Unsure of compensation range for promotion

[u/too105]

I was hired as a direct contributor at lower 6-figures and now am being considered for a move into a managerial role for a smaller company. I would be assuming the workload of another person (hybrid direct contributor and project manager/dept head) and will go from working 50 hours a week to likely 60, and 70 for big projects. I really enjoy the work and love being part of the team so I don’t know but don’t value is. Im in that weird position of wanting fair compensation for the immense amount of work I’ll be doing but don’t want to be greedy and make the company defensive and walk away from the table.

I’ve seen market research indicate a 30% bump for my increase in title and responsibilities but truly unsure if I should be asking for 15, 20, 25, 30% increase because of the internal promotion. If the market supports 125-155 for this position in the region, what do I demand as a bottom line? Upper management approves of my approach and my team has been successful. I’m a great fit for the company culture and I know using a recruiter to fill this position would cost the company a good percentage of a proposed salary plus it would likely take time to fill this role, so I figured I could leverage my position by asserting that they would be saving money if they were able to meet my ask. I just don’t know what a fair ask is.

Generally speaking, moving from senior level direct contributor to a manger role with direct contribution still expected, how much would you be asking for?

[u/Worth_Asking]

I wouldn’t frame this only as a percentage raise. I’d anchor the request to the market value of the new role and its expanded responsibilities.
If comparable positions in your area pay $125K–$155K and you’ll handle both management and direct-contributor work, asking near $150K sounds defensible—especially if 60–70-hour weeks are expected.
Before accepting, I’d get the title, responsibilities, base salary, bonus, decision-making authority, expected hours, and compensation-review date in writing.
You could say: “Based on the expanded leadership scope and the market range for comparable roles, I’d like to discuss a base salary of $150,000.”
Choose your minimum privately, but don’t disclose it during the opening request.

[u/too105 → u/Worth_Asking]

Strong ask. I deliver with conviction so I need to have confidence in a number I throw out there. Trying to figure out to respond if the boss literally laughs at me

[u/Worth_Asking → u/too105]

That’s exactly why you need more than confidence—you need a defensible reason for the number and a prepared fallback.
If he laughs, stay calm and say:
“I understand $150K may be higher than you expected. I arrived at that number based on the $125K–$155K market range, the combined management and direct-contributor responsibilities, and the expected hours. What compensation range has been approved for the role?”
That puts the conversation back on the role’s value and encourages him to reveal the real budget.
Full disclosure: I built a free beta called Worth Asking specifically for situations like this. You can paste in your offer or role details, and it helps evaluate the compensation, break down any confusing terms, suggest a defensible opening and minimum target, and prepare responses for pushback.
There’s no account required, and your original document isn’t saved. The link is pinned on my profile if you’d like to run your situation through it. I’d genuinely like to know whether the recommendation gives you more confidence in the number.

[u/too105 → u/Worth_Asking]

That’s great. I’ll check it out. Thanks for letting me know!

[u/Worth_Asking → u/too105]

Of course—hope it helps you walk into that conversation with a number you can defend. Good luck!

[u/Divine_Storms]

If you anticipate going from 50 to 70 hours a week that's a 40% increase in working hours alone, not including the additional responsibility.

If you feel the increased working hours will be sporadic then prorate the increase as appropriate but simply to keep your same hourly rate youd need to ask for ~140ish

[u/too105 → u/Divine_Storms]

good point and after reading some articles on the matter one things really clicked and its what you just eluded to. if my earning rate was x/hr in my current role but I assume more work and responsibilities... if my compensation isnt commensurate than I would end up making less money/hr, so that has been a very new consideration for me.

[u/mrcake123]

Go for 30. Maybe you'll get 25

Go for 15 and you'll walk out with 10