Set FDE compensation from the work, level, location, and total package you are asking someone to accept. Start with the responsibility the person will carry. Then choose a level and location band that reflect that scope. Use public salary data as a comparison, not as a promise or a substitute for an offer review.
Decide what the role is worth to the team
Write the scope before choosing a number. A person delivering production integrations for external customers has a different responsibility from someone running early evaluations or configuring a known workflow. Clarify whether the role owns code, customer outcomes, internal tooling, or some combination. Record the decisions the person will make and the risks they will carry.
Use salary ranges as a reference
Use the salary page to answer three questions:
- Does the salary range fit the responsibility and location you described?
- Which comparable roles have a similar customer, production, or delivery scope?
- What will the candidate need to know about bonus, commission, equity, and benefits before comparing the offer?
Build the full package
Show base salary, bonus or commission, equity, benefits, and any sign-on or relocation terms separately. State the conditions for variable pay. For equity, explain the grant type, vesting schedule, exercise rules where relevant, and the assumptions a candidate needs to evaluate its value. If the employer cannot provide a term yet, say so.
FDE work can also change the value of the offer through travel and working conditions. State the expected travel and whether the percentage is a target, a cap, or an estimate. State the permitted work locations, customer-site expectations, time zones, and any travel reimbursement. A higher base does not answer an unspoken travel requirement.
Publish a range that matches the role
The job description should name the responsibility level, location or location band, base range, and the rest of the package. Explain the factors that may place an offer within the range, such as relevant production experience, customer scope, or level. Keep required experience separate from preferred experience so that candidates can understand what the range is meant to cover.
Before publishing, compare the range with the actual work sample and interview plan. If the process tests staff-level system ownership while the range describes a mid-level implementation role, fix the scope, level, or pay before contacting people. The same check applies when the role has commission or equity that is material to the decision.
Confirm the offer with the candidate
Ask what the candidate needs to compare: cash, equity, location, travel, scope, or timing. Explain which terms are fixed and which depend on performance, company results, or later decisions. Give the candidate the original written terms and time to ask questions. The employer makes the offer. A listing or salary statistic does not create one.