Fair pay rise for new dual role?

[Tim Cognito]

I have been in my current position for a number of years, I enjoy it but it had got a bit stagnant in terms of knowledge and skill progression as well as salary.

Around 9 months ago I put myself forward for a bunch of new responsibilities under a new position (also keeping my existing responsibilities).

The position didn't exist in the company previously although the CTO has wanted it for years but the directors didn't think it justified another chunky salary (only a small business).

It's going well and I think I've demonstrated both that the position is justified and also that I'm doing it to a good standard.

It's been pretty full on as I've not really given up any of my existing workload as well as taking on a lot more from the new role. From this point of view the company has been getting great value for money from me but I'm no fool and won't be doing it "for free" forever.

My annual review is coming up and I don't know what is a reasonable expectation for salary increase. If they wanted to get in a new hire for it the salary would be 45-55k which is about what I am on at the moment. I mean double salary would be great but I don't think it works like that

[Countdown]

Playing devils advocate- could they argue that you didn’t have enough work to do in the first place and that’s why you’re capable of taking on this extra work?

Regarding your pay increase- it’s hard to say as it depends on what other people are earning, the likelihood of you leaving, the hassle of replacing you, and how much your manager likes you.

[alscar]

Also playing devils advocate - perhaps at the time you should have bought the subject of money up ?
Fwiw I was once Heading up a department which then was merged with another but I was offered the combined Head as it were and asked to keep or fire other members of that team by cop the same day !
In fairness that department was seriously unprofitable.
I said yes to the job ( I likened it post to finding yourself on a rollercoaster that you couldn’t get off so you might as well enjoy it ) but “ suggested “ a 25% uplift in salary , a bigger bonus percentage and a 12 months minimum notice period wouldn’t be unreasonable.

[Gas1883]

My run was Newark - glous - Newark , 2 nd driver took over lorry when I got back at 23.00/ midnight & did Newark -heywood - Newark
When he left they asked me to cover his run , so I did Newark - glous - Newark - Heywood ( night out ) then heywood - Newark - glous - Newark .
You could only do it 2 nights so another driver covered the other runs , I was paid my normal 10 hrs + the driver who left 10 hrs , 20 hrs per night + night out money , Heywood just added a extra 2 /2 1/2 hrs onto shift , easy money & coined it in .
But a year ish later a new manager arrived & said if we’re paying 2 drivers wages ( 20 hrs ) I want 2 drivers , I was so used to the money the day they told me I was going back to my original run ( 10 hrs ) I walked out & left , i was pissed off , I started a new job a day later so didn’t affect me really , but I’d be careful asking / getting to much as you only need a new manager & it can all change .

[paddy1970]

You have essentially proven the business case for a role the CTO already wanted. Let's think about this strategically:

Your Current Position:
- You're effectively doing two full-time roles
- You've proven both the need for the position and your capability
- The company is getting excellent value currently
- You've demonstrated initiative and loyalty by developing this internally

Salary Considerations:
- If they hired externally for just the new role: £45-55k
- You're currently on a similar amount for your original role
- You're successfully handling both responsibilities
- The company saves recruitment/training costs with internal promotion

A reasonable negotiating position might be to request a 65-75% increase from current salary
- This reflects taking on essentially another full role
- It's less than paying two full salaries
- It accounts for efficiency gains from having one person do both
- It's a significant but not unreasonable jump given the circumstances

I would approach the negotiation like this:

Opening Phase:
- Let them lead the review first - they may already recognize the value and come with a good offer
- When salary comes up, start by asking about their view of how the expanded role has worked out
- Use their response to gauge their perception of the value you've added

Making Your Case:
- Frame the discussion around the company getting "two roles for less than two salaries"
- Lead with concrete examples: "In the past 9 months, I've delivered X while maintaining Y from my original role"
- Emphasize cost savings: "By developing this role internally, we've saved on recruitment and training costs"
- Show business impact: "This new function has improved Z by XX%"

Handling Pushback:
- If they say budget is tight: "I understand budget constraints. Could we discuss a phased increase over 6-12 months?"
- If they want to split the roles: "I've developed effective systems for managing both. Splitting them would mean hiring and training someone new"
- If they downplay the new responsibilities: Have specific examples ready of major projects or improvements you've implemented

Specific Numbers:
- Let them make the first offer if possible
- Have your target figure ready (the 65-75% increase we discussed)
- Consider proposing slightly above your target to leave room for negotiation

[Tim Cognito]

Countdown said:

Playing devils advocate- could they argue that you didn’t have enough work to do in the first place and that’s why you’re capable of taking on this extra work?

Regarding your pay increase- it’s hard to say as it depends on what other people are earning, the likelihood of you leaving, the hassle of replacing you, and how much your manager likes you.

Even though it's a dual role I've probably only been able to spend max 20% of my time on the new bits. Like any similar situation you find the time by rushing more, delegating more, dropping less important tasks etc.

Likelihood of me leaving is low for now - getting hands on experience in the new role is more important for long term career progression so I wouldn't be looking to move on until I've got at least a couple of years of that on my CV.

Hassle of replacing me would be extremely high for a few reasons. We've tried to recruit for my primary role before and they had a great deal of difficulty finding someone with the required skillset and breadth of knowledge.

On good terms with the people who would make this decision.

The main blocker I would say is business isn't that great at the moment, our department profit is down YoY and has been for a few months now. I guess you could say so what, my salary should be based on the market rate - and if you want my skills then you have to pay the market rate. But also I know there is no magic money tree which can just pay for higher salaries when business is down.

[Tim Cognito]

alscar said:

Also playing devils advocate - perhaps at the time you should have bought the subject of money up ?
Fwiw I was once Heading up a department which then was merged with another but I was offered the combined Head as it were and asked to keep or fire other members of that team by cop the same day !
In fairness that department was seriously unprofitable.
I said yes to the job ( I likened it post to finding yourself on a rollercoaster that you couldn’t get off so you might as well enjoy it ) but “ suggested “ a 25% uplift in salary , a bigger bonus percentage and a 12 months minimum notice period wouldn’t be unreasonable.

It was implied when I started doing it that there would be more money if it worked out. I didn't push on it at the time because I was more interested in up skilling myself and getting the new position on my CV.

[alscar]

Tim Cognito said:

alscar said:

Also playing devils advocate - perhaps at the time you should have bought the subject of money up ?
Fwiw I was once Heading up a department which then was merged with another but I was offered the combined Head as it were and asked to keep or fire other members of that team by cop the same day !
In fairness that department was seriously unprofitable.
I said yes to the job ( I likened it post to finding yourself on a rollercoaster that you couldn’t get off so you might as well enjoy it ) but “ suggested “ a 25% uplift in salary , a bigger bonus percentage and a 12 months minimum notice period wouldn’t be unreasonable.

It was implied when I started doing it that there would be more money if it worked out. I didn't push on it at the time because I was more interested in up skilling myself and getting the new position on my CV.

In which case makes sense and I guess that should be your line during the review.
I do think your percentage expectation needs to be realistic though whether you declare that first or wait for their number is a more difficult call though.
Either way best of luck.