Expected CTC for a head of an engineering department role in a startup

[return2desh]

Hello,

I have been doing job searches in India for two reasons:
1. To get some more understanding of what kind of background / experience employers are looking for executive roles in IT companies in India
2. To get some rough understanding of the compensation currently being offered in the Indian market

I am about to start an interview process with a startup company and they are interviewing me for the role of a head of an engineering department. As part of that process, they asked me for an expected CTC. But I am not sure what numbers to quote here since I don't know what is the average CTC for a role like this.

Hence, I thought of writing this thread on the R2I forum and looking for guidance from the experienced members of this forum who are in India and have a better understanding of the market then me.

Thanks,

[OneWorld451]

Hello,

I have been doing job searches in India for two reasons:
1. To get some more understanding of what kind of background / experience employers are looking for executive roles in IT companies in India
2. To get some rough understanding of the compensation currently being offered in the Indian market

I am about to start an interview process with a startup company and they are interviewing me for the role of a head of an engineering department. As part of that process, they asked me for an expected CTC. But I am not sure what numbers to quote here since I don't know what is the average CTC for a role like this.

Hence, I thought of writing this thread on the R2I forum and looking for guidance from the experienced members of this forum who are in India and have a better understanding of the market then me.

Thanks,

40% of your US salary might be a good starting point?

[ILuvHyd]

We need more information on domain, your experience, skill sets, Location etc.

If it's a startup you might be offered some profit sharing/shares, so take those into consideration.

[return2desh]

We need more information on domain, your experience, skill sets, Location etc.

If it's a startup you might be offered some profit sharing/shares, so take those into consideration.

Thanks ILuvHyd!

Domain: Software Engineering
Experience: 9 years of total experience
I have worked with 2 startups in my past (Linkedin and Twitter) and currently working with another startup in the bay area as an engineering manager.

Thanks

[bigdreamer]

For early stage startup (limited funding), they might offer more equity and less salary (20L - 40L CTC in Bangalore).
For mid stage startup (decently funded), they might offer less equity and more salary (40L - 60L in Bangalore).
For mature or late stage startups (e.g. flipkart, snapdeal, paytm, etc...), they might offer very less equity and huge salary (75L+ in Bangalore).

Note - it's all about what you bring to the table and how much they can afford to pay. 2016 doesn't look like a great year for raising funds and I hope the startup has raised enough capital already and has runway for next 12-18 months. Equity range really depends on how their funding pie looks like and how much the founders/board are willing to part to get you onboard.

Hope this helps.

[mate4all]

I am about to start an interview process with a startup company and they are interviewing me for the role of a head of an engineering department. As part of that process, they asked me for an expected CTC. But I am not sure what numbers to quote here since I don't know what is the average CTC for a role like this.

How much are you comfortable working with and what are your min/max expectations?

[ILuvHyd]

Thanks ILuvHyd!

Domain: Software Engineering
Experience: 9 years of total experience
I have worked with 2 startups in my past (Linkedin and Twitter) and currently working with another startup in the bay area as an engineering manager.

Thanks

you seem to have good credentials and experience. Start negotiating with 50% of your
US compensation.

[return2desh]

Thanks bigdreamer this is really helpful!

[return2desh]

So just a quick update on this. I heard from the prospective employer in India and they are ready to give me 20% more than my US salary + equity which is pretty awesome (without any negotiation), but then they changed the position from the head of engineering to something else (one level below) and now we are negotiating about the title.

But one thing I noticed as part of this process is that things still move really slowly in India. I sometimes never hear back from the recruiter for days even after sending them couple of reminder emails, which makes me concerned about the overall work environment. If the company is slow with their hiring, I am now concerned about how fast they move internally with their projects.

[ILuvHyd]

So just a quick update on this. I heard from the prospective employer in India and they are ready to give me 20% more than my US salary + equity which is pretty awesome (without any negotiation), but then they changed the position from the head of engineering to something else (one level below) and now we are negotiating about the title.

But one thing I noticed as part of this process is that things still move really slowly in India. I sometimes never hear back from the recruiter for days even after sending them couple of reminder emails, which makes me concerned about the overall work environment. If the company is slow with their hiring, I am now concerned about how fast they move internally with their projects.

Congratulations! That's one great compensation package.

This long process could mean they are interviewing multiple people and might be keeping you as a bench warmer. I hope you close this position soon. Meanwhile, I suggest you continue your job hunt and you too have multiple options if at all possible.