I’ve been the candidate, made the hiring decision and carried the responsibility after the offer was signed. I bring that perspective to the hundreds of executives and rising leaders I’ve helped.
We can work through a confidential job search, position you for the right next role, plan outreach, prepare for interviews or evaluate an offer. If you need to get unstuck first, we can start there.
Bring a real career question. I’ll help you find a practical next step you can use today. If working together makes sense, we’ll talk through what that would look like and what it would cost.
“The clarity, confidence, and momentum he helps create can fundamentally change the direction of your career.”
I’ve compiled free market data by role and update it every month. Pick your role to jump to it below.
We build a working plan I call the Career Arc Blueprint. It starts with the role you want, the experience you want to build, and what you need to do next.
I meet you where you are. If you need more interviews, we focus on positioning and outreach. If you’re getting interviews and they keep stalling, we work through what happened and rehearse for the next one. If you already have an offer, we start with whether it’s the right move and what you might want to negotiate.
We build a confidential executive job search around the role, responsibilities and type of company you want. We sharpen how you talk about your experience, decide who to reach out to, and work on what to say. If you’re changing industries, moving up a level or pursuing a different kind of role, we review what to change in your resume, LinkedIn profile and outreach.
We prepare for the actual role and the people making the decision. We rehearse leadership examples that show what you’ve delivered and practice answering tough questions. After the interview, we debrief and use what you learned to prepare for the next round, including the final round.
We look at what you’ll own, how success will be measured, and whether you’ll have the authority and resources to deliver. We compare base salary, performance bonus and equity terms, including stock options where offered. If you decide to negotiate, we prepare what to ask for and how to make the case.
Explore salary & equity resources ↗As you prepare to start, we turn your Blueprint into a plan for what you want to accomplish in the seat. If we keep working together, we revisit those priorities as the role evolves and capture the results that will help you make the case for your next opportunity.
We meet one-on-one each week, live on Zoom. Bring the LinkedIn profile you’re revising, the job description for Tuesday’s interview, or the offer you’re weighing. We work on it together and agree on what you’ll do next.
I’ll ask you hard questions. Why do you want this role? Where is the search getting stuck? Do you need to pursue different roles? How could you make a stronger case for the ones you’re already pursuing?
You can reach me directly by text between sessions throughout the engagement. If an interview lands, a recruiter asks a tough question, or an offer comes in, you can bring it to me while it’s happening.
I built a company from $0 through a Nasdaq IPO, led transformation inside an 80-year-old enterprise and helped grow a public technology company. Across operating, investing and board roles, my experience spans 35 M&A transactions and 18 exits.
That experience, alongside training in coaching and psychology, helps us work through the responsibility behind a title, what a hiring team needs to see, and whether the opportunity fits what you want next.
Read about Ken's background ↗COOs, product leaders, CTOs, engineering leaders, IT Directors, general managers, founders and CEOs. Your search and the conversation it requires should fit your level of responsibility.
“He sees the whole business and what needs to be done at the broadest level.”
Explore the resources available for the role you’re considering.
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Compare startup funding stages and company-size salary references, then examine the whole package.
Median annual base salary in USD · 2026 U.S. venture-backed startup payroll observations
Compare internal IT leadership salary references and the responsibilities behind the title.
U.S. average annual base salary in USD · 2026 compensation guide
Prepare for a VP of Engineering interview, compare advertised software leadership pay and ask about team scope and delivery expectations.
Advertised base salary · VP of Engineering · San Francisco, CA · Checked November 11, 2026
Prepare for a CTO interview or work through the technology and leadership responsibilities of the role.
Chief Technology Officer · Median base salary · USD per year · 2026 venture-backed startup payroll
Compare Director of Engineering pay by company size and prepare for interviews about managing multiple teams, budgets and delivery commitments.
Engineering Director · National average base salary · USD per year · 2026 U.S. salary guide
Prepare for a Chief Product Officer interview and compare product authority, base pay by employer size, fractional fees and equity terms.
Chief Product Officer · National average base salary · USD per year · 2026 U.S. salary guide
Prepare for a Startup CEO interview, compare founder-CEO base pay by funding stage and ask how the board defines success and ownership.
Founder & CEO · Median base salary · USD per year · 2026 U.S. venture-backed payroll. Stage averages are Seed $153,000, Series A $203,000, Series B $216,000.
