Pricing a country manager role in Uzbekistan when no survey covers it?

I would trust the recruiter more than the discount. For a first hire in a thin market, candidate expectations from five or six serious conversations are market data, just not published data. We write them down in a file note with dates and employer type, and that note is what we show the auditors.

Careful with that. Recruiters paid on a percentage of salary have told me the market was 30% higher than it turned out to be more than once. Expectations are an input, not the answer.

What has worked for us in Central Asia and parts of West Africa is three sources weighted openly: the proxy country ratio at 40%, a custom cut requested from the survey provider at 30% (they will often run one for a fee even below their usual minimum sample, with a caveat), and documented candidate data at 30%.

For the country manager specifically we stopped pretending there was a local market. We price it against a regional leadership range and accept that it sits far above the local structure. The sales and admin roles get the local range. Review after 12 months once you have your own offer and acceptance history.

Thanks all. I have asked the provider for a custom cut and will price the country manager off our regional range for Central and Eastern Europe. The 20% discount is going in the bin. I will keep the candidate notes as a third source rather than the deciding one.