Governador do Rio de Janeiro, governador da Repartição do Sul, Almirante general da frota, Membro do Conselho Ultramarino. En 1625 luchó contra la invasión holandesa de Salvador en Brasil al mando del navio Nossa Senhora da Penha de França.

Aparece varias veces mencionado en la obra de frei Vicente Salvador, História do Brasil, a raiz de la flota enviada en 1624 para recuperar Bahía del control de los holandeses: "Entraram no rio do Espírito Santo a 10 de março de 1625, onde havia poucos dias era chegado Salvador Correa de Sá e Benevides com 250 homens brancos e índios em quatro canoas e uma caravela, que seu pai Martim de Sá, governador do Rio de Janeiro, mandava em socorro da Bahia, o qual ajudou a Francisco de Aguiar Coutinho, governador e senhor daquela terra do Espírito Santo, a trincheirar a vila.". (SALVADOR, 1627:223)

"Assistiam neste quartel de S. Bento, donde esta boiada se fez, e outras muitas, d. Francisco de Almeida, mestre de campo de um terço português e almirante da Armada Real da Coroa de Portugal, e com ele militaram d. João de Souza, alcaide-mor de Thomar, Antônio Correa, senhor da Casa de Belas, d. Antônio de Castelo Branco, senhor de Pombeiro, Rui de Moura Teles, senhor da Póvoa, d. Francisco Portugal, comendador da fronteira, d. Álvaro Coutinho, senhor de Almourol, Pedro Correa Gama, sargento-mor deste terço. O capitão Gonçalo de Souza, o capitão Manuel Dias de Andrade, o capitão Salvador Correa de Sá e Benevides, o capitão Jerônimo Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, seus irmãos, e outros nobres portugueses.". (SALVADOR, 1627:226) 

Estaba en la corte en 1626 o 1627 para recibir la distinción de "alcaide-mor" de Rio de Janeiro, en perpetuo, según Russel-Wood, 1992, p. 68. Obtiene la Carta de Alcaide-mor en 5.02.1628. 

Volvió a la corte en 1636-37, donde obtuvo el título de Governador e Capitão mor do Rio de Janeiro el 3 de abril de 1637. 

Tuvo también relación e intereses con los territorios castellanos en el Río de la Plata.  

Sobre denuncias a posibles casos de corrupción véase Lamego y Romeiro (pp. 200-220). 

Russel Wood (1992: 67,68) resume así su carrera: 

During his eighty or so years of life (1602-81/87), Salvador Correia de Sá e Benevides seems to have been in perpetual motion. At the age of twelve he accompanied his grandfather to Brazil in search of gold and silver mines, and learnt to speak the lingua geral of the Tupi during four years in the southwest before returning to Portugal. In 1618 he accompanied his father who had been appointed commander of the garrison in Rio. For the next five years Correia de Sá remained in Brazil. returning to Portugal in about 1623 as commander of a homeward-bound convoy from Pernambuco to Lisbon. The following year he commanded a vessel bringing reinforcements to Rio. In March 1625 he skirmished with Dutch vessels under Piet Heyn and was present at the Portuguese recapture of Bahia. The year 1626 or 1627 found him in Madrid, where he received appointment in perpetuo as alcaide-mór of Rio de Janeiro. By 1628, he was back in Rio de Janeiro. The years 1630-35 found him travelling to Asuncion, suppressing the Guaicurú and Paiaguá Indians, crushing the Calchaqui uprising in Tucumán, making an advantageous marriage, travelling to Potosi, and returning to Rio de Janeiro where his father had died during his second term as governor. A visit to Madrid led to Correia de Sá's appointment as governor of Rio de Janeiro, 1637-1643. In 1643 he was at court to clear his name of allegations of abuse of office. He was appointed to the Overseas Council and general of the Brazil fleets. Correia de Sá was involved in the 1645 revolt in Pernambuco against the Dutch. The Dutch presence in Angola demanded resolution. In 1647, Correia de Sá was appointed governor of Rio de Janeiro and captain-general of Angola. In 1648 he had his first taste of Africa, when he led the expeditionary force which recaptured Luanda and expelled the Dutch from Angola. Subsequently, Correia de Sá served as governor of Angola until 1652. After this stint of duty in Africa, he returned to Brazil shortly, accompanied the sugar fleet to Lisbon, commanded the defence of Lisbon, and saw service in the Alentejo, before his appointment in 1658 as captain-general of the southern part of Brazil (Repartição do Sul) and general of the Brazil fleet. Only in 1663 did this seasoned soldier and civil servant return to Portugal. One of his last acts was to throw his support behind the creation of Col6ma do Sacramento on the Rio de la Plata in 1680. But his career could have taken a very different turn if, in late 1645, Dom Joao IV had accepted his application, endorsed by the Overseas Council, for the post of captaingenera of Macao.