Pending job offer from UK

A company that I've been a contract (W-9) employee for the past 3 years is opening a branch in London. They are a US based company, I know the team that's putting down roots and I met with them this week (visiting London) and it basically seems like the position is mine to lose.

That being said, there is the ever present concern of the work visa.
Key points -
I'm American
For this role, I'll easily pass the Resident Labour Test
I've worked with/for the company for 3 years
I expect to earn £50k+ annual

I've heard that as an American company, they can pay me as an American and sponsor me to work in the UK. What does this process entail for the company? And what financial burdens would they take on?

What are my options as a Transfer employee? Do I qualify? What is their financial responsibility to register for sponsorship for intercom pant transfers?

It's a start up and I know the team, so I want to provide them reassurance/scope and scale of the task at hand if they -- hopefully -- bring me on board. Seriously, it's my DREAM job.

Thanks!!

To be honest, it would be much easier for them to employ you as the spouse of a UK citizen, which you indicated earlier is in your plans.

Yes, it would be much easier for you to marry in the US, apply for a spousal visa and then start the UK job once you have it.

That way the company wouldn't need to do anything except employ you and you would not need to pass the resident labour market test or be sponsored by the company for a work visa

If you will be marrying a UK citizen anyway then work visa sponsorship should be a last resort in the case that your husband cannot meet the financial requirement for a spousal visa and your only option for moving to the UK is to get a work visa because it is impossible for you to qualify for a spousal visa.

Edited to add: if the company were to sponsor you, they would first have to apply for a sponsorship licence which would cost them over £1,000 and generally takes at least 6 months to be approved, then they would have to prove you met the requirements for a company transfer visa, then apply for a sponsorship certificate for you, then you could finally apply for a work visa. You'd probably be looking at not being able to move to the UK on a work visa until late 2014 if you did it this way.

Or you could just get married, apply for a spousal visa and start working for them immediately, as if you were a UK or EU citizen. If you were to do this, you could probably be living in the UK and able to work for the company within a few weeks of the wedding.

One other thing to keep in mind is that a Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visa does not lead to settlement.  So to remain in the UK for longer than 5 years, you would have to switch to the spousal track anyway, which means you would "reset the clock" to settlement and have to live in the UK for an additional 5 years on your spouse visa to be allowed to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.