Looking for a comp check from owners and senior engineers on what this role is worth at my current shop vs jumping to a larger MSP or vendor. Leaving my current comp out on purpose so I don't anchor the numbers, and generalizing a few details for anonymity.
Background:
- Southeast US, MCOL (non-major metro)
- ~10 person MSP, $2.5M to $3.5M revenue
- 10+ years here (longest tenure employee). #2 technically under the owner (top escalation, tribal knowledge, tech mentor, no HR management).
- Masters in IT, BS in IT, 8 certs across cloud/security/networking/PM (not trying to dox my LinkedIn).
- Would ideally like to step into a VP/Director/CTO/CIO role (I know titles get ambiguous at smaller MSPs).
Roles:
- Projects: Scope, design, and lead all client projects (~$250k to $500k/yr). Built an internal AI discovery and planning tool that cut pre-sales scoping time, helps plan projects and significantly increased project margins.
- Automation: Build our RPA workflows, PowerShell/Python scripts, and internal AI tools.
- Stack & Compliance: Own our internal/client stack and lead client compliance (CMMC, HIPAA, NIST, CIS).
- "The Guy": You know, the one everyone is told to go ask when they have a question about literally anything - clients, products, architecture, guidance; also escalations, overflow, "this just needs to get fixed", etc.
Questions:
At a $2.5M to $3.5M shop, what is a fair structure to pitch the owner (base + project margin cut + phantom equity)?
What base and OTE ranges are you seeing for this skillset at larger remote MSPs or vendors right now?