Program Manager Salary Negotiation: How To Negotiate a Program Manager Job Offer
Whether you have already received a job offer in program management or are still interviewing for a new program manager role, it’s time to start thinking about your negotiation. Just like the program strategies you’ll bring to your new role, you’ll need a salary negotiation strategy to help you in these conversations.
If you’ve worked in program management before, the idea of job offer negotiation shouldn’t scare you. After all, you probably have experience negotiating with internal stakeholders on deadlines or even negotiating with external parties to keep your program development on track. Successfully negotiating in program manager jobs not only provides you an opportunity to highlight these skills, but it also gives you the chance to increase your overall career earnings.
In this article, we will show you how to negotiate a program manager job offer effectively with our tried-and-true salary negotiation strategies. We’ve helped program managers all over the world successfully negotiate for higher compensation using these tips and insights.
Don’t want to go through the program manager negotiation process alone? We have additional resources to help you negotiate program manager salary.
Get offer-specific advice from a Salary Negotiation Coach to guarantee success in your program manager salary negotiation.
Take our Salary Negotiation Courses or download our Salary Negotiation Templates to receive our strategies, preparing you for all aspects of a program management salary negotiation.
Understanding the Compensation Components of a Program Manager Job Offer
Whether you’ve been offered a job as an associate program manager or a senior program manager, your compensation should reflect your highly sought-after skillset that makes program management salaries so competitive. So despite how competitive your offer may seem, you still need to understand exactly what’s included in the total compensation package so that you can negotiate it successfully.
A job offer in program management will consist of different compensation components that make up your total yearly compensation. You’ll have the best chance of increasing your total compensation package if you understand each of these components before negotiations begin.
When you first receive a job offer in program management, you might be tempted to only focus on the base salary being offered. However, your base salary is typically only one portion of the overall compensation package in a program management role. In many industries—mainly the tech industry—program managers will also be offered an annual performance bonus, initial equity package, sign-on bonus, and other benefits like retirement benefits and remote work flexibility. Only focusing on the base salary of your job offer would be a mistake; it’s important to consider all these compensation components carefully when evaluating and negotiating your program manager role.
For example, here is what the total compensation of an Apple Senior Program Manager (ICT4) may look like in their initial offer:
Program Manager Salary
Now let’s spend some time taking a closer look at the different program manager compensation components.
PROGRAM MANAGER BASE SALARY
As previously mentioned, the first component of your job offer will be your program manager base salary. Essentially, your base salary is the fixed guaranteed pay that you receive in exchange for the work you do—meaning that it is not tied to your performance.
The different levels of program management will each have base pay ranges associated with them and you’ll see different ranges between companies (i.e., a Microsoft program manager salary will differ from an Amazon program manager salary). These ranges will have set minimum and maximum amounts that dictate what your base pay can be. For example, the pay range for a senior program manager will be different from that for a principal program manager at the same company. It’s important to note here that even though program management roles are competitive, their initial offers rarely come in at the top of their pay bands. This is why you need to understand what the pay range for your specific role is so that you can successfully negotiate to the top end of that band.
PROGRAM MANAGER PERFORMANCE BONUS
Most program manager job offers also include an annual performance bonus. The annual program manager performance bonus is typically a percentage of your base salary that’s dependent on both company and personal performance. So depending on the targets you or your company hit, your performance bonus could go up or down. While it is possible in some cases to exceed the target percentages if you and the company outperform your goals, it’s best to assume the average bonus payout when evaluating and negotiating this component of your compensation package.
The good news is that a performance bonus can make a huge difference in a program manager's total yearly compensation. However, for most companies, we have found that these bonuses are generally non-negotiable. There is often a set target percentage for each role type and level that cannot be changed. But here’s the important thing to remember: since your bonus is usually a percentage of your base salary, the higher you negotiate your base salary, the higher your bonus could be.
PROGRAM MANAGER EQUITY PACKAGES
The next aspect to consider in your program manager job offer is the equity package. Program manager equity is a highly sought-after compensation component in these types of roles. As a program manager, you may receive an initial equity grant in your job offer. This equity can be offered either as RSUs (restricted stock units or restricted stock awards) or stock options. This grant will include a bundle of shares or options that vest over a defined timeframe (i.e., four years), called a vesting schedule. While these equity packages are most common in job offers from tech companies, we’ve seen that many startups and non-tech public companies are beginning to offer them as well.
Equity can indeed be an extremely valuable form of program management compensation; however, it’s important to remember that it does fluctuate based on the market value of the company you work for. For example, say you secure a job offer with Google—you’ll benefit if Google’s share value goes up, but you’ll take a loss if Google’s share value goes down—yet your Google program manager salary will remain the same and the fluctuation just happens with the equity value. Unfortunately, you usually cannot control those fluctuations. And if you leave the company before the equity vests, you risk forgoing it all together.
