Internal job offer came in $14K below what I asked for. How would you negotiate from here?
I’m looking for advice on what to do next in a salary negotiation. I received a written offer for an internal position at my current university, and the initial offer was $81K. I felt that was too low given my background, so I negotiated and asked for $95K.
For context, I have almost 5 years at the university, already have relationships with many of the internal partners this role would work with, have a master’s degree from the university specifically in this field, and have directly relevant experience in international/global engagement, relationship management, and cross-campus work. The position is classified as Grade 109, with a posted salary range of $68,000 to $105,175 and a midpoint of $86,515.
The hiring manager came back and said HR approved an increase to $83K. She also acknowledged that I would bring a lot of relevant experience and alignment to the role, and suggested that there may be a budget constraint.
So they moved from $81K to $83K, which is only a $2K increase, or about 2.5%. I’m honestly pretty surprised by the counter, especially because $83K is still below the midpoint of the posted range.
I genuinely want the position, but $95K is the salary I actually want, and I’m having trouble justifying making the move for $83K.
What would you do next? Would you push back again and ask if there is any additional flexibility on base salary? Would you ask about other components of the compensation package? Would you give them a specific number below $95K at this point, or make them come back with their actual ceiling?
I’m especially interested in advice from people who have negotiated university/higher-ed salaries or dealt with internal transfers where the posted range is significantly higher than the initial offer.
Edit: I currently make $75k