for 2025 (2 September 2025)
- Sales Recruit UK, SDR and BDR salary UK 2026
- The Bridge Group, SDR Models, Motions and Metrics, 2025 edition
Questions
What is a typical SDR manager salary in the UK?
RepVue's self-reported UK data for October 2026 shows a median of about £80K base. Median OTE is about £131K. Treat it as a guide: company size, team size and location all move the number.
What is the usual base to variable split for an SDR manager?
There is no strong public benchmark. RepVue's UK medians imply about 61:39. Our estimate is that many plans sit between 60:40 and 70:30. Managers usually carry a little more variable than their reps.
Should an SDR manager be paid on closed-won revenue?
Only a small share, if any. The SDR team creates pipeline but does not close it. In long sales cycles, closed revenue reflects work done months earlier. Use team SQOs and SDR-sourced pipeline as the main measures.
Should the SDR manager be paid monthly or quarterly?
Quarterly suits most managers. It smooths out one rep's bad month and covers a hiring cycle. It also matches how pipeline is planned. Report progress monthly so there are no surprises.
How many SDRs should one manager have?
The Bridge Group's 2025 SDR report found an average of 6.4 SDRs per first-line manager. That is down from 8 in its 2021 to 2023 editions. Size the manager's team quota to the real headcount.
Also: how to set an SDR quota.
Related guides
SDR and BDR comp plans
OTE benchmarks for the UK, US and Europe, and how to design the plan.
SDR and BDR KPIs
What to measure, and 2024-2025 benchmarks to sense-check against.
SDR comp plan calculator
Model payouts with accelerators before you launch the plan.
SDR comp plan template
Six fields, a worked example and a test before launch.
Turn this into a programme you can run
14 Notion modules and 6 working trackers for SDR leaders. KPI library, comp calculator, cadence builder, interview scorecard, tool scorecard and a 90-day roadmap. £29, one payment, plus VAT for UK and EU buyers.
Treat benchmarks as starting points. Tune them to your market, deal size and sales cycle. Every figure shows its source and year.