Why this negotiation is different
Management and leadership offers usually involve more components than an individual contributor role: base salary, an annual bonus target (often a percentage of base rather than a flat number), sometimes equity or long-term incentives, and occasionally negotiated authority items like team size, hiring budget, or reporting structure that aren't compensation but affect whether the role is actually worth taking. Companies also expect leadership candidates to negotiate more assertively, a manager who doesn't advocate for themselves raises quiet questions about how they'll advocate for their team's budget and headcount later. Your comparison point should be total compensation (base plus target bonus plus any equity), not base salary alone, since the bonus percentage often varies more at this level than at individual contributor levels.
A specific script and approach
Address total comp directly: "Looking at the full package, base, bonus target, and equity, I'd like to understand how this compares to market for a role at this level. Based on my experience managing [specific scope: team size, budget, P&L], I'd like to discuss moving the base to [X] and confirming the bonus target percentage." If team size or budget authority was verbally discussed but isn't in the written offer, ask for it to be documented, since leadership scope has a way of quietly shrinking after you accept if it was never formalized.
Common mistakes
Don't negotiate base salary in isolation without asking about the bonus target percentage and how it's historically been paid out (target versus actual), a lower base with a strong, reliably-paid bonus can sometimes beat a higher base with a bonus that rarely hits target. Don't skip clarifying reporting structure and team size if those were part of the pitch, get them in writing. And don't assume seniority alone justifies your ask, come with the same specific, quantified achievements (revenue owned, team grown, budget managed) you'd expect from any strong negotiation.
Frequently asked questions
Before your next interview, it helps to have the fundamentals down. Our complete guide to preparing for a job interview covers the basics, and the STAR method is a reliable way to structure almost any answer under pressure.