Compensation systems are easy to design and hard to maintain. Run your bands through a CFO, an Operator, an Empath, an Investor, and a Skeptic — and build something that compounds, not something you regret in 18 months.
The panel debates how many levels, how wide the bands, and how to handle dual tracks (IC vs management).
The CFO and Operator debate whether to target 50th, 75th, or 90th percentile — and the implications of each.
The Empath and CEO debate how much of the band structure to publish internally — usually more than the team thinks.
The Operator designs the annual refresh process so bands don't drift into irrelevance.
Real questions. Multiple expert perspectives. Every time.
“How many levels should our 30-person company have for engineering?”
“Should we target 75th percentile for cash and 50th for equity, or the reverse?”
“Publish bands internally or keep them confidential?”
“How wide should each band be — 20%, 30%, 40%?”
“Geographic adjustments — when do we add them and how?”
“Should engineering and sales use the same level structure?”
Each expert thinks independently — they won’t just agree with each other.
The CFO
Pressure-tests unit economics, runway, and capital allocation.
The Operator
Turns strategy into the boring, sequenced work that actually ships.
The Empath
Reads the emotional, cultural, and team dynamics behind the decision.
The Investor
Thinks like a board, an LP, and a downstream acquirer at once.
The Skeptic
Questions every premise. Finds blind spots others miss.
A synthesized recommendation from your team of experts — not just opinions, but structured analysis.
Strong Agreement
Key Recommendations
Synthesized Recommendation
Six engineering levels (E1-E6) plus a parallel management track (M3-M6) starting at the senior level. Target 75th percentile cash for E3 and above, 50th for E1-E2. Bands 30% wide. Publish bands and titles internally; do not publish individual salaries. Annual refresh in Q1 using market data, with one mid-year correction if comp data shifts materially.
Full analysis continues with detailed reasoning, trade-offs, and next steps...
Watch Out For
Expert Opinions
Most comp debates are about individual offers; the Boardroom debates the system that produces consistent offers over time.
The Empath consistently surfaces transparency as a design choice with real implications.
The Operator designs the maintenance cadence — usually missing and the silent killer of comp systems.
Output includes a starter band structure you can iterate with finance/HR.
The questions people ask before they sign up.
Roughly one level per 5-10 people in a function. A 30-person engineering team usually needs 5-7 levels; smaller and you compress careers, larger and you create artificial distinctions. The Operator will calibrate against your specific situation.
Depends on stage, funding profile, and competitive market. Most well-funded startups target 75th cash and 25-50th equity; bootstrapped companies often target 50th cash and 75th equity. The CFO and Investor will pressure-test for your case.
Usually yes — internal band publication reduces compensation anxiety and the rumor-mill it produces. Individual salaries usually stay private. The Empath and CEO will debate the right level of transparency.
20-40% is the typical range; wider gives flexibility but reduces the meaning of a level, narrower limits flexibility. 30% is common; the Boardroom will pressure-test for your specific case.
Usually when you have 20%+ of headcount outside the home metro and the cost difference is material (typically 15-30% gap). The Operator will design the policy specific to your geography.
Yes — paste the current structure and the panel will pressure-test leveling, band width, market positioning, and refresh discipline. Useful before annual review or as part of a comp overhaul.
Adjacent decisions, audiences, and methods inside SynthBoard.
Individual offer-level decisions.
ExploreThe equity side of compensation design.
ExploreRecurring finance advisor.
ExploreSaaS-specific compensation benchmarks.
ExploreHow AI debate compares to comp consulting.
ExploreHand the proposed bands to the Skeptic.
ExploreHow multi-Synth debate works.
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