u/Imaginary_Ad5708

I work in supply chain and used to work as an engineer at a site in Bay Area and got promoted to a sr engineer to move to SoCal to work at a different site for the same employer. I was making 140k (+8%) bonus in the Bay Area and was offered 147k (+15%) bonus for the promotion and relocation to SoCal. This was in November 2025, and I decided to accept the offer at the time even though it was just a 5% base pay increase, the increased bonus target and the lower cost of living in SoCal made it worth it.

Fast forward to now (June 2026), I am being contacted by my former site’s leadership for a Sr. operations manager role asking me to move back. I’m pretty confident that the offer would be mine if I went after it seriously and I want to ask for advice on the minimum offer I should ask for.

Sr Operation Manager and Sr Industrial Engineer sit in the same pay band at my company. For the move back to the Bay Area, I want to ask for a pay increase to 170k (+15% bonus). I have done math to calculate that my take home pay would have to increase by at least $800 a month for me to maintain my current lifestyle and savings rate. This number comes out to 165k. I am not thinking too much about what they would offer, but regardless I can’t accept the offer without at least 165k at a minimum. Is asking for 170k the right approach - this is a ~12% increase from current?

I work in supply chain and used to work as an engineer at a site in Bay Area and got promoted to a sr engineer to move to SoCal to work at a different site for the same employer. I was making 140k (+8%) bonus in the Bay Area and was offered 147k (+15%) bonus for the promotion and relocation to SoCal. This was in November 2025, and I decided to accept the offer at the time even though it was just a 5% base pay increase, the increased bonus target and the lower cost of living in SoCal made it worth it.

Fast forward to now (June 2026), I am being contacted by my former site’s leadership for a Sr. operations manager role asking me to move back. I’m pretty confident that the offer would be mine if I went after it seriously and I want to ask for advice on the minimum offer I should ask for.

Sr Operation Manager and Sr Industrial Engineer sit in the same pay band at my company. For the move back to the Bay Area, I want to ask for a pay increase to 170k (+15% bonus). I have done math to calculate that my take home pay would have to increase by at least $800 a month for me to maintain my current lifestyle and savings rate. This number comes out to 165k. I am not thinking too much about what they would offer, but regardless I can’t accept the offer without at least 165k at a minimum. Is asking for 170k the right approach - this is a ~12% increase from current?

I have a promotion from Industrial Engineer to Sr. Operations Manager in the offing. Even as an engineer, I have been intentional about my relationships and have always ensured that my engineering solutions have been ops adoptable. So, I’m confident that I’ll be able to run the operation well, from an execution perspective. It’s the people management part that I’ve never done before. I am serious about learning to be a good people leader and would appreciate any advice the wise people of Reddit can bestow upon me.

I have a promotion from Industrial Engineer to Sr. Operations Manager in the offing. Even as an engineer, I have been intentional about my relationships and have always ensured that my engineering solutions have been ops adoptable. So, I’m confident that I’ll be able to run the operation well, from an execution perspective. It’s the people management part that I’ve never done before. I am serious about learning to be a good people leader and would appreciate any advice the wise people of Reddit can bestow upon me.