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What is the difference between a Chief of Staff and an Executive Assistant? A real SMART AND TALENTED recruitment case, key responsibilities and five questions to help founders identify the right role.
What Is a Chief of Staff — and When Is an Executive Assistant No Longer Enough?
A founder approaches a recruitment agency with what sounds like a straightforward brief:
“I need a strong Executive Assistant.”
Then we start unpacking the role.
The person is expected to oversee key projects. Collect updates from senior leaders. Prepare materials for strategic meetings. Track the execution of the CEO’s decisions. Coordinate across several departments. Support new initiatives. Filter information and help the founder stay focused on the priorities that matter.
Calendar management and travel are still part of the job — but they are no longer at the centre of it.
At some point, it becomes clear:
If we advertise this as an Executive Assistant role, we will be looking for the wrong person.
This is exactly the situation we encountered at SMART AND TALENTED while working on one of our recruitment briefs.
The client initially came to us looking for a strong business assistant. But once we broke down the responsibilities, it became clear that a significant part of the role had already moved beyond traditional executive support.
What the founder actually needed was a Chief of Staff.
And the difference goes far beyond the job title.
“I need a strong Executive Assistant.”
Then we start unpacking the role.
The person is expected to oversee key projects. Collect updates from senior leaders. Prepare materials for strategic meetings. Track the execution of the CEO’s decisions. Coordinate across several departments. Support new initiatives. Filter information and help the founder stay focused on the priorities that matter.
Calendar management and travel are still part of the job — but they are no longer at the centre of it.
At some point, it becomes clear:
If we advertise this as an Executive Assistant role, we will be looking for the wrong person.
This is exactly the situation we encountered at SMART AND TALENTED while working on one of our recruitment briefs.
The client initially came to us looking for a strong business assistant. But once we broke down the responsibilities, it became clear that a significant part of the role had already moved beyond traditional executive support.
What the founder actually needed was a Chief of Staff.
And the difference goes far beyond the job title.
1
Why are these roles so often confused?
Chief of Staff is still a relatively new role in many companies, which is why it is often conflated with an Executive Assistant, Operations Manager or Project Manager.
In more mature international markets, however, the role is already well established.
McKinsey analysed approximately 250 Chiefs of Staff working across around 300 organisations. About 75% supported CEOs, while the remainder worked with other C-suite executives, regional leaders and board chairs. Almost two-thirds had been appointed internally — a telling indication of how important business knowledge, trust and internal relationships are to the role.
McKinsey also notes that a Chief of Staff does more than help a CEO manage information and prepare for decisions. The role can involve coordinating the organisation around the leader’s most important priorities.
In other words, this is not simply a more senior version of an Executive Assistant.
In more mature international markets, however, the role is already well established.
McKinsey analysed approximately 250 Chiefs of Staff working across around 300 organisations. About 75% supported CEOs, while the remainder worked with other C-suite executives, regional leaders and board chairs. Almost two-thirds had been appointed internally — a telling indication of how important business knowledge, trust and internal relationships are to the role.
McKinsey also notes that a Chief of Staff does more than help a CEO manage information and prepare for decisions. The role can involve coordinating the organisation around the leader’s most important priorities.
In other words, this is not simply a more senior version of an Executive Assistant.
2
So where is the line between an Executive Assistant and a Chief of Staff?
Job titles alone tell us surprisingly little.
Even in established international markets, the distinction is not always clear. According to the Chief of Staff Network, only around one in five job postings carrying the title “Chief of Staff” genuinely reflect the role; many are actually Executive Assistant, project/programme management or business operations positions.
At SMART AND TALENTED, this is why we focus less on the title and more on the centre of gravity of the role.
Broadly speaking, the distinction looks like this.
An Executive Assistant primarily increases the executive’s personal effectiveness:
✓ manages the executive’s calendar and communications;
✓ organises meetings and travel;
✓ tracks tasks, commitments and deadlines;
✓ gathers and structures information;
✓ manages external suppliers and contractors;
✓ prepares options to support decision-making;
✓ removes a significant amount of operational workload from the executive.
