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team-composition-analysis

当用户提出“规划团队结构”、“确定招聘需求”、“设计组织架构图”、“计算薪酬方案”、“规划股权分配”或要求为初创企业进行组织设计和人员编制规划时，应启用此技能。

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name:team-composition-analysisdescription:This skill should be used when the user asks to "plan teammetadata:version:1.0.0

Team Composition Analysis

Design optimal team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A.

Use this skill when

  • Working on team composition analysis tasks or workflows

  • Needing guidance, best practices, or checklists for team composition analysis

    • Do not use this skill when

  • The task is unrelated to team composition analysis

  • You need a different domain or tool outside this scope

    • Instructions

  • Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.

  • Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.

  • Provide actionable steps and verification.

  • If detailed examples are required, open resources/implementation-playbook.md.

    • Overview

    Build the right team at the right time with appropriate compensation and equity. Plan role-by-role hiring aligned with revenue milestones, budget constraints, and market benchmarks.

    Team Structure by Stage

    Pre-Seed (0-$500K ARR)

    Team Size: 2-5 people

    Core Roles:

  • Founders (2-3): Product, engineering, business

  • First engineer (if needed)

  • Contract roles: Design, marketing

    • Focus: Build and validate product-market fit

    Seed ($500K-$2M ARR)

    Team Size: 5-15 people

    Key Hires:

  • Engineering lead + 2-3 engineers

  • First sales/business development

  • Product manager

  • Marketing/growth lead

    • Focus: Scale product and prove repeatable sales

    Series A ($2M-$10M ARR)

    Team Size: 15-50 people

    Department Build-Out:

  • Engineering (40%): 6-20 people

  • Sales & Marketing (30%): 5-15 people

  • Customer Success (10%): 2-5 people

  • G&A (10%): 2-5 people

  • Product (10%): 2-5 people

    • Focus: Scale revenue and build repeatable processes

    Role-by-Role Planning

    Engineering Team

    Pre-Seed:

  • Founders write code

  • 0-1 contract developers

    • Seed:

  • Engineering Lead (first $150K-$180K)

  • 2-3 Full-Stack Engineers ($120K-$150K)

  • 1 Frontend or Backend Specialist ($130K-$160K)

    • Series A:

  • VP Engineering ($180K-$250K + equity)

  • 2-3 Senior Engineers ($150K-$180K)

  • 3-5 Mid-Level Engineers ($120K-$150K)

  • 1-2 Junior Engineers ($90K-$120K)

  • 1 DevOps/Infrastructure ($140K-$170K)

    • Sales & Marketing

    Pre-Seed:

  • Founders do sales

  • Contract marketing help

    • Seed:

  • First Sales Hire / Head of Sales ($120K-$150K + commission)

  • Marketing/Growth Lead ($100K-$140K)

  • SDR or BDR (if B2B) ($50K-$70K + commission)

    • Series A:

  • VP Sales ($150K-$200K + commission + equity)

  • 3-5 Account Executives ($80K-$120K + commission)

  • 2-3 SDRs/BDRs ($50K-$70K + commission)

  • Marketing Manager ($90K-$130K)

  • Content/Demand Gen ($70K-$100K)

    • Product Team

    Pre-Seed:

  • Founder as product lead

    • Seed:

  • First Product Manager ($120K-$150K)

  • Contract designer

    • Series A:

  • Head of Product ($150K-$180K)

  • 1-2 Product Managers ($120K-$150K)

  • Product Designer ($100K-$140K)

  • UX Researcher (optional) ($90K-$130K)

    • Customer Success

    Pre-Seed:

  • Founders handle support

    • Seed:

  • First CS hire (optional) ($60K-$90K)

    • Series A:

  • CS Manager ($100K-$130K)

  • 2-4 CS Representatives ($60K-$90K)

  • Support Engineer (technical) ($80K-$120K)

    • G&A (General & Administrative)

