Hi, I’m Sam! I have been a product manager for years. Now I work as an industry mentor for the product, strategy, and operations track at Pathrise. I help people land their dream job through workshops and 1-on-1 mentoring. Check out our guide to learn about the average product manager salary in Seattle and then use our tips to negotiate your compensation.
According to the Future of Product Management Report by Product School, over 55% of companies surveyed say they are currently, or will be, hiring product managers in the future. In addition, over 85% of companies are self-described as “product-led”, which means that product managers will have incredible opportunities for professional growth into the C Suite.
As more tech companies establish themselves and the rest move towards putting product in the driver’s seat, they are looking to build offices and headquarters in traditionally tech-centered cities. With tech giants Amazon and Microsoft already on board, Seattle has seen rapid growth as more tech companies move in. For example, Zillow, Tableau, Redfin, Payscale, and many more companies call Seattle home.
If you are looking for product management roles and wondering how you can increase your product manager salary in Seattle, Pathrise can help. We have worked with over 1,000 people as they navigate their job search and on their own our negotiation tactics lead to 10-20% increases in compensation.
Average product manager salary in Seattle
Negotiation is not a dirty word. It is expected on both sides of the table, so make sure you are smart through all of your interactions because otherwise, you might leave money on the table. If you are asked to put a number or range on your application or in your first phone screen, avoid it! Instead, write or respond, “negotiable within reason, based on current market trends and cost of living.”
You should also tell the recruiter or hiring manager that you don’t want to give a number until you have done research on the average compensation for the role in that location. This background knowledge will help you understand the starting point for your negotiation when the time comes.
Let’s take a look at some average salaries for product manager roles in Seattle. All of these numbers come from Glassdoor.
- Associate product manager – $88,897
- Product manager – $119,614
- Senior product manager – $144,971
How to negotiate your product manager salary in Seattle
With knowledge of the average salaries for each level of the role, you can get ready to plan your negotiations. Remember, this is a normal part of the process, so go in with confidence. In fact, companies typically leave room for negotiations when they give their initial offer.
When you get an offer from a company, they will often call first to give you the news verbally. That’s great, but do not accept anything over the phone. Not only can you lose your negotiation footing over the phone, but also you need to wait until you see the offer in writing before giving an answer. If the recruiter pushes you over the phone, be firm, but polite. Let them know that you are excited but you want to see it written out before making a decision. They cannot force you to accept it verbally, so just get off the phone as quickly (and calmly) as you can.
Once you have the offer in writing, read it carefully and make sure that you understand it all. Compensation is not just salary. It also includes benefits, perks like PTO, and equity. Make sure you do your research if you have questions about equity or other, similar elements. Feel free to reach out to your family, mentors, or friends to get help with questions or guidance.
Negotiation planning
Then, you can plan your negotiation. When preparing, think about the type of company that is giving this offer. For example, big tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon are known for giving high salaries and good benefits in their starting offers. Therefore, you might see better results if you negotiate on signing bonuses, equity, relocation funds, and other benefits with these organizations.
On the other hand, startups might offer lower salaries and higher equity at first. So, you should focus on increasing compensation, unless they explicitly mentioned that they cannot go higher. In that case, turn your attention to bonuses, perks, and benefits. For more info on how to increase your product manager salary, check out our guide.
With this background knowledge on the average product manager salary in Seattle and these tips, you should be able to successfully navigate offers for these roles and negotiate to increase your compensation. For more guidance on how to become a product manager, check out our guide.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that works with students and professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. With our guidance, we’ve seen a 10-20% increase in salary from our fellows in the program.
If you want to work with our mentors 1-on-1 to get help with negotiation or with any other aspect of the job search, join Pathrise.