Over the years, we’ve found that equity is usually a negotiable element of a compensation package for program managers. So while we recommend to always push for more equity when negotiating salary, we also encourage you to focus on all the other compensation components as well. That way you have the best chance of reaching the top end of your total compensation pay band.
PROGRAM MANAGER SIGN-ON BONUS
Program managers will receive a sign-on bonus in most job offers—it just might take some negotiating first. A program manager sign-on bonus is a one-time bonus that you would receive as an incentive to join the company. The sign-on bonus can also cover any lost bonuses or unvested equity that you may have to give up at your current company.
Not all companies provide program managers with signing bonuses in their initial offers. That’s why knowing how to negotiate for this component is so important. Fortunately, we’ve had countless successes securing large program manager sign-on bonuses. These bonuses are incredibly valuable and shouldn’t ever be glossed over during negotiations. We highly recommend you negotiate for a sign-on bonus for your program management role even if you’re not walking away from money at your current company.
Most program manager signing bonuses are paid in one lump sum within the first 30 days of your employment. However, you’ll typically need to pay back the bonus if you depart the company within your first year (or other designated timeframe). Other companies approach sign-on bonuses differently: Amazon is known to offer sign-on bonuses in year one and year two—which can be paid out monthly instead of in one lump sum payment.
PROGRAM MANAGER EQUITY REFRESHER
Another compensation component to consider is the program manager equity refresher. While it’s possible to receive an equity refresher (more stock) in the initial offer for a program management role, you’ll find that most recruiters withhold the stock refresher details. This practice is common for equity refreshers at Meta and other industries that offer this annual perk.
When negotiating your salary, we recommend you ask the hiring team to provide more details about the amount and timeline of the stock refresher. However, since many hiring teams shy away from sharing these specific details, it’s challenging to compare this benefit across different program management offers—which is why we don’t include this component in our total compensation calculation.
BENEFITS AND PERKS FOR PROGRAM MANAGERS
Benefits can vary widely for program managers across different companies. These benefits often include things like medical insurance, retirement programs, relocation assistance, work-from-home stipends, or even fitness memberships.
One of the top perks of most technical program management roles is the ability to work remotely, which has become a huge benefit that should be brought up during the interview process. Unfortunately, most other benefits and perks for program managers are usually non-negotiable. However, you can sometimes get changes approved via an under-the-table agreement with your future hiring manager (i.e., your manager will let you expense your Wi-Fi or phone bill).
Five Key Steps to Negotiate a Program Manager Job Offer
Now that we’ve broken down the different compensation components of a program manager job offer, it’s time to go over how to actually negotiate for a higher total compensation.
Based on our experience helping hundreds of career professionals successfully negotiate their job offers, we’ve found that it’s best to avoid starting the program manager salary negotiation until you have an offer in hand. Why? Because you’ll have more leverage to negotiate once you’ve officially received an offer and you’ll be less likely to make mistakes like disclosing your salary expectations to the recruiter too early.
We’ve outlined our proven strategies for negotiating a program manager job offer below. While these are the key steps to a program manager salary negotiation, we strongly recommend program managers work with a Salary Negotiation Coach to guarantee success and get all of our strategies.
1) UNDERSTAND THE COMPONENTS OF YOUR PROGRAM MANAGER JOB OFFER
Since we’ve already covered the most common components found in a program manager job offer this first step should be simple. As a reminder, make sure to review the job offer for a base salary, performance bonus, initial equity grant, sign-on bonus, and any benefits and perks. Understanding the ins and outs of your total compensation is an essential step before negotiating any job offer.
2) COMPLETE DUE DILIGENCE ON YOUR PROGRAM MANAGER JOB OFFER BY ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
During negotiations, make sure to ask strategic questions that can help you establish an effective program manager counteroffer. When you ask these thoughtful and purposeful questions, you also show the recruiting team that you are actively invested in knowing more about the role. Taking this step ensures you get clarification on items that the recruiter may have been vague about (i.e., What is the expected equity refresher each year for this role?) and allows you to collect data points to use in your counteroffer.
While you might assume you don’t need to ask questions because you already understand all aspects of the offer package, asking for even more information can strengthen your counteroffer and can lead to quick wins. If you’re not sure what to ask, you can use our list of Strategic Questions to Build Negotiation Leverage. We recommend starting this phase of the negotiation immediately after you receive your initial offer.
3) RESEARCH TO IDENTIFY WHAT PROGRAM MANAGER COMPENSATION SHOULD LOOK LIKE
The compensation for program managers will differ across companies, so it’s important to spend time researching program manager pay ranges, the strength of your job offer, and how much you should ask for. You’ll need to research your specific role type and level (i.e., is it a technical program manager role or a non-technical program manager role) and where it’s located, whether that be in-person, hybrid, or remote.
There are multiple online resources you can use to identify the appropriate program management salary, such as PayScale or Comparably. However, make sure to compare pay data across multiple resources since compensation ranges on these types of sites are publicly reported by current or past employees, meaning the pay they indicate may differ from what is now offered to new employees (i.e., the current employees’ total compensation is higher because the stock price appreciated, and their equity is more valuable). The pay ranges on these sites might also be inaccurate if the employee didn’t correctly upload all program manager compensation components.
