Office & Administration and Investments: UK, US and Dubai
2026 edition. Data to October 2026. Updated October 2026.
Family office compensation is not a salary market. It is a collection of individual packages, shaped by the size of the office, the preferences of the Principal, the geography and the scarcity of the person. Published benchmarks exist. They describe a narrow slice. The rest is negotiated one package at a time, behind the confidentiality that characterises the sector.
This guide follows the way a private or family office is organised. Part one covers office and administration: the Chief of Staff and the executive support around them, the office's leadership, finance, legal and governance. Part two covers investments. Household and lifestyle roles, from the Estate Manager to the private chef, are in our Household & Lifestyle Salary Guide.
The ranges are guidance, not quotation. A CIO in a London-based £500m family office and a CIO in a New York-based $5bn family office share a title. Their compensation can differ by a multiple. Treat these numbers as a starting point for scoping, not a rule.
For current opportunities, see Current jobs. To discuss a hire, see our Private and Family Office practice. For luxury hospitality and brand roles, see our Luxury Hospitality and Brands Salary Guide.
The ranges start from Oplu's own work: the packages agreed in our searches and placements since 2021, the compensation discussed in our live searches, and the salary data on Oplu's register of more than 100,000 candidates across Private and Family Offices and private households. We check them against the published market: specialist family office surveys and the published data of specialist recruiters, each at its latest edition and restated to 2026 at 5% a year. Broad-market figures can set the bottom of a range, never its level. Where we have not placed a role, the published figures carry more of the weight. Oplu's Managing Directors review every range before it is published. All figures are aggregated and anonymised; no individual's pay, employer or identity is disclosed, and none can be recovered from the ranges. Our UK evidence is the deepest. Ranges show gross base salary unless stated; Dubai figures are net of tax. Bonus, carried interest and benefits are noted where they form part of the package. The guide is reviewed annually. This edition reflects data to October 2026.
Before the numbers, a note on structure. Family office packages typically have four components.
Base salary. Paid monthly. The predictable part. Usually benchmarked against comparable private office or investment roles.
Annual bonus. Discretionary or formulaic. For office roles, set by the Principal and paid for performance against qualitative objectives. For investment roles, higher, and tied to portfolio or fund performance.
Long-term incentive. For senior and investment staff: carry, deferred bonus, phantom equity or co-investment rights, typically vested over three to five years. Often the largest economic component over time.
Benefits and in-kind compensation. Health cover, pension contributions, relocation where relevant and, for some senior roles, accommodation, a car, school fees or flight allowances. In certain jurisdictions these are structured for tax efficiency.
Gross against net matters. US and UK roles are usually quoted gross. Some Middle East and Asia roles are quoted net of tax. Currency of payment, tax residency and the jurisdiction of the employment contract all change take-home pay. A number on a term sheet is not a comparison until the structure is understood.
The office that runs a Principal's affairs: the Chief of Staff and the executive support around them, the office's leadership, finance, legal and governance.
Chief of Staff to a Principal (UK). £80,000 to £150,000 base in most offices. Senior mandates in complex, multi-entity offices reach £150,000 to £200,000. Bonus is usually discretionary and set by the Principal. The role is harder to benchmark than the numbers suggest, because its scope varies so widely between Principals.
Chief of Staff to a Principal (US). $150,000 to $300,000 base, with New York and the Bay Area at the upper end. In larger offices with a significant governance load, total compensation including bonus can exceed $400,000.
Chief of Staff (Dubai). $180,000 to $320,000 net base, with housing and schooling provided in most arrangements.
Executive Assistant to a Principal (UK). £45,000 to £85,000 base. Senior EAs to a Principal in a complex, multi-entity office sit above this range, particularly where the role carries chief-of-staff-adjacent scope without the title.
Executive Assistant to a Principal (US). $80,000 to $190,000 base, with New York at the upper end. At the senior end, total compensation including bonus can reach $240,000.
Executive Assistant to C-Suite (UK). £60,000 to £95,000 base.
Personal Assistant (UK). £40,000 to £75,000 base for office-based PAs. Private PAs, who cover several residences and travel with the Principal, are in our Household & Lifestyle Salary Guide.
PA to a Founder (UK). £50,000 to £90,000 base, depending on scope, travel and hours. Roles with extensive travel and round-the-clock availability reach £120,000 or more.
PA to a Founder (US). $80,000 to $160,000 base, with New York and California highest.
UHNW PA (UK). £55,000 to £130,000+.
UHNW PA (US). $130,000 to $220,000+.
Founder's Associate (UK). £35,000 to £70,000 base, depending on stage, remit and whether the role is investment facing. Roles carrying deal or investor responsibility, or sitting inside an established private office, price at the upper end. Equity is common at growth stage and rare in a private or family office, where the trade is proximity and progression.
Family Office Assistant (UK). £35,000 to £55,000 base, with more senior or multi-entity roles above this range.
Family Office Assistant (US). $60,000 to $100,000 base, with larger offices higher.
Office Manager (UK). £48,000 to £74,000 base.
