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How we pay
Compensation at Palanor is not a conversation. It is a system that runs monthly and publishes its math. This page is the math.
01 · The formula
Every role at Palanor pays the rolling 30-day median of three live compensation benchmarks: Pave, Levels.fyi, and Option Impact (Aon Advanced-HR). The median is calculated by role family and level, adjusted by geography, with a Denver-metro floor.
The Ledger ratchets up to meet the market when the market exceeds the current band. It does not ratchet down when the market falls. This is the only direction the Ledger moves.
02 · The current bands
The published number is the band mid. The range exists because individual circumstances (years of experience within level, depth in a specialty, geographic premium) tilt within the band; the mid is the default. Equity is expressed as a percent of fully-diluted authorized shares.
| Level | Name | Base mid | Base range | Equity (mid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Apprentice | $98K | $85K – $115K | 0.07% |
| L2 | Practitioner | $135K | $115K – $155K | 0.13% |
| L3 | Senior Practitioner | $175K | $150K – $200K | 0.28% |
| L4 | Staff | $225K | $195K – $255K | 0.52% |
| L5 | Principal | $290K | $250K – $335K | 0.90% |
| M1 | Manager | $180K | $155K – $210K | 0.28% |
| M2 | Senior Manager | $230K | $200K – $265K | 0.52% |
| M3 | Director | $300K | $260K – $345K | 0.95% |
| Level | Name | Base mid | Base range | Equity (mid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Apprentice | $110K | $95K – $125K | 0.08% |
| L2 | Practitioner | $145K | $125K – $165K | 0.15% |
| L3 | Senior Practitioner | $190K | $165K – $215K | 0.30% |
| L4 | Staff | $240K | $210K – $275K | 0.55% |
| L5 | Principal | $310K | $270K – $360K | 0.95% |
| M1 | Manager | $195K | $170K – $225K | 0.30% |
| M2 | Senior Manager | $245K | $215K – $280K | 0.55% |
| M3 | Director | $320K | $275K – $365K | 1.00% |
| Level | Name | Base mid | Base range | Equity (mid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Apprentice | $85K | $70K – $100K | 0.05% |
| L2 | Practitioner | $115K | $95K – $135K | 0.10% |
| L3 | Senior Practitioner | $155K | $130K – $180K | 0.20% |
| L4 | Staff | $200K | $175K – $230K | 0.42% |
| L5 | Principal | $255K | $220K – $295K | 0.75% |
| M1 | Manager | $165K | $140K – $190K | 0.22% |
| M2 | Senior Manager | $215K | $185K – $245K | 0.45% |
| M3 | Director | $275K | $235K – $320K | 0.80% |
| Level | Name | Base mid | Base range | Equity (mid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Apprentice | $90K | $75K – $105K | 0.05% |
| L2 | Practitioner | $120K | $100K – $140K | 0.10% |
| L3 | Senior Practitioner | $160K | $135K – $185K | 0.20% |
| L4 | Staff | $210K | $180K – $240K | 0.42% |
| L5 | Principal | $260K | $225K – $300K | 0.75% |
| M1 | Manager | $170K | $145K – $195K | 0.22% |
| M2 | Senior Manager | $220K | $190K – $250K | 0.45% |
| M3 | Director | $280K | $240K – $325K | 0.80% |
| Level | Name | Base mid | Base range | Equity (mid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Apprentice | $105K | $90K – $120K | 0.08% |
| L2 | Practitioner | $140K | $120K – $160K | 0.15% |
| L3 | Senior Practitioner | $185K | $160K – $210K | 0.30% |
| L4 | Staff | $235K | $205K – $270K | 0.55% |
| L5 | Principal | $305K | $265K – $350K | 0.95% |
| M1 | Manager | $190K | $165K – $220K | 0.30% |
| M2 | Senior Manager | $240K | $210K – $275K | 0.55% |
| M3 | Director | $315K | $270K – $360K | 1.00% |
03 · Promotion
Three reviewers, never the candidate’s direct manager. Published criteria, calibrated quarterly across the company. The panel evaluates a portfolio of deliverables, a written defense memo where the level requires it, and a 90-minute session in which the candidate walks the panel through a hard trade-off they made.
Outcome: promote, hold, or develop with named gaps. The criteria for each level are public to every Palanor employee — there is no hidden checklist.
04 · Equity
Twelve and a half percent of fully-diluted shares are reserved for the Employee Stock Option Pool at incorporation, with intent to expand to eighteen percent by Series A. Standard four-year vesting with a one-year cliff.
Vested options are exercisable for ten years from grant. Departing employees retain the same exercise window — the seven-year clock that punishes people who leave is not part of the Palanor doctrine.
05 · Geography
Wherever a Palanor employee lives, the published number is the higher of local market median and Denver-metro median. Remote-international hires receive a published international band. No employee is paid below the Denver floor.
Restraint is the voice. The math is the proof.
The Ledger was last recalibrated on awaiting first run. It recalibrates monthly. The system is monotonic — it only moves up.