Lever-by-Lever Negotiation Scripts

"Thank you for putting the offer together. Before I come back with my full response, one piece I want to address: I am leaving roughly [$X] in unvested equity and bonus behind by moving now. Is there room to add a [$15-25k] signing bonus to help make that transition whole? That would remove the last material friction on my side."

"The initial grant looks reasonable for year one. What I would love to lock in is a guaranteed refresh at month 18 , that structure helps me commit fully to the 3-5 year trajectory we have been talking about. Is that something you can build into the offer letter?"

"Based on the scope we discussed , leading [specific scope], owning [specific outcomes], and reporting into [specific stakeholder] , the role reads one half-step above [current offered title]. Is there room to revisit the title? It matters for internal credibility and for my long-term trajectory."

"I would like to push the start date to [date, 2-3 weeks later] so I can properly transition my current team and take a short break before ramping. If that is tight on your side, an alternative is adding five days of pre-accrued PTO in year one. Either works , whichever is easier for you."

"One thing I want to make sure we align on: can we put a formal 6-month compensation review into the offer letter? Not a guarantee of a raise , just a scheduled review. That way we both know we are calibrating on performance and market at that point."

"For a senior role at this level, I want to make sure the downside is defined. Two asks: (1) severance equal to [3-6] months base if terminated without cause, and (2) year-1 bonus guaranteed at target, prorated if I start mid-year. Both protect the decision to make this move."