dropping numbers from an offer I got in April, IBM SSE Band 7, hybrid NYC (2 days office): base: $148,000 annual bonus target: 10% ($14,800) equity: none (IBM RSUs are almost non-existent at this band unless you're in a specific program) signing: $10,000 (one-time) 401k match: 5% with 3-year vest
total cash year 1 with signing: ~$172,800 total cash ongoing: ~$162,800
biggest miss vs market: no RSUs at Band 7 is a meaningful gap if you're coming from somewhere that grants generously. they pushed back when i asked for equity, basically confirmed it's not something they do at this level outside the executive track.
negotiation moved the base $8k from the first offer and added $2k to signing. behavioral band ranges do have room at the top, they just don't advertise it.
4 replies
contractor_kai
this tracks with what i know. the no-RSU thing at Band 7 is a structural IBM comp decision. what you're trading for is the pension-adjacent plan (IBM has a RSCP retirement contribution that's separate from 401k, worth factoring in) and the job stability profile. it's a real comp gap vs FAANG but the total retirement picture is closer than the raw numbers suggest.
market_realist
for NYC that base is below market for senior but not embarrassingly so. you're looking at $170-190k base for senior at most pure-tech companies. the bonus and retirement stuff helps close it but probably doesn't fully close it for someone with equity expectations baked in from a previous role.
sec_sasha
did you end up taking it? asking because i'm in a similar situation for a security architecture role, Band 8, and trying to understand if the IBM comp story holds at higher bands where the role scope gets interesting.
numbers_only
passed on it. had an offer from a cloud company that was $30k more base plus RSUs. IBM couldn't budge further. no hard feelings, the process was good, the role was real. just a comp mismatch for where i was.