Here’s something key to remember: if you accept the job offer, you’ll ultimately be expected to manage the same tasks as anyone hired for that same position, meaning you should push for at least the mid- to top-end of the total compensation range for your program management role level—regardless of your experience or background. You can use our Total Compensation Research Comparison Tool to help you with your compensation research.
4) SEND A PROGRAM MANAGER COUNTEROFFER TO THE RECRUITER
Now comes the exciting part! Once you’ve finished prepping for the program management salary negotiation (the first three steps), you should be ready to officially send over a program manager counteroffer.
In this step, you’ll present your counteroffer to the recruiter by referencing your data on the pay range and how the benefits differ from other companies and/or your current role. While you can present your new ask over the phone, we highly recommend you counter a salary offer via email. Doing so allows you to draft exactly what you want to say (helping minimize the risk of going off-topic) and ensures you have everything in writing. Presenting your program management counteroffer in writing also gives the recruiter something they can forward on and use internally to get you a better offer.
Just remember to always approach this step professionally—this is your first chance to showcase that you’d be great to work alongside. To ensure proper communication, use our Counteroffer Templates for to get the email drafts if you need to formulate a strategic counteroffer.
5) HANDLE ANY OBJECTIONS AND KNOW YOU ACHIEVED THE BEST PROGRAM MANAGER SALARY
Sometimes it only takes one program manager counteroffer and the hiring team will respond with an updated offer package. However, it’s more likely that you’ll receive reasons from the hiring team for why they can’t make any increases to the program manager salary.
If this happens, follow our Objection Handling Scripts and respond kindly by stating you understand their constraints, but you would appreciate it if they could take your thoughts back to their team for one last look at the offer. You should do this even if they insist their team will just say no.
While you may face a few objections, once they agree to take it back to their team, they should return with a better offer.
Once you receive an updated program management job offer that meets your requirements and aligns with the program manager pay bands you researched, you should be ready to lock it in with a offer acceptance email. Congratulations on your successful program manager offer negotiation!
Mistakes to Avoid During Your Program Manager Salary Negotiation
When it comes to navigating negotiations, it’s important to keep in mind that hiring teams are trained to get the best deal for their companies. While this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to lowball you, they will try to get you to accept without negotiating. Below, we share some key mistakes that you should aim to avoid during your program manager salary negotiation.
AVOID SHARING SALARY EXPECTATIONS BEFORE YOU GET A JOB OFFER IN PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
In our years of experience, we’ve found that sharing your salary expectations often works against you when trying to receive a fair job offer in program management so try to avoid sharing them by responding like this.
Here’s how this might look in practice: If you share a lower compensation than what the company could offer, they are more likely to offer you that lower compensation. On the flip side, if you share a number higher than what they could offer, there is a chance that they could become disinterested and choose to go with a different candidate.
Never forget that recruiters are working for the company, not you. It also doesn’t make much sense to discuss salary expectations before you learn more about the specific role, its benefits and compensation, and whether those aspects feel like a good fit for you. After all, you’re also interviewing them to see if this role and company are a good fit for you.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO NEGOTIATE For PROGRAM MANAGER JOBs
If you’re hesitant to negotiate, you’re not alone. Many people are afraid to negotiate out of fear of offending the recruiting team or losing the job offer— especially since the program manager interview process can take considerable time. However, we’ve helped facilitate hundreds of successful salary negotiations and we’ve never seen a company rescind a program manager job offer because of an attempted negotiation. Don’t let salary negotiation concerns keep you from attempting to negotiate when evaluating program manager jobs.
BE REALISTIC BY DOING YOUR PROGRAM MANAGER COMPENSATION RESEARCH
Even though program management jobs pay well, it’s still important to be realistic about what compensation is possible for the specific role you are offered. You should use your program management skillset to research your role thoroughly so that you only push for compensation that the company can realistically provide. For example, the entry level program manager salary would be different at a non-tech or start-up company compared to the compensation package offered during a Salesforce salary negotiation or TikTok salary negotiation.
The Bottom Line: Negotiate A Program Manager Job Offer
Overall, we believe that all program managers can—and should—negotiate their job offers to receive a competitive compensation package and increase their career earnings. Following our proven program manager salary negotiation strategies can help you navigate this negotiation process with confidence and success.
If you want to guarantee success in your program management salary negotiation, get Salary Negotiation Coaching from us. Our experience helping program managers negotiate job offers will ensure you negotiate competitive compensation.
We also have our How to Negotiate Your Job Offer and How to Negotiate Your Current Salary courses, and Salary Negotiation Templates for those who prefer to learn at their own pace and want to gain the confidence and tools to negotiate their compensation effectively. With downloadable email templates and job offer negotiation resources, you will be prepared for all aspects of a program manager offer negotiation.