compensation package/salary

May 3, 2005 12:19 PM

Suggestions for a very fair compensation package for a design manager/art director (department head) for a mid-sized fast growing media company? Web resources on this front?

I've seen the aquent/aiga guide.

posted by specialk420 to work & money (3 comments total)

You can try Salary.com to try to localize the results, I've found that their numbers are usually inflated by about 15%. This can be a problem if you're trying to use the numbers as an objective reference during salary negotiations- most HR people dismiss salary.com numbers.

Despite that, I've found the site to be useful for a ballpark figure based on your job duties . . .
posted by jeremias at 12:44 PM on May 3, 2005

For the overall package, the biggest factors are usually:
- Regional market (What are the competitive rates for that role in your general area? I believe the aiga guide breaks down salaries by region.)
- Scope of responsibility (How many direct reports is this person supposed to manage, and how central is the role to your overall business?)
- Internal comparisons (What are people of a similar rank paid across the company?)

That doesn't necessarily help you with any specific numbers, but it's the basic logic I've always looked at when I'm framing an offer I'm looking at, or putting together for someone else. Even in a regional market that's a bit lower than the national average, you'd probably want or need to offer more to someone who's managing 15 people, and plays a big role in your business success, like if you're a production company. On the other hand, even in NY or SF, you might not pay top-dollar for a role that only manages one or two people, and you sell something that's not really a design product and so this is really more designing packaging or collateral.

Maybe the biggest overall factor in the overall make-up of package is going to be whether it's formally an executive role or not. If it's not an executive role, the offer is usually going to be salary + variable/bonus, and then the standard benefits that everyone else gets. For an executive, you're possibly talking about other elements, like relocation expenses, signing bonus, and additional benefits like executive insurance or retirement plans, etc. (Again, though, your company's existing approach should be your guide.)
posted by LairBob at 12:51 PM on May 3, 2005

_{I'm not saying that that "exec"/"non-exec" distinction is fair...I'm just saying that's how it often is.}
posted by LairBob at 12:53 PM on May 3, 2005