A Chief of Staff primarily increases the executive’s effectiveness across the organisation:
✓ aligns the CEO’s key priorities with the wider leadership team;
✓ tracks progress on strategic initiatives;
✓ coordinates cross-functional work;
✓ consolidates management information and surfaces what matters;
✓ prepares context for important decisions;
✓ drives follow-through after leadership meetings;
✓ may represent the CEO’s position in specific areas of the business;
✓ identifies gaps between decisions made at leadership level and what is actually being executed.
There is an even simpler way to think about the distinction:
An Executive Assistant helps the executive manage their workload.
A Chief of Staff helps the executive move their agenda through the organisation.
The boundary is not absolute. A highly experienced Executive Assistant may perform some Chief of Staff responsibilities, while some Chiefs of Staff have a more operational remit.
That is precisely why the role should be designed around the needs of the business — rather than selected by job title.
Even in established international markets, the distinction is not always clear. According to the Chief of Staff Network, only around one in five job postings carrying the title “Chief of Staff” genuinely reflect the role; many are actually Executive Assistant, project/programme management or business operations positions.
At SMART AND TALENTED, this is why we focus less on the title and more on the centre of gravity of the role.
Broadly speaking, the distinction looks like this.
An Executive Assistant primarily increases the executive’s personal effectiveness:
✓ manages the executive’s calendar and communications;
✓ organises meetings and travel;
✓ tracks tasks, commitments and deadlines;
✓ gathers and structures information;
✓ manages external suppliers and contractors;
✓ prepares options to support decision-making;
✓ removes a significant amount of operational workload from the executive.
A Chief of Staff primarily increases the executive’s effectiveness across the organisation:
✓ aligns the CEO’s key priorities with the wider leadership team;
✓ tracks progress on strategic initiatives;
✓ coordinates cross-functional work;
✓ consolidates management information and surfaces what matters;
✓ prepares context for important decisions;
✓ drives follow-through after leadership meetings;
✓ may represent the CEO’s position in specific areas of the business;
✓ identifies gaps between decisions made at leadership level and what is actually being executed.
There is an even simpler way to think about the distinction:
An Executive Assistant helps the executive manage their workload.
A Chief of Staff helps the executive move their agenda through the organisation.
The boundary is not absolute. A highly experienced Executive Assistant may perform some Chief of Staff responsibilities, while some Chiefs of Staff have a more operational remit.
That is precisely why the role should be designed around the needs of the business — rather than selected by job title.
3
What happened in our case?
The initial brief was to recruit a strong business assistant.
But when we examined the responsibilities in detail, several signals stood out.
The founder did not simply need someone who could take a task and see it through.
They needed someone capable of operating between the CEO and the wider business.
Not simply collecting status updates, but identifying where a project was drifting away from the CEO’s priorities.
Not simply scheduling a meeting, but ensuring that the decisions made in that meeting translated into action afterwards.
Not simply preparing information, but reducing it to the level at which the CEO could make an informed decision quickly.
Not simply reminding senior leaders of agreed actions, but maintaining momentum across initiatives involving several functions.
That requires a different candidate profile.
And recruiting for it under the title “Executive Assistant” creates two immediate problems.
First, you attract candidates with the wrong professional profile.
Second, strong candidates read the job description and spot the mismatch: the title describes one role, while the responsibilities describe another.
But when we examined the responsibilities in detail, several signals stood out.
The founder did not simply need someone who could take a task and see it through.
They needed someone capable of operating between the CEO and the wider business.
Not simply collecting status updates, but identifying where a project was drifting away from the CEO’s priorities.
Not simply scheduling a meeting, but ensuring that the decisions made in that meeting translated into action afterwards.
Not simply preparing information, but reducing it to the level at which the CEO could make an informed decision quickly.
Not simply reminding senior leaders of agreed actions, but maintaining momentum across initiatives involving several functions.
