Executive Assistant to the Managing Director: Key Responsibilities and Skills

If you’re a managing director (MD), your calendar sets how much of your week goes to clients and the people you lead. Every hour you spend rescheduling meetings or chasing expense reports is an hour you can’t spend on work only you can do.

An executive assistant (EA) takes that load off you. The right one runs your logistics and represents you to clients, partners, and your own team.

We bring a combined 40-plus years of experience hiring executive assistants. Below, we cover what the role handles, which skills matter, what it costs, and how to hire the right person.

TL;DR: Executive Assistant to Managing Director at a Glance

Here’s what you need to know before you hire:

• The support you need depends on whether you’re an MD at a finance firm or the MD who runs a company.
• A strong EA covers 5 roles for you, from business partner to personal assistant.
• Discretion, judgment, and polish with senior people matter more than software skills.
• A full-time EA costs well beyond the salary once you add benefits and overhead.
• The best candidates have already supported leaders at your level.
• Trusting your EA fully from day one is how you get your time back fastest.
• Sharing an experienced EA with a few other executives costs far less than a full-time hire.

Why the Managing Director Title Changes the Support You Need

The same title can describe 2 very different jobs. In finance, an MD is a senior leader who owns client relationships and brings in revenue, according to Corporate Finance Institute.

In many companies, especially outside the US, the MD is the top executive who runs the whole business.

Each version needs a different kind of support. If you hire for the wrong one, your EA ends up solving problems you don’t have.

Here’s what each one looks like:

• The MD at a finance firm: Your days run on client meetings, pitches, deal deadlines, and travel. Your EA protects your selling time and keeps every client touchpoint on track.
• The MD who runs a company: You answer to a board or a parent company while leading the whole team. Your EA keeps board meetings, leadership reviews, and staff updates moving so you can focus on direction.

Ethan Bull, ProAssisting’s Co-Founder and President, explains why strong EA support pays off in finance.

“A Managing Director in an organization, specifically in finance, is a very important, very high-level revenue producer of the organization. The more that an Executive Assistant can give that Managing Director back focus and time to put efforts to revenue generation, the more money the firm will make.”

What an Executive Assistant to a Managing Director Handles

Every task a high-level EA takes on fits into one of the 5 performance multipliers from our book, The 29-Hour Work Day.

Here’s how each multiplier works for an MD:

1. Business Partner

Your EA sits in on meetings you can’t attend, takes notes, and brings back the action items. They can also give you a second opinion on a pitch deck or a candidate you’re about to hire.

Because they see every part of your day, they often know how your team or a client really feels before you do.

2. Chief of Staff

In ProAssisting’s model, the Chief of Staff role makes your EA your single point of contact. Clients, direct reports, investors, vendors, and family go to your EA first.

Your EA answers what they can and routes the rest. So you only hear about what actually needs you.

3. Project Manager

Your EA owns projects from start to finish, such as a client event, an office move, or a multi-city roadshow. You set the goal, the budget, and the deadline.

They handle the vendors, follow-ups, and small decisions. Before anything you can’t undo, like a hotel deposit, they check in with you.

4. Assistant/Scheduler

This is the foundation of the role. Your EA runs your calendar and inbox, books travel, and prepares a short brief on who you’re meeting and why.

A good EA schedules around how you work best. If your sharpest thinking happens before 10 AM, client calls and internal reviews go later in the day.

5. Personal Assistant

Your work and personal calendars collide more often than you’d like. Your EA keeps a school event from landing on top of a board meeting and handles personal travel, appointments, and home vendors.

When your personal life runs smoothly, more of your attention stays on your clients and your team.

ProAssisting places US-based executive assistants, called ProAssistants, who cover all 5 of these roles for you. Book a free consultation to meet a ProAssistant matched to your work.

Skills That Matter Most at the Managing Director Level

Plenty of MDs hire an EA based on software skills. But calendar and email skills are only the starting point for any EA.

At the MD level, the skills that set a great EA apart are mostly soft skills. Our book weighs them at 51% soft skills to 49% hard skills, an idea borrowed from restaurateur Danny Meyer.

Look for these 5 skills when you hire:

• Discretion: Your EA will see deal terms, client data, and your personal finances. “I’m not at liberty to say” should come to them without a second thought.
• Polish with senior people: Your EA speaks for you to clients, board members, and partners. Their tone on a call or in an email reflects on you.
• Anticipation: A strong EA has the client brief, the car, and the backup flight ready before you ask. They think a few steps ahead of your calendar.
• Judgment under pressure: When 2 meetings collide and you’re on a plane, your EA decides which one moves. They make that call the way you would.
• Fluency with your tools: Your EA should master email, calendar, and contacts on whatever platform you use. They learn your systems before they suggest new ones.

