Can an EA support both business and personal life for a founder?

Yes, and increasingly this is the default in founder offices. The mandate should be explicit about which scope is primary and which lives are being coordinated.

How long does an EA search take?

A retained senior EA search typically runs six to nine weeks from kickoff to signed offer.

Do you place EAs who can travel with the principal?

Yes. Travel-heavy roles — including international travel — are common in our engagements, and we calibrate travel expectations and compensation before sourcing.

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Executive

Executive Assistant

Senior operators for demanding calendars.

Senior Executive Assistants for founders, investors, and principals — anticipatory, discreet, and fluent across executive travel, private scheduling, and high-stakes coordination.

Typical compensation · $140K–$240K

Responsibilities

01Own complex calendar, travel, and communications across time zones
02Coordinate board meetings, offsites, and investor communications
03Serve as the gatekeeper for the principal's time and attention
04Bridge business and personal support as needed

Ideal for

·Founders, CEOs, and C-suite executives
·Investors and fund partners
·Principals blending business and personal operations

What the role actually is

Beyond the job description.

A senior Executive Assistant is the person who owns the principal's time, communications, and coordination — and, in most modern founder and family office contexts, the person who quietly bridges the office and the household. The best senior EAs anticipate rather than react, protect the principal's attention across time zones and priorities, and hold the operating rhythm of a small team without being asked. In founder principal offices, senior EAs often carry personal scope as well; in family offices, the EA typically works in close partnership with a Personal Assistant or House Manager on private matters.

When to hire one

Most principals hire a senior EA when the person currently in the seat is either coordinating rather than anticipating, or when a growing calendar has begun to reach the principal directly. A second common trigger is the transition to a more complex life — a new residence, a new investment vehicle, or a new board seat — that adds coordination volume the existing structure cannot absorb. Founders past a liquidity event almost always upgrade EA within twelve months of the transaction.

Vetting process

Every EA we place completes a working session with the search partner before the principal sees a shortlist. That session tests anticipation and judgment on a real scheduling problem — competing meetings, a travel change, a stakeholder ask — rather than testing calendar mechanics, which almost every candidate can do. Finalists complete third-party background verification and personally conducted reference calls, at least half of which are with people the candidate did not offer as references. We calibrate on discretion explicitly: the best EAs are invisible in a way that is difficult to test on a résumé.

Compensation

Senior Executive Assistants in New York and the Bay Area typically earn $150,000 to $275,000 base plus discretionary bonus, with the highest compensation going to EAs supporting founder principals or fund partners with meaningful personal scope. Los Angeles and Miami sit at similar levels; Chicago, Austin, and Seattle sit modestly below on base, though total cash comp often converges. Full benefits, retirement match, and paid time off are standard.

Common mistakes

What we see fail.

01Confusing calendar competence with judgment; almost every candidate has the first, few have the second.
02Under-scoping the personal component of the role in the mandate, then discovering it in month three.
03Interviewing without a working session; a résumé does not reveal how a candidate thinks under time pressure.
04Skipping formal references because the candidate came through a personal introduction.
05Waiting too long to hire; most principals could have promoted the moment six months earlier than they did.

Frequently asked

Executive Assistant searches.

Can an EA support both business and personal life for a founder?: Yes, and increasingly this is the default in founder offices. The mandate should be explicit about which scope is primary and which lives are being coordinated.
How long does an EA search take?: A retained senior EA search typically runs six to nine weeks from kickoff to signed offer.
Do you place EAs who can travel with the principal?: Yes. Travel-heavy roles — including international travel — are common in our engagements, and we calibrate travel expectations and compensation before sourcing.

Where we place

Executive Assistant search, nationwide.

Ready to open a Executive Assistant search?

Every engagement starts with a private consultation.

Request consultation