That requires a different candidate profile.
And recruiting for it under the title “Executive Assistant” creates two immediate problems.
First, you attract candidates with the wrong professional profile.
Second, strong candidates read the job description and spot the mismatch: the title describes one role, while the responsibilities describe another.
4
A practical test: who do you actually need?
Before opening an Executive Assistant vacancy, divide the responsibilities into three levels.
Level 1 — Managing the executive’s operational environment
Calendar, travel, meetings, documents, communications and day-to-day requests.
Level 2 — Preparing decisions
Research, analysis, comparing options, briefing, tracking commitments and filtering information.
Level 3 — Driving decisions through the organisation
Cross-functional projects, interaction with senior leadership, tracking strategic initiatives, coordinating departments, preparing management decisions and ensuring execution.
If most responsibilities sit within Levels 1 and 2, you are probably looking for a strong Executive Assistant.
If the centre of gravity consistently shifts towards Level 3, it may be time to test whether what you actually need is a Chief of Staff.
Level 1 — Managing the executive’s operational environment
Calendar, travel, meetings, documents, communications and day-to-day requests.
Level 2 — Preparing decisions
Research, analysis, comparing options, briefing, tracking commitments and filtering information.
Level 3 — Driving decisions through the organisation
Cross-functional projects, interaction with senior leadership, tracking strategic initiatives, coordinating departments, preparing management decisions and ensuring execution.
If most responsibilities sit within Levels 1 and 2, you are probably looking for a strong Executive Assistant.
If the centre of gravity consistently shifts towards Level 3, it may be time to test whether what you actually need is a Chief of Staff.
5
There is another question we ask when designing a role
What result should this person be responsible for six months from now?
Not what tasks should they perform.
What outcome should they create?
“Manage the calendar and track actions” is a list of responsibilities.
This, however:
“Strategic decisions made by the CEO do not get lost between the meeting room and execution, while the CEO receives consolidated information on key initiatives without having to dive into every project personally.”
— describes a management outcome.
And once the outcome is clear, it becomes much easier to determine what kind of person you actually need.
This is an important principle in professional Executive Assistant recruitment: design the role first, then start looking for candidates.
Why getting the role wrong costs more than it appears
If the business needs a Chief of Staff but hires an Executive Assistant, the problem may not become obvious immediately.
The person may be highly capable.
They may perform their tasks well.
But over time, the founder begins expecting things they were never hired to do: influencing without formal authority, working with the senior leadership team, exercising commercial judgement and coordinating cross-functional initiatives.
Eventually, the conclusion becomes:
“They’re good — but they’re not quite senior enough.”
Yet the mistake may have happened much earlier, at the role-design stage.
The reverse mistake is expensive too.
Hiring a Chief of Staff when what the business actually needs is an excellent personal or Executive Assistant can add unnecessary complexity — and means paying for capabilities the organisation does not actually need.
The international market gives some indication of the seniority attached to the role. According to the Chief of Staff Network, the average base salary for a Chief of Staff in 2025 was approximately $168,000 per year, while almost one in four respondents earned more than $200,000.
These figures should not be treated as a benchmark for every market. They do, however, illustrate an important point: Chief of Staff is a distinct management role, not simply a new title for executive support.
Not what tasks should they perform.
What outcome should they create?
“Manage the calendar and track actions” is a list of responsibilities.
This, however:
“Strategic decisions made by the CEO do not get lost between the meeting room and execution, while the CEO receives consolidated information on key initiatives without having to dive into every project personally.”
— describes a management outcome.
And once the outcome is clear, it becomes much easier to determine what kind of person you actually need.
This is an important principle in professional Executive Assistant recruitment: design the role first, then start looking for candidates.
Why getting the role wrong costs more than it appears
If the business needs a Chief of Staff but hires an Executive Assistant, the problem may not become obvious immediately.
The person may be highly capable.
They may perform their tasks well.
