Strategic Finance Bonuses

I’ve seen job postings for some of these strategic finance roles for tech companies and startups that seem to offer bases of $150K-$200K for around 5 years of experience. What are the bonuses like for these types of roles? Do they fall somewhere in the 10-15% range like Corp Fin or higher?

What am I missing here because it sounds like a good opportunity for someone looking to get $200K-$250K all-in for less demanding hours than many other finance roles?

17 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's what you need to know about bonuses for strategic finance roles in tech companies and startups:

  • Base Salary: For roles with around 5 years of experience, the base salary typically ranges from $150K to $200K.
  • Annual Bonus: The annual bonus for these roles generally falls in the 10-20% range, depending on the company.
  • RSUs (Restricted Stock Units): RSUs can vary significantly, ranging from $100K to $600K with a 4-year vesting period. The market average for this level is around $100K-$200K.

Example Breakdown:

  • Base Salary: $150K - $200K
  • Annual Bonus: 10-20% of base salary
  • RSUs: $100K - $200K (4-year vesting)

Total Compensation:

  • All-In Compensation: $200K - $250K, considering base salary, annual bonus, and RSUs.

Work Hours:

  • Lifestyle: The hours are generally less demanding compared to other finance roles, with a range of 40-50 hours per week during normal periods and up to 70-80 hours per week during busy times (e.g., board meetings, leadership strategy sessions).

This makes strategic finance roles in tech companies and startups an attractive opportunity for those seeking a high total compensation with relatively less demanding hours compared to traditional finance roles.

Sources: Tech As An Alternative to Finance, Q&A: From Sellside Research to Strategy & Finance at Rapid Growth Start-up, Compensation Structure at the mid-management level in Corporate Development / Strategy / Finance, Exiting Investment Banking to Corp Fin / Corp Strat / Corp Dev, Strategic finance?

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You would probably come in as a Corp Dev (or FP&A, Corp Fin...) Manager/Sr Associate at 130-150+ + 20+% bonus (I'm LCOL). For a portco, they probably have a title threshold for equity awards or profit sharing, etc. (VP, maybe director), but mine was more like Managers and above as well as year one employees. My background was public accounting, so my comp has tracked closer to an accounting/controller groups progression vs a corp dev progression, so I may be way off. Hope this helps. 

 

Currently in “strategic finance” that corp dev also rolls up to (though as you can see by my post history, I might be changing my title soon).

Base 225k
Bonus 60%
No equity though (yet!)

 

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