✦ FOR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Compensation solutions that actually move the business forward

500+ 5 Star Reviews

Get clear visibility into how your compensation investment compares to the market, aligns with business goals, and drives retention, performance, and growth — without getting lost in the details.

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1Position
2Benchmark
3Boardroom
See your full position
Four dimensions map how your compensation investment compares — before a single conversation happens.
INVESTMENT MARKET POSITION RETENTION GROWTH 42nd 88th 55th 76th
Executive visibility — not guesswork.
Know exactly where you stand
Benchmarked against your strategy cohort — trailing, aligned, or leading.
Investment
42nd
TRAILING THE COHORT
STRATEGY BENCHMARK
Market Position
88th
LEADING THE COHORT
STRATEGY BENCHMARK
Retention
55th
ALIGNED WITH COHORT
STRATEGY BENCHMARK
Growth Readiness
76th
ALIGNED WITH COHORT
STRATEGY BENCHMARK
Track alignment with the business
Watch each dimension move against the cohort — ready to bring to the board.
Position over time
Percentile vs. cohort — Q1 to Q3 2026
100 75 50 25 0 Q1 Q2 Q3
Q3 2026 — latest
Investment 42nd
Market Position 88th
Retention 55th
Growth 76th
Investment Market Position Retention Growth Readiness
Clear, defensible positioning — ready for the board.
Challenges
How we help you win
Why Payscale

Accountable for pay, without the data to manage it

According to Payscale’s 2026 Compensation Best Practices Report, senior leaders are increasingly being held accountable for compensation outcomes — yet many still lack clear, defensible visibility into how pay decisions are actually impacting the business.

51
%

of organizations cite balancing employee pay expectations with budget constraints as their top challenge

75
%

of organizations say their executive leadership team requests compensation reporting occasionally or frequently

68
%

of organizations say executive leaders view compensation as a strategic lever (yet many still struggle to deliver on it)

Powered by
29
Industries
10M+
Employee Records
4.5K+
Contributing Orgs
00+
New Metric 5
00+
New Metric 6
00+
New Metric 7
00+
New Metric 8
Built for
Benchmarking
Compensation Planning
Job Management
Pill 4
Pill 5
Pill 6
Pill 7
Pill 8
Made for
Compensation Professionals
HR Professionals
Executive Leadership
Talent Acquisition
Pill 5
Pill 6
Pill 7
Pill 8
✦ Meet the Payscale Intelligence Cloud

One connected system. Every benchmarking decision smarter.

When the same trusted Peer data powers benchmarking, job architecture, and compensation planning, you eliminate version conflicts, manual reconciliation, and decisions made in isolation.

One connected foundation

Your benchmarks don’t live in isolation. The same defensible data that powers Ascent flows directly into job management solutions— so job structures, leveling, and descriptions stay consistent with your market data without forcing your team to re-enter or reconcile anything.

Grounded planning

Compensation planning should reflect reality, not last quarter’s assumptions. Paycycle runs on the same live, trusted benchmarks you use in Ascent — so modeling, budgeting, and pay decisions are grounded in current market conditions from the start.

Integrated insights

Stop switching between tools to understand your data. Real-time market intelligence and AI-guided recommendations surface directly inside Ascent — and flow into the workflows your team already uses for planning and job management.

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Stop guessing how your compensation investment is really performing


See how your compensation strategy stacks up using dimensions that actually matter to the business — so you can make confident decisions and communicate them effectively to the board and leadership team.
‍

  • See which parts of your organization are competitively positioned — and which ones are creating retention or performance risk
  • Walk into board and leadership discussions with clear — defensible positioning instead of reactive answers
  • Get straightforward recommendations tied to your actual data — not generic market benchmarks
Outcome
Move from explaining compensation to owning the workforce strategy conversation.
Get a Demo
1Orientation
2Indicators
3Trends
4Signals
See where you stand
Four indicators map your position within your cohort — at a glance.
INVESTMENT COMPETITIVENESS HEALTH ARCHITECTURE 35th 97th 50th 63rd
Each indicator is a position within your cohort — not a score.
Read the four indicators
Each percentile is benchmarked against the strategy cohort.
Workforce Investment
35th
TRAILING THE COHORT
STRATEGY BENCHMARK
Market Competitiveness
97th
LEADING THE COHORT
STRATEGY BENCHMARK
Workforce Health
50th
ALIGNED WITH COHORT
STRATEGY BENCHMARK
Workforce Architecture
63rd
ALIGNED WITH COHORT
STRATEGY BENCHMARK
Watch your position move
How each indicator has tracked against the cohort over time.
Position trends over time
Percentile vs. cohort — Mar to May 2026
100 75 50 25 0 1 Mar 1 Apr 1 May
May 2026 — latest
Investment 35th
Competitiveness 97th
Health 50th
Architecture 63rd
Investment Competitiveness Health Architecture
Drill into a segment
Zoom to one group and surface the signals worth acting on.
SEGMENT · PEOPLE
5 jobs · 13 employees
INVESTMENT
34th
−1pp vs org
COMPETITIVENESS
76th
−21pp vs org
HEALTH
75th
+25pp vs org
ARCHITECTURE
41st
−22pp vs org
$
Investment Signal
SPEND$2.6M
% OF ORG4.2%
↗ High investment
Optimization Signal
TENURE6Y
AVG PIR56.1%
⚠ Retention risk
1AI Search
2Market Pricing
3Trends & Demand
Find any job, fast
Search in plain language — Payscale maps it to the right role and market.
AI-powered search
✦ Firmware / Embedded Software Engineer →
Technology USA — National 500–1,000 employees
Suggested matches
Firmware Engineer II
USA — National · Technology
→
Embedded Software Engineer
USA — National · Technology
→
IoT Firmware Developer
USA — National · Technology
→
Price the role in real time
A live pay distribution, benchmarked to fresh market data.
Market distribution
Firmware / Embedded Software Engineer · USA
10TH 25TH 50TH 75TH 90TH $88.1K $96.2K $107.2K $132.8K $158.9K
50TH · MEDIAN
$107.2K
Range
$88K – $159K
10th to 90th percentile
Data analyzed
Firmware/Embedded SW Eng · USA 98 orgs · 2,221 incs
Firmware/Embedded SW Eng · Technology 10 orgs · 134 incs
Explore trends and demand
Skill premiums, hiring momentum, and where the jobs are.
Skill impact
Pay lift for in-demand skills
Embedded C/C+++12%
RTOS+8%
Device drivers+5%
Bluetooth LE+3%
Skill trends
% of postings, last 7 quarters
Embedded C/C++ RTOS Device drivers Bluetooth LE
Demand · job postings
Postings over last 8 quarters
Q2 ’24Q4 ’24Q2 ’25Q4 ’25
Demand · top locations
Postings & median by metro
San Jose, CA532$195.1K
Los Angeles, CA309$167.7K
Seattle, WA188$176.6K
Boston, MA182$145.2K

