Executive virtual assistant support that protects a leader's time
An executive's week is lost in small pieces: a reschedule here, a travel change there, forty emails that only need a two-line reply. An executive virtual assistant owns those pieces so the leader spends the day on decisions, people and customers. On Aides you search ID-verified assistants who have done this work for founders, partners and senior managers, filter by the hours they share with your day, and test them with a paid task before you commit. You pay your assistant directly, so the full rate goes to the person doing the work.
- Every assistant passes an ID and liveness check. No AI personas.
- You pay your assistant directly. No markup.
What an executive assistant handles each week
Executive support is judgment work, not only task work. A good assistant learns who gets an immediate reply, which meetings can move and which never can, and how the executive likes information presented.
- 01 Calendar ownership, including priority rules, buffer time, recurring one-to-ones and conflict resolution across time zones.
- 02 Inbox management with a daily brief that lists what needs a decision, what was answered and what is waiting on others.
- 03 Meeting preparation, with agendas, background notes on attendees and pre-reads sent the day before.
- 04 Notes and action items after meetings, followed up with each owner until closed.
- 05 Travel planning end to end, from flights and hotels to ground transport and a one-page itinerary.
- 06 Expense reports and receipt collection submitted on the company's deadline.
- 07 Board and investor update preparation, such as formatting decks and collecting numbers from department leads.
- 08 Gatekeeping for introductions, speaking requests and vendor pitches using criteria the executive sets.
- 09 Personal admin the executive chooses to delegate, such as appointments and renewals.
The time a leader buys back
Treat this hire as a purchase of hours. An executive who delegates 10 hours a week of calendar, inbox and travel work buys back about 43 hours a month (10 x 4.33). If that leader's time is worth 150 USD an hour to the business, those hours represent about 6,500 USD of capacity each month, for an assistant cost that is a fraction of that figure. The second gain is speed: decisions do not wait in a cluttered inbox, and meetings start with the right documents in the room. The third is risk. Verified identity, a written agreement and access through separate accounts mean the person reading leadership email is a confirmed individual, not an anonymous profile.
- About 43 hours a month returned for every 10 hours a week delegated.
- Faster replies to customers, investors and the team.
- One accountable person who knows the executive's priorities.
Typical hours and how much overlap an executive needs
Most executive engagements run 15 to 30 hours a week. Fifteen hours covers calendar, inbox and travel for one leader; thirty hours adds meeting notes, board preparation and project follow-up. Overlap is critical here, because calendars change during the day. Plan for at least four shared hours a day, ideally the first half of the executive's morning, when most rescheduling and same-day requests come in. The Aides search shows each assistant's overlap with your working hours so you can rule out a mismatch before the first message. If you need a person on your schedule for a full workweek, see our page on the remote executive assistant role.
- 15 hours a week, one executive, calendar, inbox and travel.
- 20 to 25 hours a week, adds meeting preparation and notes.
- 30 hours a week, adds board materials and project follow-up.
How to hire an executive assistant on Aides
Hiring for this role rewards a careful trial, because judgment shows in small choices. The general steps are in our guide to hire a virtual assistant.
- 01 Search for calendar management and executive support, and enter the executive's working hours.
- 02 Shortlist assistants with at least four hours of overlap and strong written English in their skills test results.
- 03 Message each one with a short brief that names the tools and the number of leaders they would support.
- 04 Run a paid trial task of two to three hours, for example a week of real calendar requests in a test calendar plus a daily brief.
- 05 Hire the assistant whose brief was clear and whose choices matched your priorities without being told.
- 06 Pay your assistant directly on the schedule you agree, and review the arrangement after 30 days.
What an executive assistant costs
Executive support pays more than general admin because of the judgment and discretion involved. The typical rate band is 12 to 40 USD per hour, from entry level to experienced, depending on seniority, writing level and experience with boards or investors. A worked example at 20 hours a week and a typical 25 USD per hour is 20 x 25 x 4.33 = 2,165 USD per month, paid to your assistant. One founder with one assistant fits Starter, and a chief of staff who wants to follow the same threads on a second seat fits Growth. See every plan on our virtual assistant cost page.
Why leadership support should go to a verified person
Your assistant will read board threads, investor notes and personnel conversations. Before an executive assistant can appear in search, they confirm their identity with a government ID and a live selfie match, they must be an adult, and the photo you see is genuinely theirs, never a generated persona. Business and Enterprise plans include an identity verification report per hire for your records. Learn what each check covers on the verified virtual assistant page.
- Confirmed identity before the first conversation.
- A record you can keep with the work agreement.
- A real person on the video call, the same one you hired.
FAQ
What is the difference between an executive assistant and a general virtual assistant?
A general assistant completes assigned tasks. An executive assistant manages the leader's time and attention, decides what reaches them and prepares them for each meeting, so the role needs more judgment, more overlap and stronger writing.
Can one assistant support two executives?
Yes, at 25 to 30 hours a week it is common for one assistant to support a founder and a second leader. Agree in writing whose requests take priority when they conflict.
How do I keep confidential information safe?
Give access through separate user accounts, limit sensitive folders to read-only where you can, sign a confidentiality agreement and remove access on the last day. Business and Enterprise plans add roles and permissions for your team inside Aides.
How long until the assistant runs the calendar alone?
Most executives see full calendar ownership after two to four weeks. Write down your scheduling rules in week one and review the daily brief together for the first ten working days.
Do assistants on Aides work US business hours?
Assistants can live in any country. The search shows how many of your working hours each one covers, so you can choose someone with a morning overlap on US Eastern, Central or Pacific time.
Find an executive assistant who works your hours
Search verified assistants by executive support skills and overlap, then run a paid trial task before you hire.