AgentSkillsCN

Team Composition Analysis

为团队组建提供分步指导。

SKILL.md
--- frontmatter
category: Business
id: team-composition-analysis
name: Team Composition Analysis
description: Step-by-step guidance for team composition.
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.

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

code
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:

code
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:

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

Seed:

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

Series A:

code
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

code
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:

  1. •Identify stage - Pre-seed, seed, or Series A
  2. •Define roles - What functions are needed now
  3. •Prioritize hires - Critical path for business goals
  4. •Set compensation - Base salary + equity by level
  5. •Plan timeline - Account for recruiting and ramp time
  6. •Calculate budget - Fully-loaded cost × headcount
  7. •Design org chart - Reporting structure and span of control
  8. •Allocate equity - Fair allocation that preserves pool

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