What an Executive Assistant to a Managing Director Costs

A full-time EA costs more than the salary on the offer letter. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median executive assistant salary is $76,590 (as of the time of writing).

The top 10% of EAs earn $109,850 or more. In our experience, top-level EAs can earn $200,000 to $250,000 at the very top of the market.

Pay varies widely by location. Our executive assistant salary guide breaks it down by level and city.

A fractional EA is a different way to buy the same caliber of support. You share an experienced EA with a small number of other executives and pay a flat monthly fee for a set share of their resources.

ProAssisting plans start at $3,300 per month for 1/3 of a ProAssistant’s resources. We put the cost of a full-time in-house EA at $8,500 or more per month.

Here’s how the 2 options compare:

How to Hire the Right Executive Assistant for a Managing Director

The right hire gives you hours back each week. The wrong one adds work you then have to fix.

These 4 steps help you find the right person:

1. Decide Which Version of the Role You Need

Start with what you keep putting off. List the tasks, projects, and responsibilities you’d hand over tomorrow if you could.

Then decide how much support that list really needs. Our free executive support assessment takes about 2 minutes and points you to the right level.

2. Screen for Experience at Your Level of Stakes

Look for someone who has already supported leaders at your level. They’ll know the pace, the pressure, and how much rides on every client interaction.

Check that the resume and LinkedIn profile tell the same story. Ask about any short stints, since a demanding former executive can explain a brief tenure.

3. Interview for Judgment and Discretion

Ask each candidate to walk you through a real day with a past executive. The more specific the details, the more likely the story is true.

Then test their judgment with a scenario, such as a canceled flight and 2 overlapping board calls. Our list of executive assistant interview questions gives you more to ask.

4. Give Full Trust and Context From Day One

Give your new EA access to your calendar, contacts, and inbox in the first week. Share your key clients, your family’s schedule, and how you like meetings set up.

Holding back trust slows everything down. In our experience, executives who trust their EA from the start actually get their time back fastest.

Our founders wrote The 29-Hour Work Day to show executives how to build that partnership step by step. Download your digital copy of the book and get the full playbook.

Why Fractional Support Fits Many Managing Directors

Some MDs need senior-level support but don’t have enough work to fill a full-time role. Others simply don’t want to manage another employee.

Does that sound like you? That’s where ProAssisting comes in.

A ProAssistant gives you one dedicated, US-based EA with at least 5 years of experience. Each ProAssistant typically supports up to 3 clients.

Fewer than 5% of applicants make it through our screening.

Your ProAssistant replies within an hour or less during business hours. After-hours help is there when you’re traveling or something unexpected comes up.

Under the same pricing model, more than 75% of your monthly retainer goes directly to your ProAssistant. That keeps experienced EAs with us for the long term.

You get this level of support for 50 to 80% less than hiring in-house.

As John M. Connolly, Founder and Managing Director of Eaglehead Capital, says, “ProAssisting made finding a high-performing, trustworthy, and experienced assistant incredibly simple.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are quick answers to common questions about executive assistants for managing directors:

Does an Executive Assistant to a Managing Director Need Finance Experience?

It helps for MDs at banks, investment firms, and private equity firms. An EA who already knows deal timelines and finance terms gets up to speed faster. Outside finance, experience supporting senior leaders matters more than industry.

Can One Executive Assistant Support More Than One Managing Director?

Yes, if the workload is realistic. An EA supporting several MDs needs clear priorities from each of them so urgent requests don’t collide. When the list of executives grows too long, responses slow down and details slip.

Can a Remote Executive Assistant Support a Managing Director?

Yes, we’ve found that a remote EA can handle upwards of 95% of what an on-site assistant does. The main exception is work that needs someone physically in the room.

Is a Chief of Staff the Same as an Executive Assistant for a Managing Director?

No, the roles are different. A traditional Chief of Staff owns long-term company goals and holds senior leaders accountable for them. An EA runs your day-to-day logistics and usually comes first.

What Is the Difference Between an Executive Assistant and a Personal Assistant to a Managing Director?

An EA focuses on giving you time back across your work and personal life. A personal assistant usually works from your home and handles the household, family logistics, and errands. A high-level EA can cover much of both if you agree on it up front.

Get Managing Director-Level Support With ProAssisting

The best EA for an MD knows your clients as well as your calendar. That knowledge builds over months, so the sooner you start, the sooner it pays off.

ProAssisting matches you with an experienced, US-based executive assistant who supports you remotely. Our ProAssistants have worked for Fortune 500 companies like Oracle, Target, and JPMorgan Chase.

You get that premium support for 50 to 80% less than hiring in-house.

Your ProAssistant runs your calendar, inbox, travel, and projects. They also become the first stop for everyone who needs you, so your week goes to clients and growth.

Book your free consultation and meet your ProAssistant match.