Leads a sales and trading desk at a bank or dealer, setting risk limits, running the traders and answering for the desk's profit and loss. Heidrick & Struggles 2025 US Global Markets Compensation Survey puts typical pay at $1,100,000 a year (2024). BLS does not publish separate figures for securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents; it counts them within security, commodity, and financial services sales agent (SOC 41-3031), whose median pay is $78,660 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 41-3031
- Sales and Related
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Trading Desk Head in four numbers
- Median pay
- $78,660a year, or $37.82/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $48KTop 10% $213K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +1.4%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+1.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +1.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 35,100531,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025531K
- Projected 2035538.5K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 531K Projected 2035 538.5K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school26.8%
- Certificate1.1%
- Some college5.8%
- Bachelor's55.3%
- Post-bacc certificate6%
- Master's3.8%
Highest education held by securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents Segment Value High school 26.8% Certificate 1.1% Some college 5.8% Bachelor's 55.3% Post-bacc certificate 6% Master's 3.8%
Also advertised as: Head of Trading, Desk Head, Managing Director, Sales and Trading, Head of Sales and Trading, Global Head of Trading.
Pay
How much do Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents make?
Industry-reported pay
$1,100,000
Median total compensation, US secondary-market (sales, trading and research) heads of group, self-reported.
- Entry level
- $910,000
- Top earners
- $1,400,000
Source: Heidrick & Struggles 2025 US Global Markets Compensation Survey, 2024 (published compensation survey). This is not a BLS figure: BLS counts securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents within security, commodity, and financial services sales agent, whose pay is shown below. Heidrick & Struggles: 2025 US Global Markets Compensation Survey · Heidrick & Struggles: 2025 US Global Markets Compensation Survey (summary)
Every trading desk head in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$78,660
Middle half earn $56,540 to $129,950
- 10th
- $48,040
- 25th
- $56,540
- 75th
- $129,950
- 90th
- $212,880
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $48,040 |
| 25th | $56,540 |
| Median | $78,660 |
| 75th | $129,950 |
| 90th | $212,880 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $78,660
- Median hourly wage
- $37.82/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $109,150
- People employed
- 489,570
Versus all US occupations
At $78,660, Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents earn 54% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $27,680 a year.
Versus sales and related occupations
Inside the Sales and Related group, where the middle occupation pays $73,220, this is 7% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $212,880 or more while the bottom 10% earn $48,040, a gap of 4.4×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 56% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
New York pays the most at $168,340, and still leads at $155,984 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1New York | $168,340 | $155,984 | 55,630 |
| 2Massachusetts | $100,310 | $94,850 | 14,510 |
| 3Illinois | $99,840 | $99,882 | 27,920 |
| 4Connecticut | $98,560 | $95,126 | 5,730 |
| 5Vermont | $88,280 | $90,120 | 240 |
| 6South Dakota | $86,780 | $97,961 | 730 |
| 7Delaware | $83,750 | $83,911 | 2,300 |
| 8Minnesota | $83,350 | $84,515 | 8,820 |
| 9Nebraska | $82,560 | $91,628 | 2,150 |
| 10New Jersey | $82,420 | $75,750 | 15,230 |
Job outlook
Is Trading Desk Head a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +1.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | +1.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents to change 1.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 7,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 35,100 openings are projected each year, 6.6% of the 531,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Trading Desk Head
Desk heads are promoted from within sales and trading after many years as traders or salespeople, usually after starting in a bank's analyst program with a bachelor's degree in finance, economics, mathematics or engineering. Promotion depends on consistent profitable trading, risk discipline and the ability to lead a team.
Traders at broker-dealers register with FINRA, usually by passing the Securities Industry Essentials exam and the Series 57 Securities Trader Representative exam with the firm's sponsorship. Supervisors also take principal exams such as the Series 24, and desks trading futures or swaps follow National Futures Association and ISDA standards.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents.