    Pre-Seed:

  • Contractors (accounting, legal)

    • Seed:

  • Operations/Office Manager ($70K-$100K)

  • Contract CFO

    • Series A:

  • CFO or Finance Lead ($150K-$200K)

  • Recruiter ($80K-$120K)

  • Office Manager / EA ($60K-$90K)

    • Compensation Strategy

    Base Salary Benchmarks (US, 2024)

    Engineering:

  • Junior: $90K-$120K

  • Mid-Level: $120K-$150K

  • Senior: $150K-$180K

  • Staff/Principal: $180K-$220K

  • Engineering Manager: $160K-$200K

  • VP Engineering: $180K-$250K

    • Sales:

  • SDR/BDR: $50K-$70K base + $50K-$70K commission

  • Account Executive: $80K-$120K base + $80K-$120K commission

  • Sales Manager: $120K-$160K base + $80K-$120K commission

  • VP Sales: $150K-$200K base + $150K-$200K commission

    • Product:

  • Product Manager: $120K-$150K

  • Senior PM: $150K-$180K

  • Head of Product: $150K-$180K

  • VP Product: $180K-$220K

    • Marketing:

  • Marketing Manager: $90K-$130K

  • Content/Demand Gen: $70K-$100K

  • Head of Marketing: $130K-$170K

  • VP Marketing: $150K-$200K

    • Customer Success:

  • CS Representative: $60K-$90K

  • CS Manager: $100K-$130K

  • VP Customer Success: $140K-$180K

    • Total Compensation Formula

    Total Comp = Base Salary × 1.30 (benefits & taxes) + Equity Value

    Fully-Loaded Cost:

  • Base salary

  • Payroll taxes (7.65% FICA)

  • Benefits (health insurance, 401k): $10K-$15K per employee

  • Other (workspace, equipment, software): $5K-$10K per employee

    • Rule of Thumb: Multiply base salary by 1.3-1.4 for fully-loaded cost

    Geographic Adjustments

    San Francisco / New York: +20-30% above benchmarks
    Seattle / Boston / Los Angeles: +10-20%
    Austin / Denver / Chicago: +0-10%
    Remote / Other US Cities: -10-20%
    International: Varies widely by country

    Equity Allocation

    Equity by Role and Stage

    Founders:

  • First founder: 40-60%

  • Second founder: 20-40%

  • Third founder: 10-20%

  • Vesting: 4 years with 1-year cliff

    • Early Employees (Pre-Seed):

  • First engineer: 0.5-2.0%

  • First 5 employees: 0.25-1.0% each

    • Seed Stage Hires:

  • VP/Head level: 0.5-1.5%

  • Senior IC: 0.1-0.5%

  • Mid-level: 0.05-0.25%

  • Junior: 0.01-0.1%

    • Series A Hires:

  • C-level (CTO, CFO): 1.0-3.0%

  • VP level: 0.3-1.0%

  • Director level: 0.1-0.5%

  • Senior IC: 0.05-0.2%

  • Mid-level: 0.01-0.1%

  • Junior: 0.005-0.05%

    • Equity Pool Sizing

    Option Pool by Round:

  • Pre-Seed: 10-15% reserved

  • Seed: 10-15% top-up

  • Series A: 10-15% top-up

  • Series B+: 5-10% per round

    • Pre-Funding Dilution:
    Investors often require option pool creation before investment, diluting founders.

