David personally handles offer structuring and negotiation on every Beacon search.
Base, bonus, and equity each do a different job in an offer. Getting the mix wrong loses candidates even when the total number looks competitive on paper.
See the componentsThe number a candidate can actually plan a life around. Lowballing base to inflate the headline number signals risk, not opportunity.
Less common for individual-contributor engineering roles, more common for leadership, tied to delivery or org-level outcomes.
The long-term upside bet. Matters most to candidates who believe in the company's trajectory, and least to those who need certainty right now.
A candidate with a mortgage and a young family weighs base heavily, and a rich equity package won't compensate for a base they can't live on. A candidate with more risk tolerance may take a leaner base in exchange for real equity upside. Ask directly what a candidate actually needs rather than assuming a standard package works for everyone.
Don't lowball base to make the headline number look bigger. A candidate worried about their mortgage isn't focused on your roadmap.
On our own recent searches, total comp ranged from $140K for a senior specialist individual contributor up to $300K for VP of Engineering and Engineering Manager hires. AI/ML and data leadership roles are commanding a real premium right now. In every case, the structure mattered as much as the number, real negotiation on equity vesting and the mix, not just the top-line figure, is often what actually closes a strong candidate.
David personally handles offer structuring and negotiation on every Beacon search.
Book a 15-minute call. We negotiate every offer personally, not just source the candidate.
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