Executive Assistant Job Description Template (Copy and Edit)

What goes in an executive assistant job description?

A strong job description has seven parts: title and summary, duties, required skills, tools, schedule and location, pay range, and how to apply. It tells the right person what the job is and tells the wrong person to skip it. Keep it to one page.

Executive assistants give high-level support to a leader. BLS says executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants “provide high-level support for an office and for top executives of an organization.” For a plain definition, see the glossary entry on executive assistant.

The template below is ready to copy. Replace every bracket with your own details. Then delete any duty you do not need. A short, honest post draws better candidates than a long list of everything an assistant might ever do.

What is the template?

Copy the text below into your job board or document. Brackets mark the parts you must fill in. This is a general template and not legal advice, so have your attorney or HR adviser check it before you post, especially the pay and equal opportunity lines.

Job title: Executive Assistant to [Title of leader, e.g., Founder and CEO]

Company: [Company name] | [Industry, one line]

Location: [On-site in City, State / Hybrid / Remote in U.S. time zones]

Schedule: [Full time, 40 hours a week, days and hours, time zone]

Pay range: [$X to $Y per year, plus benefits you offer]

Summary

[Company name] is looking for an Executive Assistant to support [name or title]. You will manage the calendar, inbox and projects so the leader can focus on [top two priorities]. You will work closely with [teams or people] and handle private information with care.

What you will do

• Manage the calendar, schedule meetings, and protect focus time
• Triage the inbox, draft replies, and flag items that need a decision
• Book and manage travel, including itineraries and expenses
• Prepare for meetings with agendas, notes, and follow-up lists
• Track projects and deadlines, and keep the leader on schedule
• Coordinate with clients, vendors, and team members on the leader’s behalf
• Prepare reports, slide decks, and documents
• Handle expense reports and invoices for approval
• Keep files, contacts, and records in order
• [Add one or two duties unique to your business]

What you will own

• [Tasks the person decides alone, e.g., rescheduling routine meetings]
• [Tasks that need approval, e.g., spending over $X, replies to key clients]

What we are looking for

• or more years in an administrative or executive support role
• Strong written and spoken English, with clear and professional email
• Sound judgment and discretion with private business and personal information
• Excellent organization and the ability to manage many priorities
• Comfort with [calendar tool, e.g., Google Calendar], [email tool], [project tool], and [accounting or expense tool]
• Ability to work independently and ask good questions
• [Optional: experience in your industry]

Tools you will use

[List your tools: email, calendar, chat, project management, document storage, password manager, travel and expense tools.]

How to apply

Send a resume and a short note about [one question, e.g., a time you managed a leader’s calendar during a busy week] to [email address] by [date]. Finalists will complete a short work sample.

Equal opportunity

[Your equal opportunity statement. Ask your attorney for the right wording for your state.]

How do I tailor each section?

Tailor each section to the real work. A job description is a promise. If the post says “light admin” and the job is a full chief-of-staff load, the new hire leaves. The notes below explain how to adjust each part.

Which duties match the role?

The BLS list for administrative roles includes tasks such as “Schedule appointments and update event calendars.” Executive roles add judgment and complexity. BLS says they “often handle complex responsibilities.” Use the table to sort your list by level.

Decide which column your role fits. If it is the left column, you may need an administrative assistant and not an executive assistant. If it is the right column, post the executive role and say so.

What pay range should I put in the post?

Use a reference, then adjust for your market. BLS reported a median annual wage of $76,590 in May 2025 for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants. Half earned more and half earned less. Your city, industry and scope will change the number.

Treat the BLS figure as a national reference only. It does not include self-employed workers and does not show your local market. Check ten local postings for similar roles, and ask peers what they pay. Then set a range that you can honestly afford and that fits the scope of the post. For a full pay walkthrough, see our guide on how to hire an executive assistant.

Some states and cities require pay ranges in job posts. Rules change, so check the rules for each place you hire. This is a question for your attorney.

What screening questions should I ask?

Ask three short questions in the application and one in the first call. The questions should test judgment, discretion and organization. Short answers are easy to compare, and a weak answer saves you an interview.

1. Judgment: “Tell me about a time you pushed back on a leader’s request. What did you do and what happened?”
2. Prioritizing: “Two urgent requests arrive at once. How do you decide which comes first?”
3. Discretion: “How do you handle private information you see in an inbox or file?”
4. First week: “What would you do in your first week to learn how I work?”

BLS notes that these assistants “often prioritize tasks and make decisions on their employers’ behalf, so good judgment is essential.” Your questions should test exactly that.

After the questions, give finalists a small work sample. A good one takes 30 to 45 minutes. Examples are drafting a reply to a tricky email, planning a two-city trip within a budget, or building a meeting agenda from messy notes. Tell candidates how long it should take, and judge the result on clarity, accuracy and follow-up questions.

How do I keep the post accurate over time?

Review the job description each time you hire and each year. Roles drift. An assistant who started on calendar and email may now run projects. If the post is out of date, your next hire will not match the real job. Update the duties, tools and pay at the same time.

A useful habit is to keep the duties list tied to your records. Track what the assistant does for one week every quarter. Compare it to the post. Then fix the gap in one of two ways: update the document, or hand some tasks to someone else. Our guide on how to delegate as a business owner can help with the second option.

If you will hire a remote assistant, add the time zone, hours and the way you share accounts. See our guide on giving a virtual assistant access safely. A signed non-disclosure agreement is a common step. Ask your attorney to draft it.

Can a recruiter help write the post and run the search?

Yes. If you would rather not write the post or screen the applicants, a recruiter can take both on. The Peachtree recruitment process includes discovery and needs assessment, market research and job development, strategic sourcing, rigorous screening and vetting, and final selection support.

Christine Clapp, Founder of Spoken with Authority, said: “They handled everything from refining our job posting to checking references through to the offer letter, with the exception of final interviews.” Peachtree states that direct hire clients save an average of 42 days in vetting. Read the glossary entry on direct hire for how the model works.

What are the common mistakes in an executive assistant job post?

The most common mistakes are a vague title, a long wish list, and no pay range. Each one costs you good applicants or floods you with poor ones. Fixing them takes minutes. Read the post once as a candidate would, and cut anything that does not help them decide.

Plain words work best. Write the way you would explain the job to a friend. Use “you will” for duties and “we are looking for” for skills. Avoid slogans. A calm, specific post signals a calm, specific workplace.

Last, match the post to the interview. If the post says the person will run projects, ask project questions. If it says the person will guard your calendar, test calendar judgment with a small task. The post, the questions and the work sample should tell one consistent story. When they do, candidates know what to expect and you hire with fewer surprises.

Next step

If you want help turning this template into a search, see our recruitment services. You can also book a free strategy call to talk through the role.