Family Office Director or Manager, smaller offices (UK). £90,000 to £160,000+ base, depending on scope, authority, travel and availability. Directors with multi-entity or multi-jurisdiction scope sit at the higher end.
Family Office Director or Manager, smaller offices (US). $120,000 to $220,000+ base, with New York and California at the upper end.
Family Office CEO or Director, established offices (UK). £180,000 to £340,000 base for mid-sized offices; above £365,000 in large single family offices. Bonus and long-term incentives are common at this level and can exceed base in the largest offices.
Family Office CEO or Director, established offices (US). $350,000 to $600,000 base for mid-sized offices; $550,000 to $1.2m in large offices. Carry and co-investment rights are standard at the senior end.
Family Office CEO or Director (Dubai). $300,000 to $600,000 net base, with housing, schooling and transport often provided.
Chief Operating Officer (UK). £150,000 to £220,000 base.
Chief Operating Officer (US). $250,000 to $425,000 base.
Director of Operations (UK). £80,000 to £140,000 base. Directors running several residences, international suppliers or complex project streams sit higher.
Director of Operations (US). $100,000 to $180,000+ base, with New York and California at the upper end.
Director of Administration (UK). £70,000 to £120,000 base. Directors managing larger teams, several residences or a complex supplier base sit higher.
Director of Administration (US). $90,000 to $160,000+ base.
Finance Director or CFO, smaller and mid-sized offices (UK). £80,000 to £180,000+ base, depending on the number of entities and jurisdictions. Multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction offices with complex trust and holding structures sit at the top and beyond.
Finance Director or CFO, smaller and mid-sized offices (US). $160,000 to $315,000 base, with New York and California highest.
CFO, large offices (UK). £190,000 to £315,000 base. Qualified accountants with private capital or family office experience command the upper band.
CFO, large offices (US). $315,000 to $475,000 base.
Financial Controller (UK). £85,000 to £145,000 base.
Financial Controller (US). $140,000 to $220,000 base.
Accountant or Bookkeeper, in-house (UK). £55,000 to £95,000 base.
Head of Tax (US). $250,000 to $475,000 base. Private client tax expertise, particularly cross-border, sits at the upper band.
Legal Counsel or Senior Counsel (UK). £120,000 to £220,000 base.
Tax Manager (UK). £85,000 to £145,000 base.
Head of Communications (UK). £130,000 to £225,000 base.
Heads of security, lifestyle managers, heads of concierge and private PAs are in our Household & Lifestyle Salary Guide.
Investment compensation is where structure matters most. Base and bonus tell a fraction of the story. Carry, co-investment, phantom equity and deferred incentives frequently account for the majority of long-term earnings. These are negotiated role by role.
Chief Investment Officer (UK). £180,000 to £310,000 base in most offices, depending on authority, scope and complexity; above £360,000 in large offices managing diversified portfolios. Bonus, carry or performance fees frequently exceed base. Where the office runs fund-like structures, carry is a share of net portfolio performance above a hurdle, vesting over several years.
Chief Investment Officer (US). $400,000 to $750,000 base. Carry is standard, and total compensation in a strong year can be a multiple of base.
Head of Private Markets (UK). £200,000 to £375,000 base. Carry is standard.
Head of Private Markets (US). $275,000 to $500,000 base. Carry is standard.
Head of Direct Investments (UK). £200,000 to £350,000 base. Carry on direct investments is typical.
Investment or Portfolio Manager (UK). £100,000 to £160,000 base, depending on mandate breadth and governance load; senior portfolio managers in larger offices £160,000 to £250,000. Performance pay, co-investment or carry can take total compensation well above base.
Investment or Portfolio Manager (US). $185,000 to $315,000 base, with New York and the Northeast at the upper end; senior portfolio managers in larger offices $315,000 to $475,000.
Investment Director or Senior Investment Manager (US). $200,000 to $375,000 base. Co-investment is standard.
Investment Associate (UK). £85,000 to £150,000 base. Candidates from investment banking or private equity at associate level sit at the upper band.
Investment Analyst (UK). £74,000 to £105,000 base, depending on scope, experience and complexity. Graduates of the leading banking programmes sit at the top.
Investment Analyst (US). $85,000 to $155,000 total compensation including bonus, with New York at the upper end. Bonus typically adds 10% to 25% of base.
Head of Real Estate (UK). £175,000 to £320,000 base. Carry or co-investment is possible.
Head of Real Estate (US). $250,000 to $475,000 base. Carry is standard.
Head of Ventures (UK). £175,000 to £300,000 base. Carry is typical.
Head of Collections (UK). £90,000 to £175,000 base. The figure depends on the size and complexity of the collection (art, wine, classic cars, watches) and on whether it is managed as an investment or as personal property.
Art Adviser or Curator (UK). £75,000 to £150,000 base. Some arrangements are structured partly through commission or acquisition-linked incentives.
Three factors explain most of the variation across the bands above.
Office scale. A single family office managing £250m is a different institution from one managing £5bn. The larger office pays materially more at every level above Executive Assistant. Assets under management are not the only proxy, but they are the closest single variable.
