How to hire a senior executive assistant

How to hire a senior executive assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior executive assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior executive assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior executive assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior executive assistant do?

Post a senior executive assistant job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior executive assistant you need to hire. Certain senior executive assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior executive assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior executive assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior executive assistants.

   Type of Senior Executive Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Executive Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$20-48

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PowerPoint
   • Customer Service
   • Work Ethic
   • Administrative Tasks
   • SR
   • Conference Calls
   • Provides Administrative Support
   • SharePoint
   • Project Management
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Administrative Functions
   • Meeting Materials
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Human Resources

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage processes to nominate and elect board candidates at the annual meeting, and provide administrative support to CEO and CMO.
   • Manage the SVP's calendar and independently scheduling/rescheduling meetings.
   • Manage all administrative responsibilities of CMO including confidential materials and business communications with all levels of management.
   • Update staff Medicare, medical, and personal records.
   • Maintain and organize divisional SVP calendar and travel arrangements.
   • Initiate administrative actions to quickly and effectively resolve finance and payroll challenges.

   More senior executive assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior executive assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior executive assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior executive assistants' average salary in oklahoma is 60% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior executive assistants 57% less than senior-level senior executive assistants.
   • Certifications. A senior executive assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior executive assistant's salary.

   Average senior executive assistant salary

   $66,419yearly

   $31.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior executive assistant salary

   $43,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 29, 2025

   Average senior executive assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$94,508	$45
   2	California	$89,887	$43
   3	New Jersey	$79,961	$38
   4	Washington	$74,116	$36
   5	Hawaii	$73,947	$36
   6	Pennsylvania	$69,791	$34
   7	Oregon	$68,386	$33
   8	North Carolina	$68,136	$33
   9	Georgia	$67,949	$33
   10	Ohio	$65,490	$31
   11	Illinois	$65,434	$31
   12	Texas	$64,244	$31
   13	Massachusetts	$63,873	$31
   14	Virginia	$62,000	$30
   15	Wisconsin	$58,146	$28
   16	West Virginia	$57,659	$28
   17	Arizona	$57,599	$28
   18	Michigan	$56,608	$27
   19	Colorado	$53,648	$26
   20	Maine	$52,962	$25

   Average senior executive assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$145,970	$70.18	9
   2	Flexport	$122,176	$58.74	3
   3	Amd	$121,895	$58.60	5
   4	Goldman Sachs	$120,792	$58.07
   5	Citi	$120,725	$58.04	4
   6	BNY Mellon	$120,664	$58.01	12
   7	Workday	$115,640	$55.60	17
   8	Varian Medical Systems	$113,164	$54.41	1
   9	MongoDB	$108,429	$52.13	12
   10	AIG	$107,861	$51.86	11
   11	Micron Technology	$105,879	$50.90
   12	Bayer	$105,644	$50.79	48
   13	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$104,965	$50.46	455
   14	Aerojet Rocketdyne	$104,560	$50.27
   15	Palo Alto Networks	$103,440	$49.73	3
   16	Grant Thornton	$103,009	$49.52	15
   17	AlixPartners	$102,818	$49.43	1
   18	MetricStream	$102,111	$49.09
   19	Mesirow	$101,510	$48.80
   20	Amgen	$101,005	$48.56	18

4. Writing a senior executive assistant job description

   A senior executive assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a senior executive assistant job description:

   Senior executive assistant job description example

   1. Maintain, update and disseminate the Master Project List for the COE.

   2. Executive level administrative support including but not limited to calendar management, travel arrangement and executive office management as directed.

   3. Organization and scheduling of meetings which will include research and gathering of information, preparing presentations/materials as well as tracking follow-up and action items. Ensuring appropriate attendance and individuals are prepared for meetings.

   4. Co-ordination with appropriate individuals to ensure timely completion of initiatives.

   5. Manage projects as needed, ensuring target and deadlines are achieved.

   6. Gather information from subject matter experts and leaders as needed to assist in meeting goals and objectives.

   7. Consolidate information and conduct analysis as needed.

   8. Build and maintain relationships with peers to ensure cross-group collaboration.

   9. Other projects and responsibilities as assigned.

   Essential Requirements:

   Educational Background:

   · High School Diploma or equivalent

   Professional Experience:

   · 8+ years of progressive administrative business experience with proficiency in project management.

   · Demonstrated problem resolution and decision-making skills.

   · Experience in managing complex situations and multiple responsibilities simultaneously.

   · Demonstrated ability to deal with highly confidential information and sensitive matters involving external customers.

   · Ability to effectively influence/communicate at all levels of the organization. Strong program and project management, demonstrated negotiation skills while working within established business priorities and constraints

   Knowledge:

   · Business process skills

   · Project Management

   · Financial & business acumen

   · Executive Office experience

   Skills:

   · Strong oral and written communication skills

   · Proven ability to establish strategic relationships and leverage resources

   · Work independently

   · Multi-task

   · Advanced administrative skills – Word, Excel, PowerPoint

   · Calendar managemen

   :

   At Hertz, we champion and celebrate a culture of diversity and inclusion. We take affirmative steps to promote employment and advancement opportunities. The endless variety of perspectives, experiences, skills and talents that our employees invest in their work every day represent a significant part of our culture – and our success and reputation as a company.

   Individuals are encouraged to apply for positions because of the characteristics that make them unique.

   Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Hertz is a drug free workplace.

   EOE, including disability/veteran

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior executive assistant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior executive assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit senior executive assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior executive assistants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior executive assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior executive assistant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a senior executive assistant?