Compare founder pay, ownership and dilution. Prepare to discuss runway, decision rights and how you would work with a cofounder or investor.
Separate shares already owned and dilution from salary, distributions and company runway.
Prepare for a General Manager interview and compare advertised pay across business units, bonus terms and profit-and-loss responsibilities.
Advertised base salary · General Manager, New Ventures and Growth · San Francisco Bay Area, CA · Checked November 11, 2026
Prepare for an Engineering Manager interview on team delivery and feedback, then compare base salary and advertised pay across engineering roles.
Engineering Manager · National average base salary · USD per year · 2026 U.S. salary guide
Prepare to explain system design trade-offs in a Senior Software Engineer interview, then compare employee salary, bonus examples and contract rates.
Advertised compensation range · Senior Software Engineer, AI Platform · New York, NY · Checked November 11, 2026
Prepare for a CHRO or Chief People Officer interview and compare salary references by company size, executive stock awards and board responsibilities.
U.S. Chief Human Resources Officer average annual base salary in USD · 2026 compensation guide
Prepare for VP of HR or VP of People interviews about implementing people strategy, then compare base salary references by employer size.
U.S. Vice President of Human Resources average annual base salary in USD · 2026 compensation guide
Prepare for an HR Director or Director of People interview and compare pay by employer size, advertised salaries and broader HR management wages by city.
U.S. Human Resources Director average annual base salary in USD · 2026 compensation guide
Prepare for a VP of Sales interview and compare base pay, pay at quota and commission terms before accepting an offer.
Advertised annual pay at quota · VP of Sales · United States · Checked November 11, 2026
Prepare for Chief Growth Officer and Chief Revenue Officer interviews. Compare advertised pay and ask how revenue goals affect bonus terms.
Advertised salary · Chief Growth Officer · United States, remote · Checked November 11, 2026
Tell me what prompted the move, what you are targeting, and where the search, interview or offer stands.
We identify what needs work: role choice, your search, interview examples, or the terms and responsibilities in an offer.
Depending on where you start, that might be a clearer target role, a focused outreach plan, interview stories that show your judgment, or a way to compare offers. We agree on the coaching scope and fee before starting.
I help you get in front of the right people, prepare for each interview round, and evaluate and negotiate an offer. We start where you need help now. That might mean repositioning for a different role, preparing for a final interview, or deciding whether to accept an offer.
Yes. A confidential search can begin while you are in your current role. We work through what you want next and how to prepare without making a public announcement about your plans.
Career coaching helps you make your next move and plan what you want to accomplish when you start. If you’d like to keep working together once you’re in the seat, ongoing executive coaching helps you put that plan into action, work through leadership decisions, and update your Career Arc Blueprint as your responsibilities and goals change.
We can review your resume and LinkedIn positioning together. You make the edits; the coaching helps you decide what to communicate and how to support it with your experience.
We can work through the role, the offer and the questions to ask. The research pages provide labeled reference figures and general guidance. Contract, tax and award-specific decisions may also need qualified professional advice.
The first 45-minute discovery call is free. Career coaching is usually short-term and focused on your next move. We’ll agree on the goals, timeline and fee before you decide to start. I hope to be a resource for you beyond the search, too. If you’d like to keep working together after you land, I can help you make the case for your new employer to invest in your development through leadership coaching.
Leaders considering a move, searching for a role, preparing for interviews or evaluating an offer. The role may be COO, product or engineering leadership, IT Director, general management, founder or CEO. We use the first conversation to decide whether the work is a fit.
Yes. We can focus on the specific role, the people involved, your leadership examples and the questions you need to answer. The interview preparation guide shows how to apply that work. Read: How to Prepare for an Executive Interview: Answer the Real Question ↗
We can work through who to reconnect with, how to start the conversation and how to explain what you want next. The aim is a focused approach to outreach that fits your situation.
We look at both how you’re positioned for the role and how you’re approaching the search. Often, the issue involves the assumptions you’re making, your confidence, or how clearly others understand your experience. We can work on both the practical steps and the thinking behind them: clarifying your target role, strengthening your resume and LinkedIn positioning, planning outreach and preparing for interviews. Read: Why Your Job Search Stalls ↗
Bring the decision you are facing, the roles you are considering and the questions you want to work through. If you have a job description or an offer, it can help make the conversation specific.