What does the right hire cost?
Advertised engineering salaries in London, New York and San Francisco, with employer sources and context on the whole package.
Explore the salary guideTHE SIGNAL
The Signal.
Practical guides for founders, hiring teams and technical people considering their next step.
Define the founding engineer before you start the search.
A practical framework for separating technical delivery, product ownership and founder expectations.
Read the guideAI engineer, research engineer or research scientist?
Start with the problem, the expected output and the way success will be evaluated.
Read the guideHire for the mandate. Then choose the title.
How to frame a CTO, Head of Engineering or engineering leadership search around the decisions that matter.
Read the guideBefore you join a startup, ask about the work.
A practical guide to understanding the role, the team and the trade-offs behind your next move.
Read the guideTechnical recruiters for New York startups: a comparison
Compare recruitment models and specialisms for New York startups. Official sources, clear selection criteria and questions to ask before a search.
Read the guideTechnical recruiters for San Francisco startups: a comparison
Compare recruitment models and specialisms for San Francisco startups. Official sources, clear selection criteria and questions to ask before a search.
Read the guideTechnical recruiters for London startups: a comparison
Compare recruitment models and specialisms for London startups. Official sources, clear selection criteria and questions to ask before a search.
Read the guideHow to hire a founding engineer in New York
Define ownership, assess relevant work and explain the package before hiring a founding engineer for your New York startup.
Read the guideSalary, equity and bonus: comparing London, New York and San Francisco
Compare employer-advertised compensation in London, New York and San Francisco without confusing currency, seniority or equity.
Read the guideContract and interim technical hiring: define the gap first
A practical brief for contract and interim engineering, AI, research and leadership hires at startups and scaleups.
Read the guideWhat competition results and founder experience can tell you
Use competition results and founder experience as context for engineering assessment, without treating achievements as proof of fit.
Read the guideHow to plan your first five engineering hires
Sequence early engineering hires around product needs, support and ownership rather than copying another startup’s organisation chart.
Read the guide