    Example:

    Pre-money: $10M
    Investors want 15% option pool post-money
    Calculation:
    Post-money: $15M ($10M + $5M investment)
    Option pool: $2.25M (15% × $15M)
    Founders diluted by pool creation before new money

    Organizational Design

    Reporting Structure

    Pre-Seed:

    Founders (flat structure)
    ├── Contractors
    └── First hires (report to founders)

    Seed:

    CEO
    ├── Engineering Lead (2-4 engineers)
    ├── Sales/Growth Lead (1-2 reps)
    ├── Product Manager
    └── Operations

    Series A:

    CEO
    ├── CTO / VP Engineering (6-20 people)
    │   ├── Engineering Manager(s)
    │   └── Individual Contributors
    ├── VP Sales (5-15 people)
    │   ├── Sales Manager
    │   ├── Account Executives
    │   └── SDRs
    ├── Head of Product (2-5 people)
    │   ├── Product Managers
    │   └── Designers
    ├── Head of Customer Success (2-5 people)
    └── CFO / Finance Lead (2-5 people)
        ├── Recruiter
        └── Operations

    Span of Control

    Manager Ratios:

  • First-line managers: 4-8 direct reports

  • Directors: 3-5 direct reports (managers)

  • VPs: 3-5 direct reports (directors)

  • CEO: 5-8 direct reports (executive team)

    • Full-Time vs. Contract

    Use Full-Time for:


  • Core product development

  • Sales (revenue-generating roles)

  • Mission-critical operations

  • Institutional knowledge roles

    • Use Contractors for:


  • Specialized short-term needs (legal, accounting)

  • Variable workload (design, marketing campaigns)

  • Skills outside core competency

  • Testing role before FTE hire

  • Geographic expansion before permanent presence

    • Cost Comparison

    Full-Time:

  • Lower hourly cost

  • Benefits and overhead

  • Long-term commitment

  • Cultural fit matters

    • Contract:

  • Higher hourly rate ($75-$200/hour vs. $40-$100/hour FTE equivalent)

  • No benefits or overhead

  • Flexible engagement

  • Easier to scale up/down

    • Hiring Velocity

    Realistic Timeline

    Role Opening to Hire:

  • Junior: 6-8 weeks

  • Mid-Level: 8-12 weeks

  • Senior: 12-16 weeks

  • Executive: 16-24 weeks

    • Time to Productivity:

  • Junior: 4-6 months

  • Mid-Level: 2-4 months

  • Senior: 1-3 months

  • Executive: 3-6 months

    • Planning Buffer

    Always add 2-3 months buffer to hiring plans.

    Example:
    If need engineer by July 1:

  • Start recruiting: April 1 (12 weeks)

  • Productivity: September 1 (2 months ramp)

    • Budget Planning

    Compensation as % of Revenue

    Early Stage (Seed):

  • Total comp: 120-150% of revenue (burning cash to grow)

  • Engineering: 50-60%

  • Sales: 30-40%

  • Other: 20-30%

    • Growth Stage (Series A):

  • Total comp: 70-100% of revenue

  • Engineering: 35-45%

  • Sales: 25-35%

  • Other: 20-30%

    • Headcount Budget Formula

    Total Comp Budget = Σ (Role Count × Fully-Loaded Cost × % of Year)
    Example:
    3 Engineers × $202K × 100% = $606K
    2 AEs × $230K × 75% (mid-year start) = $345K
    1 PM × $162K × 100% = $162K
    Total: $1.1M

    Additional Resources

    Reference Files


  • references/compensation-benchmarks.md - Detailed salary data by role, level, and location

  • references/equity-calculator.md - Equity sizing formulas and dilution scenarios

    • Example Files


  • examples/seed-stage-hiring-plan.md - Complete hiring plan for seed-stage SaaS company

  • examples/org-chart-evolution.md - Organizational design from 5 to 50 people

    • Quick Start

    To plan team composition:

  • Identify stage - Pre-seed, seed, or Series A

  • Define roles - What functions are needed now

  • Prioritize hires - Critical path for business goals

  • Set compensation - Base salary + equity by level

  • Plan timeline - Account for recruiting and ramp time

  • Calculate budget - Fully-loaded cost × headcount

  • Design org chart - Reporting structure and span of control

  • Allocate equity - Fair allocation that preserves pool

    • For detailed compensation benchmarks and hiring plan templates, see references/ and examples/.