Move from reactive cycles to strategic execution


Give your organization the tools to run compensation cycles with real-time visibility, clear guardrails, and connected data — so strategy actually translates into consistent decisions.
‍

  • Real-time budget tracking and scenario modeling
  • Guided workflows that reduce inconsistency and risk
  • Clear audit trails and governance for leadership confidence
Outcome
Strategy becomes execution — not just slides.
Get a Demo
Explore comp strategy solutions

Reduce legal and reputational risk proactively


Move from reactive audits to building equity and transparency into the foundation of your compensation program — with clear visibility into gaps and a defensible methodology.
‍

  • Structured job architecture that supports internal equity analysis
  • Automated pay transparency compliance in job postings and communications
  • Clear linkage between pay decisions and equity outcomes
Outcome
Fewer surprises. Stronger governance.
Get a Demo
1Defensible range
2Stay compliant
3Win trust
Post a defensible range
Every posting backed by market data — audit-ready, not guesswork.
Sales Associate — Enterprise
Durham, NC · Remote eligible
Defensible salary range
$62K
MIN
$78K
MIDPOINT
$94K
MAX
Methodology attached. Sourced from Payscale market data, level-aligned to your internal architecture, audit-ready.
Compliant in every jurisdiction
Pay-transparency rules auto-checked as you post — no manual legal review.
×✓
California
Range required
×✓
New York
Range + good faith
×✓
Colorado
Range + benefits
×✓
Washington
Range required
×✓
Illinois
Range (2025)
×✓
EU Directive
Emerging
6 / 6
Compliant across every jurisdiction — no manual workarounds, no last-minute legal review.
Win candidate trust
Candidates see clear pay up front — and apply with confidence.
✓ Pay-transparent posting
Sales Associate
Enterprise Sales · Durham, NC
Posted salary range
$62K – $94K
Methodology available
Clear, upfront pay range
Requirements match the real role
No surprises later in the process
1Model
2Enable
3Implementation
Build a defensible merit matrix
Specialists model increases by performance and position in range — calibrated to budget.
★ Expert matrix
MERIT MATRIX · INCREASE GUIDELINES
Performance
Below
midpoint At
midpoint Above
midpoint
Exceeds · top tier 5.0% 4.0% 3.0%
Meets · solid 3.5% 2.5% 2.0%
Developing · building 2.0% 1.5% 0.0%
3.0%
Calibrated to your merit budget
Defensible and consistent — ready for leadership sign-off
Turn managers into confident decision-makers
Recommendations checked against the matrix — guardrails catch inequity before it ships.
★ Guided calibration
CALIBRATION REVIEW · PROPOSED INCREASES
AC
Ariana Acosta
Exceeds · below midpoint
5.0%
IN RANGE
DK
Drew Kent
Meets · above midpoint
2.0%
IN RANGE
ST
Sophia Thorpe
Developing · above midpoint
4.5%
OVER GUIDE
🛡
Guardrails flag the outlier
One increase exceeds guidelines — caught before sign-off, not after.
Roll out new cycles — without the chaos
Custom change management and enablement so new processes stick and deliver fast.
★ Change management
IMPLEMENTATION & ENABLEMENT
A cycle your team runs with confidence.
Hands-on manager training
Productive pay conversations, no inequity
Calibration sessions leadership trusts
Fair, consistent, defensible decisions
Change management built in
New cycles stick and deliver value fast
From fair matrix to a cycle that sticks — without adding headcount.

Partner with experts when you need it most


Many leadership teams want help translating strategy into execution. Payscale Services works with executives and their teams on compensation philosophy, job architecture, pay equity strategy, stakeholder alignment, and building long-term compensation maturity.
‍

  • Compensation philosophy and total rewards strategy development
  • Job architecture and leveling design aligned to business goals
  • Board and investor communication support
Outcome
Move from reactive compensation management to confident, strategic leadership.
Contact Sales
✦ Why Payscale

Don’t just take our word for it

Hear from leaders how Payscale delivers for clarity, scale, and trust in their compensation strategy.

500+ 5 Star Reviews
Get a Demo
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Ready to make compensation a true strategic lever?

See how Payscale gives executive leaders clear visibility, connected planning, and defensible decision-making — so compensation supports business performance instead of creating risk and friction.

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