How these jobs are usually paid.

People ask for a number. The useful answer has more than one line. Base is the part that hits every paycheck. Bonus is the part that depends on the year, the job, or the firm. Then there is the rest: a truck, relocation, a signing amount, profit share, or a path to ownership.

Comparing base to base is how good people walk. An employed project executive will price the bonus they give up and the counteroffer they expect. Say that out loud before the last interview, not after the resignation.

Dallas, Austin, Houston, and Phoenix are not the same market. A remote design role is priced against the firm's own bands, not against a posting from another city. A PE, an architecture license, or NCIDQ changes the number when the seat needs it. It does not change it by a magic percentage.

We do not publish a salary table. A number without the bonus, the vehicle, the license, and the city is how a good person gets underpaid or a client overpays. Tell us the seat and the market. We will talk through base, bonus, and the rest before anyone writes an offer.