But over time, the founder begins expecting things they were never hired to do: influencing without formal authority, working with the senior leadership team, exercising commercial judgement and coordinating cross-functional initiatives.
Eventually, the conclusion becomes:
“They’re good — but they’re not quite senior enough.”
Yet the mistake may have happened much earlier, at the role-design stage.
The reverse mistake is expensive too.
Hiring a Chief of Staff when what the business actually needs is an excellent personal or Executive Assistant can add unnecessary complexity — and means paying for capabilities the organisation does not actually need.
The international market gives some indication of the seniority attached to the role. According to the Chief of Staff Network, the average base salary for a Chief of Staff in 2025 was approximately $168,000 per year, while almost one in four respondents earned more than $200,000.
These figures should not be treated as a benchmark for every market. They do, however, illustrate an important point: Chief of Staff is a distinct management role, not simply a new title for executive support.
6
Before your next hire, do not start with the vacancy
If you are considering hiring a new assistant, answer these five questions first:
✓ Which responsibilities should disappear from my working day entirely?
✓ Which decisions should this person be able to make without me?
✓ Will they primarily work with me, or across the organisation on my behalf?
✓ Do I need them to track my tasks, or to drive cross-functional initiatives forward?
✓ What measurable outcome should exist three to six months after they join?
The answers may lead somewhere unexpected.
You may need a Personal Assistant.
An Executive Assistant.
A Project Manager.
An Operations Manager.
Or genuinely, a Chief of Staff.
One of the most expensive hiring mistakes is deciding on the job title first and then trying to squeeze the actual needs of the business into it.
✓ Which responsibilities should disappear from my working day entirely?
✓ Which decisions should this person be able to make without me?
✓ Will they primarily work with me, or across the organisation on my behalf?
✓ Do I need them to track my tasks, or to drive cross-functional initiatives forward?
✓ What measurable outcome should exist three to six months after they join?
The answers may lead somewhere unexpected.
You may need a Personal Assistant.
An Executive Assistant.
A Project Manager.
An Operations Manager.
Or genuinely, a Chief of Staff.
One of the most expensive hiring mistakes is deciding on the job title first and then trying to squeeze the actual needs of the business into it.
7
12 lessons on hiring and delegation from Marina Egorova
This is why effective hiring does not begin with reviewing CVs.
First, a founder needs to understand who they actually need, what level of responsibility they are prepared to delegate and what working relationship they need to build with that person.
Marina Egorova has created a practical 12-lesson programme on hiring and delegation for founders and senior executives.
It goes beyond the question of “where do I find a good assistant?” and looks at the entire system: defining the role, selecting the right person, setting expectations, delegating effectively and building a working relationship that genuinely reduces the executive’s workload.
First, a founder needs to understand who they actually need, what level of responsibility they are prepared to delegate and what working relationship they need to build with that person.
Marina Egorova has created a practical 12-lesson programme on hiring and delegation for founders and senior executives.
It goes beyond the question of “where do I find a good assistant?” and looks at the entire system: defining the role, selecting the right person, setting expectations, delegating effectively and building a working relationship that genuinely reduces the executive’s workload.
Access Marina Egorova’s 12 lessons on hiring and delegation
9
Not sure which role your business actually needs?
Sometimes another list of job titles is not what a founder needs.
What is needed is a closer look at the actual situation:
✓ what is still taking up the founder’s time;
✓ what can realistically be delegated;
✓ how much autonomy the role requires;
✓ which position is best suited to solving the problem;
✓ what candidate profile the business should actually be looking for.
SMART AND TALENTED offers a free diagnostic consultation and candidate selection to help determine which type of specialist best fits your business needs.
What is needed is a closer look at the actual situation:
✓ what is still taking up the founder’s time;
✓ what can realistically be delegated;
✓ how much autonomy the role requires;
✓ which position is best suited to solving the problem;
✓ what candidate profile the business should actually be looking for.
SMART AND TALENTED offers a free diagnostic consultation and candidate selection to help determine which type of specialist best fits your business needs.