Principal preference. Some Principals pay at the top of the market to attract the best people and keep them. Others set deliberately lower bands and accept the turnover that follows. Both are common. Candidates should ask, in preparation, which philosophy applies.
Jurisdiction and tax structure. A $500,000 base in Dubai, net of tax, has a very different economic value from £500,000 gross in London. Candidates weighing a cross-border move need to model the whole package, including cost of living and family considerations.
For office roles, bonuses are largely discretionary. The written framework matters less than the Principal's record of paying them. An Executive Personal Assistant we placed received a bonus of over €500,000 in a single year. Ask, during scoping, whether bonuses have been paid consistently and at target over the last several years. Offices with volatile bonus histories lose their senior people, whatever the headline number.
For investment roles, carry and long-term compensation are where offices compete seriously. A CIO or Head of Private Markets without a meaningful long-term incentive will move, almost without exception, to an office that offers one. The structure can take several forms: traditional carry on a specified pool, phantom equity tracking the whole portfolio, co-investment rights on favourable terms, or long-term deferred bonuses. Each has different tax, vesting and retention consequences.
Senior investment hires should expect three conversations on structure: the target total economics at steady state, the mechanics of vesting and clawback, and the treatment of the incentive on the Principal's succession, a sale or a wind-down. A package that looks attractive at steady state can be worth nothing if the family winds the office down in year three.
Family offices often offer benefits that do not appear on a compensation spreadsheet but change the package materially: private health cover, sometimes with global portability; pension contributions above the statutory minimum in UK offices; relocation packages for international hires, including school fees, housing allowances and tax equalisation; occasional use of family assets (homes, aircraft, boats) for senior staff; and structured exit arrangements, including deferred payouts tied to a defined period of service.
These elements are negotiable. Strong candidates negotiate them explicitly at offer stage. Others accept what is first offered and find later that the package is structurally different from what they assumed.
Increasingly common. A senior hire based in London supports a Principal with offices in Dubai and Geneva. A CIO in New York reports to a family with assets in Europe and Asia. Cross-border roles pay a premium over a single-jurisdiction equivalent, for the complexity and the travel.
Structuring these roles takes care. Tax residency, the jurisdiction of the employment contract, social security treatment and permanent establishment risk for the employer all need to be settled. The best offices take specialist advice at the hiring stage. The ones that do not end up with arrangements that work for no one.
Royal, sovereign and certain very large single family offices operate above the ranges given here. Those packages are set individually and kept confidential. The compensation of a Chief of Staff in a sovereign office, or of a CIO managing a multi-billion-pound family fortune, is agreed through advisers and rarely discussed in the open market.
Equally, smaller family offices that run as lifestyle management rather than investment platforms pay below these ranges. A family office with two staff supporting lifestyle and property, no investment activity and no governance structure is closer to a senior private household, and the ranges in our Household & Lifestyle Salary Guide apply.
The Chief of Staff has become the most contested hire in the family office. Principals want one person who can run the office, hold the investment conversation and manage the family's affairs with discretion. There are very few of them, and they know it.
Antonia Edwards, Managing Director, Oplu
For an Executive Assistant or a PA, the number on the offer rarely decides it. Access, hours and travel decide it, and the strongest candidates price all three before they accept.
Antonia Edwards, Managing Director, Oplu
Family office compensation is set by the Principal, not by a market, which is why the ranges are wide. The same title can carry packages that differ by a multiple, depending on the family, the assets and the mandate.
Firat Bay, CFA, Managing Director, Oplu
For investment staff in a single family office, carried interest and co-investment are now part of the conversation at the first interview. A base salary alone no longer secures the person a family wants to keep for a decade.
Firat Bay, CFA, Managing Director, Oplu
Every search we run starts with a compensation conversation. Where does the client want to position against the market? What is the structure, cash against long-term? What benefits are on the table? How much flexibility is there if the right candidate comes in above budget?
The candidate conversation runs in parallel. What is the current package, in detail? What would the candidate move for, in cash and otherwise? What trade-offs are they making?
The shortlist we present is anchored in these conversations. We do not run searches where the budget and the brief are incompatible, as our article on why we say no to certain searches explains. Aligning expectations at the start is a service to both sides.
For more on how published benchmarks can mislead, see why published salary data is misleading. For gross against net, see net versus gross salaries explained.
Media enquiries. Oplu's Managing Directors comment on compensation and hiring in Private and Family Offices and private households. Contact press@oplu.com.
Cite as: Oplu, Private & Family Office Salary Guide, 2026 edition, oplu.com/resources/family-office-salary-guide.
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Managing Director
Founder & Managing Director
In the UK, £80,000 to £150,000 base in most offices, with senior mandates in complex, multi-entity offices reaching £150,000 to £200,000. In the US, $150,000 to $300,000 base, and total compensation in larger offices with a significant governance load can exceed $400,000. Bonus is usually discretionary and judged by the Principal directly; a bonus that has been paid reliably for years is worth more than a higher target paid twice in five.
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