If you are wondering, “Does my role need an executive assistant?” you are not alone. This guide answers that question clearly and gives you a practical decision framework you can use with your team.
TL;DR: quick guidance by role
| Role | EA recommended? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Founder or CEO | Yes, often essential | Protects time, shields from noise, manages complex calendar and stakeholders |
| President, COO, GM | Yes | Ops-heavy roles benefit from proactive coordination and meeting hygiene |
| CRO, Head of Sales | Yes | High-volume meetings, travel, pipeline cadences, event coordination |
| CMO, Head of Marketing | Usually | Campaign cadence, vendor coordination, content reviews, speaking |
| CTO, Head of Product | Sometimes | If external meetings and cross-functional reviews are heavy; otherwise consider PM or Chief of Staff first |
| CFO, Finance leaders | Sometimes | If dealing with many stakeholders and board prep; otherwise a senior analyst or controller may fit better |
| VP or Director, early-stage | It depends | If the calendar is simple, start with shared support or a hybrid role |
| ICs and new managers | Not yet | Focus on tools, templates, and team operations before dedicated EA support |
A simple decision framework
Ask these questions to decide if an EA is the right next hire for a specific leader:
- Time leverage: Is 20 to 30 percent of this leader’s week spent on coordination rather than decisions or strategy?
- Stakeholder load: Do they manage many external partners, investors, customers, or candidates?
- Context switching: Are frequent switches causing delays, errors, or dropped balls?
- Meeting hygiene: Are meetings duplicative, missing agendas, or lacking follow up?
- Confidentiality and judgment required: Do sensitive communications or escalations require trusted handling?
- Volume and velocity: Is the cadence so high that even great tools are not enough?
Score each item Yes or No. If you have four or more Yes answers, an EA will likely produce positive ROI.
Leaders who make time a priority protect strategic focus and rely on high-quality assistants to manage the calendar and reduce waste. See research on executive time from McKinsey and HBR for context.
Role-by-role guidance with examples
Founder or CEO
High ROI for most stages once external stakeholders, board work, and hiring intensify. An EA protects focus, runs the calendar as a strategic asset, and ensures follow through on decisions.
What the research suggests: Studies of CEO time show the need to guard against distractions and unnecessary activities. Well-supported executives use assistants to preserve strategic time and manage the master calendar.
President, COO, GM
Operations leaders juggle cross-functional cadences, internal reviews, and vendor timelines. An EA keeps the rhythm healthy, curates agendas, and prevents meeting bloat.
CRO or Head of Sales
Heavy travel, client meetings, and forecast cadences make an EA valuable. They coordinate roadshows, pipeline reviews, and event logistics so leaders stay on relationships and revenue.
CMO or Head of Marketing
Campaigns, agencies, content approvals, and speaking requests create many handoffs. An EA organizes the flow, maintains deadlines, and protects creative time.
CTO or Head of Product
Start with a product operations lead or program manager if the pain is delivery and sprint orchestration. Add an EA when external stakeholders, recruiting, and cross-functional reviews add calendar load.
CFO and finance leadership
If the calendar is board heavy, audit and investor relations driven, an EA helps with prep, materials, and coordination. If the pain is analysis, choose a senior analyst first.
VPs and Directors in early-stage companies
Consider shared EA support before a dedicated hire. As complexity grows and meeting volume spikes, move to dedicated support.
Individual contributors and new managers
Start with self-management tools and team operations. Reserve EA support for when stakeholder and meeting complexity truly warrant it.
Signs you are ready for an EA
- Four or more Yes answers in the framework
- More than 25 external meetings per week
- Recurring misses on follow up or scheduling
- Board or investor prep is consuming nights and weekends
- Your calendar drives the company cadence and it needs a gatekeeper
When you might choose a different role
- Chief of Staff: When the need is decision support, project ownership, and cross-functional problem solving
- Project or Program Manager: When delivery predictability is the pain, not coordination
- Operations Manager: When systems and processes need design and enforcement
How to structure support as needs grow
- Start with shared or fractional EA support
- Move to a dedicated EA when volume and complexity increase
- Add a Chief of Staff to handle strategy and cross-functional execution
- Build a small support team around the leader as responsibilities scale
Common questions leaders ask and how to answer them
- “Do I need an EA or a Chief of Staff?” Start with the framework. If you need execution lift and calendar control, choose an EA. If you need strategic leverage and project ownership, choose CoS.
- “Does a VP need an EA?” Yes when they manage high external volume, cross-functional reviews, and constant context switching. Otherwise, start with shared support.
- “Should a Head of Product get an EA?” Only if external load and recruiting are heavy. If delivery issues dominate, hire a product ops or program manager first.
External resources worth reading
- Harvard Business Review on the ROI and scope of executive assistant support in modern organizations.
- McKinsey research on how CEOs manage time and why high-quality assistants and master calendar ownership matter.
- Forbes perspectives on EAs as strategic partners and how collaboration habits unlock more value.
How Base helps you make the right call
At Base, we help leaders run the numbers, define the scope, and design a support model that fits the role. Whether you need a shared EA, a dedicated EA, or a hybrid model with AI, we can structure it, staff it, and make it work.
Talk to Base about scoping the right EA support
FAQs
Which roles should never get an EA?
“Never” is rare. The better question is timing. If the role is low on stakeholders, travel, and context switching, invest first in tools and operating cadence, then revisit.
How do I measure EA ROI by role?
Track reclaimed executive hours, meeting quality, cycle time on decisions, and reduction in dropped balls. Compare against EA cost for a simple ROI picture.
What if I am not sure whether to hire an EA or CoS?
Map pain points to responsibilities. If needs are mostly communication, calendar, travel, and follow up, hire an EA. If you need cross-functional problem solving and project ownership, hire a CoS.
Images to include:
- Decision framework flowchart (alt text: “which leadership roles need an executive assistant decision tree”)
- Role-by-role table graphic (alt text: “leadership roles that benefit from an EA”)
- Support model ladder diagram (alt text: “how EA support scales from shared EA to Chief of Staff”)
