Variable pay rules
Plan documents, amendment rights, and whether “target” language creates expectation or only aspiration.
Apisoftwarenet
Executive contract assessment, without the fog
A thematic guide to how we read German senior-hire agreements — and when a full program is worth the calendar space.
See programsWhat “assessment” means here
Employment consultations in Germany often stop at headline salary. Executive contract assessment goes further: it asks how pay is earned, how mobility is constrained, and how exits are priced before either party is emotionally committed.
Apisoftwarenet treats the draft as a system. A generous bonus target can sit beside a plan that HR may amend. A short non-compete can still be expensive if garden leave stacks awkwardly with notice. We surface those interactions early.
Checklist
Five places we always look first
Change-of-control
Triggers, definitions of good leaver status, and whether PE exits quietly rewrite vesting.
Post-contract restraints
Radius, duration, compensation for non-compete, and overlap with confidentiality duties.
When to engage
- You have a written offer or draft Dienstvertrag and at least a few days before acceptance.
- The package mixes German and group-level English policies.
- You are moving into a Geschäftsführer or comparable liability seat.
- A prior employer’s restraints might collide with the new role.