Linear Talent
← All roles

Private

Personal Assistant

The private counterpart to the office.

Personal Assistants who manage the private life of a principal with the same rigor an EA brings to the office — travel, household coordination, family logistics, and discretion above all.

Typical compensation · $120K–$220K

Responsibilities

  • 01Manage personal calendar, private travel, and household logistics
  • 02Coordinate with estate, house, and property managers
  • 03Handle personal errands, gifting, appointments, and family scheduling
  • 04Protect the privacy and time of the principal and family

Ideal for

  • ·UHNW principals and their families
  • ·Founders and investors blending work and home
  • ·Households requiring senior private support

What the role actually is

Beyond the job description.

A Personal Assistant is the private counterpart to the Executive Assistant — the person who manages the principal's private life with the same anticipatory rigor an EA brings to the office. Scope typically includes personal travel, household coordination, family scheduling, gifting, appointments, and the countless small logistical decisions that make a private life run without constant principal attention. In many households the PA works closely with the House Manager or Estate Manager, and in founder offices the PA and EA often function as a coordinated pair.

When to hire one

The most common trigger is the moment the principal's Executive Assistant is spending more than about a quarter of their week on personal scope. A second common trigger is a life event — a marriage, a child, a new residence — that adds private coordination volume the existing structure cannot absorb without a dedicated seat. Founders past a liquidity event almost always add a Personal Assistant within the first year.

Vetting process

Personal Assistant searches are as sensitive as any role we run. Every finalist completes a working session on a private-life scheduling problem, third-party background verification, and personally conducted reference calls that include prior principals wherever the candidate's tenure allows. We calibrate explicitly on discretion, warmth, and the ability to represent the principal well with vendors, family members, and outside contacts.

Compensation

Senior Personal Assistants typically earn $120,000 to $220,000 base depending on scope and geography, with the top of the range in New York, LA, and Miami. Roles that blend Personal Assistant and House Manager scope, or that include significant international travel with the principal, sit at the top. Full benefits and paid time off are standard.

Common mistakes

What we see fail.

  • 01Hiring a candidate whose only prior experience is corporate EA work; private-life anticipation is a distinct skill.
  • 02Under-scoping travel and on-call expectations in the mandate.
  • 03Failing to define the working relationship between PA, EA, and House Manager, leading to overlap and gaps.
  • 04Skipping formal references from prior principals, which is where the most important information lives.

Frequently asked

Personal Assistant searches.

What is the difference between a Personal Assistant and a House Manager?
A Personal Assistant supports the principal's private life directly — travel, scheduling, gifting, appointments. A House Manager runs the residence — staff, vendors, maintenance, entertaining. Many households need both, and we place them as a coordinated pair.
Do you place live-in Personal Assistants?
Occasionally. Most of our engagements are live-out, but we support live-in scope when the principal's residence and schedule genuinely require it.
How long does a Personal Assistant search take?
A retained PA search typically runs six to nine weeks from kickoff to signed offer.

Where we place

Personal Assistant search, nationwide.

Ready to open a Personal Assistant search?

Every engagement starts with a private consultation.

Request consultation