- Bachelor's Degree55.3%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)26.8%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate6%
- Some College Courses5.8%
- Master's Degree3.8%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 55.3% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 26.8% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 6% |
| Some College Courses | 5.8% |
| Master's Degree | 3.8% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Trading Desk Head do?
Trading desk heads run a business inside a bank or dealer, such as credit, rates, currencies, commodities or equities. They decide how much risk the desk can take, which clients and products to focus on, and how to divide capital among traders. Every day they watch positions and profit and loss and step in when a trade or a market move threatens the desk's limits.
Desk heads also manage people and relationships. They hire and pay traders and salespeople, meet the largest clients, and negotiate with the bank's risk, capital and technology teams for resources. They often still trade or price large client orders themselves, especially in volatile markets.
Day-to-day tasks
- Set risk limits and allocate capital among traders
- Monitor positions and daily profit and loss across the desk
- Price and execute large or complex client trades
- Hire, train and set compensation for traders and salespeople
- Meet major institutional clients to grow the desk's business
- Work with risk, compliance and technology teams on controls and systems
- Report desk performance to senior management
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Desk heads work on trading floors in New York, Chicago and other financial centers, arriving before markets open and staying after the close. The job is high pressure and screen focused, with constant calls and messages. Remote work is rare during market hours.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.8
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Monitoring3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.5
- Speaking3.5
- Active Learning3.5
- Writing3.4
- Mathematics3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.6 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.5 |
| Speaking | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.5 |
| Writing | 3.4 |
| Mathematics | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Persuasion3.5
- Social Perceptiveness3.4
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Service Orientation3.3
- Systems Analysis3.3
- Systems Evaluation3.1
- Time Management3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 |
| Persuasion | 3.5 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.4 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 |
| Service Orientation | 3.3 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.3 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Trading Desk Head?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ECI) built on O*NET's Security, Commodity, and Financial Services Sales Agent profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Trading Desk Head |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 6 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Enterprising6.1
- Conventional5.3
- Investigative3.2
- Social3.1
- Artistic1.3
- Realistic1.3
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Trading Desk Head
O*NET related occupations
- Sales and Related
Security, Commodity, and Financial Services Sales Agent
$78,660median a year
Most earn $48K to $213K
+1.4%Bachelor's - Business and Financial Operations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Management
- Office and Administrative Support
- Business and Financial Operations
More sales and related careers
Median annual pay, with securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents highlighted
- Sales Engineer$124,900
- Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product$104,920
- Trading Desk Head$78,660
- Real Estate Broker$73,220
- Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$72,080
- Insurance Sales Agent$62,280
- Real Estate Agent$52,830
- Travel Agent$50,160
- Cashier$32,880
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Sales Engineer | $124,900 |
| Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product | $104,920 |
| Trading Desk Head | $78,660 |
| Real Estate Broker | $73,220 |
| Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $72,080 |
| Insurance Sales Agent | $62,280 |
| Real Estate Agent | $52,830 |
| Travel Agent | $50,160 |
| Cashier | $32,880 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Trading Desk Head appears on
Questions
Trading Desk Head: frequently asked questions
How much do Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents make?
Heidrick & Struggles 2025 US Global Markets Compensation Survey reports $1,100,000 (median total compensation, US secondary-market (sales, trading and research) heads of group, self-reported, 2024), with top earners around $1,400,000. BLS does not publish a separate wage for securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents. It counts them within security, commodity, and financial services sales agent, whose median pay is $78,660 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $56,540 and $129,950, and the top 10% earn $212,880 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Trading Desk Head?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 55.3% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Trading Desk Head a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 1.4% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 35,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Trading Desk Head do?
Trading desk heads run a business inside a bank or dealer, such as credit, rates, currencies, commodities or equities. A typical task: set risk limits and allocate capital among traders. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Customer relationship management CRM software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents the most?
The highest state medians for Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents are New York ($168,340), Massachusetts ($100,310), Illinois ($99,840) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Trading Desk Head?
O*NET scores Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.