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Average Head of Executive Search Salary in India for 2026

A head of executive search in India earns about 588,500 INR a year. That's 53% above the national average of 384,200 INR.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in India sit around 283,400 INR a year, while the very top stretches to 922,900 INR. Everything on this page is in Indian rupee (INR, symbol ₹), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in India, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does a head of executive search make in India?

Average salary
588,500 INR
49,041 INR per month
Lowest reported
283,400 INR
23,616 INR per month
Highest reported
922,900 INR
76,908 INR per month

A typical head of executive search working in India brings home around 49,041 INR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 283,400 INR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 922,900 INR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior head of executive search working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How head of executive search pay ranges in India

A good way to think about salary in India is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all head of executive searches in India earn less than 612,500 INR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 401,300 INR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 795,700 INR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of head of executive searches sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 283,400 INR. The highest stretch to 922,900 INR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

283,400
Low
612,500
Median
922,900
High
401,300
25th
795,700
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in INR

Head of executive search pay by experience in India

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a head of executive search in India, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical head of executive search salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    330,700 INR
  • 2-5 Years
    +41% from previous
    466,900 INR
  • 5-10 Years
    +32% from previous
    614,600 INR
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    754,900 INR
  • 15-20 Years
    +6% from previous
    802,400 INR
  • 20+ Years
    +10% from previous
    879,700 INR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a head of executive search typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Head of executive search pay by education in India

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving head of executive search pay in India. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average head of executive search salary in India broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Certificate or Diploma
    411,400 INR
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +59% from previous
    652,200 INR
  • Master's Degree
    +33% from previous
    869,400 INR

Head of executive search gender pay gap in India

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and India is no exception. Male head of executive searches in India earn an average of 623,200 INR a year, while female head of executive searches earn around 572,200 INR. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Head of Executive Search gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in India.

Men 623,200 INR
Women 572,200 INR

Pay raises for a head of executive search in India

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in India sees a raise of about 13% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in India, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in India:

  • Banking
    1%
  • Energy
    2%
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Head of executive search bonus rates in India

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

83%

83% of head of executive searches in India reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a head of executive search a high-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary. The remaining 17% of head of executive searches reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in India

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Head of executive search: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in India is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

5%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in India on average.

