DATA POINTS: OPTION GRANTS BY JOB TITLE.

As part of its annual software industry compensation survey, PricewaterhouseCoopers recently polled privately-held software companies on the stock options they give out for 29 different job titles. In virtually every category, the survey notes, new hires routinely collect two or three times more options than company veterans. The true value of these options varies widely, of course, but the data does provide a helpful yardstick for the proportional size of individual option grants:

      Annual Grant* Hire Grant*

Chief Executive Officer   12,587  (6)   n/a  (2)
Chief Operating Officer   25,000  (5)   n/a  (2)
Top Financial   5,584 (12)   6,300 (9)
Top Human Resources   n/a  (4)   4,250 (10)
Top Consulting Services   n/a  (2)   11,500 (6)
Top Marketing & Sales   500 (5)   20,000 (7)
Top Marketing   n/a  (2)   29,000 (6)
Top Sales   n/a  (4)   22,500 (10)
Top Customer Support    n/a  (2)   3,825 (10)
Chief Technical Officer/R&D   10,000 (7)   32,500 (8)
Top Product Development   n/a  (2)   17,500 (8)
Outbound Telephone Sales Representative   n/a  (0)   1,500 (5)
Regional Sales Manager   n/a  (4)   20,000 (12)
Senior Sales Representative   n/a  (4)   5,000 (11)
Sales Representative   n/a  (3)   2,750 (6)
Technical Guru   n/a  (3)   15,000 (13)
Senior-Level Engineer   1,625 (10)   7,353 (24)
Intermediate-Level Engineer    750 (6)   5,000 (21)
Entry-Level Engineer   375 (6)   2,000 (13)
Web Designer/Site Builder   1,250 (6)   3,000 (9)
Project Manager   3,000 (6)   8,750 (12)
Senior Consultant   n/a  (3)   5,000 (14)
Senior Customer Support Representative   n/a  (3)   1,500 (9)
Customer Support Representative   n/a  (4)   2,000 (13)
Technical Writer   n/a  (3)   2,700 (13)
Quality Assurance Lead   n/a  (3)   4,000 (12)
Quality Assurance Analyst   n/a  (1)   2,750 (8)
Technical Recriter   n/a  (0)   n/a  (2)

     * Values are medians. Number of responses in parentheses.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, 12th Annual Survey of Compensation in the Software Industry, Global HR Solutions Survey Unit, 495 Post Rd. East, Westport, Conn. 06880; 203/341-2227. Price, $295.

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