Each year I analyze the results of self-reported salary information to get a current understanding of average compensation levels across the Biopharmaceutical and Medical Technology industry. I have the data broken out by four different levels of marketing positions and by company size. The intent is to provide select clients with real-time bench-marking information that can help their organization stay current as they attempt to attract and retain key employees. This is information provided by real marketing personnel working in the Drug and Med Tech industry in 2016, in contrast to syndicated data gathered from surveys of job-band salary ranges, which are not based on individual’s salaries and are typically published 6-12 months after they are reported.

The four levels of marketing positions I’ve analyzed are:
1. Product Managers, Associate Product Managers or other titles assigned to personnel with less than five years of upstream, pipeline planning or downstream marketing experience
2. Sr. Product Managers, Group Product Managers or other titles assigned to personnel with five or more years of marketing experience who are at the highest level of individual contributor and working in a role that is not intended to have direct reports.
3. First-line Marketing Managers, Associate Directors or Directors. These are people who have or will have direct reports assigned to them.
4. Senior Directors, Vice Presidents or other titles of personnel who lead the marketing function of an organization, and are most often managers of managers. These positions do not include Sales, Business Development, Managed Care or other functions that typically report into the C Suite or Sr. VP level.

Employers are defined as “Large” if they generate 1B or more in annual revenue and / or have more than 5000 employees. This base salary analysis does not consider bonuses or equity packages, which are generally more comprehensive in smaller and mid-sized organizations than in larger ones.

Results – Biopharmaceutical Industry

Marketing Level I
Associate Product Managers, Product Managers and other junior-level, individual contributors with fewer than five years of marketing experience: The average base salary for Level I marketers in 2016 was $115,200. Among large employers the average was $119,705, and among small and mid-size employers the average was $105,625.
Marketing Level II
Sr. Product Managers, Product Managers and personnel with five or more years of marketing experience who are senior-level, individual contributors and working in a role that is not intended to have direct reports. The average base salary for Level II marketers in 2016 was $143,163. Among large employers the average was $147,648, and among small and mid-size employers the average was $133,944.
Marketing Level III
First-line managers, including Group Marketing Managers, Associate Directors and Directors – these are marketing managers who have or will have direct reports assigned to them. The average base salary for Level III marketers in 2016 was $176,294. Among large employers the average was $185,304, and among small and mid-size employers the average was $168,892.
Marketing Level IV
Senior Directors, Vice Presidents or other personnel who lead the marketing function of an organization. They are not responsible for Sales, Business Development, Managed Care or other functions reporting into the Chief level. The average base salary for Level IV marketers in 2016 was $224,842. Among large employers the average was $258,833, and among small and mid-size employers the average was $209,153.

Results – Medical Technology Industry (Medical Device and Diagnostics)

Marketing Level I
Associate Product Managers, Product Managers and other junior-level, individual contributors with fewer than five years of marketing experience: The average base salary for Level I marketers in 2016 was $105,593. Among large employers the average was $114,861, and among small and mid-size employers the average was $98,920.
Marketing Level II
Sr. Product Managers, Product Managers and personnel with five or more years of marketing experience who are senior-level, individual contributors and working in a role that is not intended to have direct reports. The average base salary for Level II marketers in 2016 was $138,082. Among large employers the average was $145,794, and among small and mid-size employers the average was $132,405.
Marketing Level III
First-line managers, including Group Marketing Managers, Associate Directors and Directors – these are marketing managers who have or will have direct reports assigned to them. The average base salary for Level III marketers in 2016 was $169,147. Among large employers the average was $174,364, and among small and mid-size employers the average was $163,042.
Marketing Level IV
Senior Directors, Vice Presidents or other personnel who lead the marketing function of an organization. They are not responsible for Sales, Business Development, Managed Care or other functions reporting into the Chief or Sr. VP level. The average base salary for Level IV marketers in 2016 was $214,501. Among large employers the average was $233,555, and among small and mid-size employers the average was $204,412.

ANALYSIS
As in prior years there was a 30-40K gap in the average base salaries from one level to the next (the gap is wider at higher levels, as would be expected). Across all levels salaries have risen by 2-3% above 2015, which is a slightly lower growth rate than the prior year, and the lower level marketers enjoyed a greater increase than those at higher levels. There continues to be a gap between base salaries paid by large-cap companies versus their smaller counterparts. The percentage gap between large and small organizations is greater at the Director and VP levels than at lower levels (on the other hand, equity packages at those levels are much richer in smaller companies than in larger ones).

Despite ongoing contraction and layoffs, marketers in the Biopharma industry continued to earn a slightly higher base salary than their counterparts in the Med Tech space, with a 5-8% difference across the various levels.

Overall, base salaries continued to trend upward in the BioPharma and Medical Technology industries in 2016, which is consistent with the employment and new job creation rates reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.