team-composition-analysis
Design optimal team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A. Use this skill when planning headcount, determining which roles to hire next, setting compensation or equity ranges, designing org structure, or building a hiring budget aligned to funding milestones.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill team-composition-analysis- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads team-composition-analysis automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
Security audits
Independent scans of the skill's instructions and bundled files.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
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
Detailed section: Role-by-Role Planning
Originally a 1720-byte section in this SKILL.md. Moved to references/details.md to fit Codex's 8 KB skill body cap.
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
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:
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:
Founders (flat structure)
├── Contractors
└── First hires (report to founders)
Seed:
CEO
├── Engineering Lead (2-4 engineers)
├── Sales/Growth Lead (1-2 reps)
├── Product Manager
└── Operations
Series A:
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
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
Quick Start
To plan team composition:
- Identify stage - Pre-seed, seed, or Series A
- Define roles - What functions are needed now
- Prioritize hires - Critical path for business goals
- Set compensation - Base salary + equity by level
- Plan timeline - Account for recruiting and ramp time
- Calculate budget - Fully-loaded cost × headcount
- Design org chart - Reporting structure and span of control
- Allocate equity - Fair allocation that preserves pool
FAQ
What does the team-composition-analysis skill do?
Design optimal team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A. Use this skill when planning headcount, determining which roles to hire next, setting compensation or equity ranges, designing org structure, or building a hiring budget aligned to funding milestones.
How do I install team-composition-analysis?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill team-composition-analysis in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/team-composition-analysis/ (personal) or .claude/skills/team-composition-analysis/ (project).
Which AI agents can use team-composition-analysis?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is team-composition-analysis safe to install?
Security partners have reviewed it: Gen Agent Trust Hub passed; Socket passed; Snyk passed; Runlayer passed; ZeroLeaks passed. As with any skill, read the SKILL.md and bundled scripts before installing.
Who maintains team-composition-analysis?
It is published by wshobson in wshobson/agents. It has 10,429 recorded installs.
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