Public sector 392,300 INR
Private sector 371,100 INR

Head of executive search salary by city and region in India

Head of executive search pay is not even across India. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Bihar
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Maharashtra
  • Mumbai
  • Bangalore
  • Hyderabad
  • Karnataka
  • Orissa
  • Kolkata
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
BiharRegion741,500 INR800,500 INR340,400-1,178,000 INR
Madhya PradeshRegion724,000 INR739,500 INR354,000-1,130,200 INR
Uttar PradeshRegion721,600 INR721,600 INR361,600-1,116,700 INR
MaharashtraRegion701,400 INR687,100 INR357,700-1,080,200 INR
MumbaiCity698,200 INR671,000 INR365,400-1,069,800 INR
BangaloreCity696,700 INR724,000 INR335,100-1,094,000 INR
HyderabadCity683,400 INR724,300 INR320,500-1,080,200 INR
KarnatakaRegion679,200 INR649,700 INR351,200-1,037,600 INR
OrissaRegion675,100 INR648,200 INR352,000-1,032,400 INR
KolkataCity674,100 INR687,100 INR330,700-1,048,100 INR
RajasthanRegion667,400 INR680,100 INR325,900-1,038,700 INR
West BengalRegion664,500 INR639,100 INR344,600-1,016,300 INR
Andhra PradeshRegion663,200 INR675,200 INR325,800-1,032,800 INR
Tamil NaduRegion656,800 INR615,700 INR345,700-995,200 INR
Delhi (city)City649,700 INR638,700 INR330,900-1,000,700 INR
SuratCity648,200 INR687,100 INR305,600-1,023,000 INR
ChhatisgarhRegion648,200 INR648,200 INR322,600-1,003,800 INR
GujaratRegion646,600 INR633,300 INR330,700-999,500 INR
PunjabRegion643,800 INR684,900 INR301,700-1,019,200 INR
AhmadabadCity637,500 INR583,000 INR341,900-960,900 INR
ChennaiCity633,300 INR623,200 INR325,800-979,600 INR
AssamRegion632,400 INR596,100 INR335,800-962,900 INR
JharkhandRegion623,200 INR623,200 INR312,400-964,000 INR
HaryanaRegion623,200 INR585,900 INR330,700-946,000 INR
NagpurCity620,300 INR659,400 INR292,000-978,900 INR
LucknowCity619,000 INR633,100 INR301,700-964,000 INR
PuneCity615,700 INR565,100 INR332,500-931,900 INR
KeralaRegion610,100 INR562,600 INR330,900-925,900 INR
Jammu & KashmirRegion606,400 INR633,100 INR292,000-953,200 INR
JaipurCity605,700 INR581,300 INR315,700-923,000 INR
BhopalCity600,000 INR625,000 INR286,400-942,700 INR
ManipurRegion597,800 INR563,000 INR315,900-908,200 INR
Pimpri-ChinchwadCity592,600 INR643,400 INR275,200-945,400 INR
Delhi (region)Region592,600 INR628,000 INR277,400-934,900 INR
GhaziabadCity589,400 INR589,400 INR294,300-915,100 INR
CoimbatoreCity589,400 INR553,400 INR311,700-896,700 INR
TripuraRegion588,500 INR633,300 INR271,300-932,000 INR
Arunachal PradeshRegion582,700 INR572,200 INR299,500-899,100 INR
KanpurCity582,700 INR619,000 INR273,000-922,300 INR
IndoreCity581,300 INR625,000 INR266,000-918,600 INR
PatnaCity576,500 INR598,600 INR275,500-906,500 INR
VisakhapatnamCity574,200 INR597,800 INR275,800-903,500 INR
agraCity568,500 INR559,000 INR288,700-877,300 INR
UttaranchalRegion566,900 INR592,600 INR273,300-894,500 INR
Himachal PradeshRegion565,100 INR610,100 INR261,300-902,100 INR
GoaRegion563,000 INR575,100 INR275,800-878,900 INR
MeghalayaRegion562,200 INR606,400 INR257,700-894,500 INR
MizoramRegion556,000 INR578,500 INR267,100-875,000 INR
NagalandRegion552,400 INR552,400 INR275,800-854,300 INR
LudhianaCity535,800 INR556,000 INR258,400-840,800 INR
SikkimRegion533,000 INR524,400 INR273,300-821,500 INR
VadodaraCity529,600 INR539,700 INR261,300-825,900 INR
PondicherryRegion529,600 INR489,600 INR288,100-800,200 INR
MaduraiCity524,400 INR563,300 INR239,300-830,500 INR
ChandigarhRegion524,300 INR548,800 INR253,400-824,800 INR
Daman & DiuRegion520,900 INR480,600 INR283,400-786,600 INR
Dadra & Nagar HaveliRegion510,300 INR489,500 INR265,000-780,600 INR
LakshadweepRegion500,100 INR529,600 INR233,900-791,200 INR
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsRegion489,500 INR519,300 INR231,000-774,200 INR

Head of Executive Search in India: FAQs

  • How much does a head of executive search make per month in India?

    A head of executive search in India earns about 49,041 INR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 588,500 INR.

  • What's the salary range for a head of executive search in India?

    Entry-level head of executive searches in India start near 283,400 INR. Top-end pay reaches around 922,900 INR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 401,300 and 795,700 INR.

  • Is the median head of executive search salary in India higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 612,500 INR, higher than the average of 588,500 INR. Half of head of executive searches in India earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for head of executive searches in India?

    Men working as a head of executive search in India earn around 9% more than women on average (623,200 vs 572,200 INR a year).

  • Do head of executive searches in India get bonuses?

    About 83% of head of executive searches in India reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.

  • Do head of executive searches earn more in the public or private sector in India?

    In India, the public sector pays a head of executive search about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do head of executive searches in India get a pay raise?

    A head of executive search in India sees a raise of around 13% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.