Executive Operations Partner (CEO Office)

Scale Virtually

4d•Remote

About The Position

You are the operational counterpart to the CEO. The CEO generates opportunities, ideas, initiatives, partnerships, and direction. Your job is to convert those inputs into ownership, timelines, accountability, execution plans, and measurable progress. You will sit at the center of priorities, projects, decisions, and communication. When direction is unclear, you create clarity. When ownership is missing, you identify it. When commitments are made, you ensure they are tracked through completion. This role combines elements of Executive Assistant, Chief of Staff, Project Manager, and Operations Partner, but the primary function is execution. You will regularly make judgment calls about what deserves CEO attention, what should be delegated, and what should be deprioritized. This role is not for candidates who need daily direction, wait for perfect instructions, or are uncomfortable pushing back on senior leadership when execution risks exist.

Requirements

5+ years supporting founders, CEOs, executives, or business owners
Strong project management experience across multiple concurrent initiatives
Experience coordinating work across multiple departments
Exceptional written English
Experience creating executive reports and operational updates
Experience documenting processes, systems, and workflows
Strong organizational systems thinking
Ability to manage competing priorities without constant supervision
Comfortable making decisions with incomplete information
Comfortable following up repeatedly when accountability is weak
Comfortable challenging assumptions respectfully
Comfortable managing founder-driven environments with frequent changes
Comfortable operating independently for extended periods without detailed direction
Candidates who primarily identify as administrative assistants without execution ownership experience are unlikely to succeed in this role.

Nice To Haves

You create structure when none exists.
You notice ownership gaps before they become execution failures.
You follow through on commitments without being reminded.
You can tell a CEO "we are not ready to launch this yet" and support that recommendation with evidence.
You turn ambiguous direction into clear actions for others.
You help leaders move faster by reducing confusion, not by creating additional process.

Responsibilities

Act as the first operational filter for incoming requests, opportunities, decisions, and interruptions before they reach the CEO.
Determine whether the CEO must be involved, identify items that can be delegated, flag items that should be postponed, and recommend items that should be declined.
Protect executive focus by preventing unnecessary involvement.
When priorities conflict, surface recommendations instead of simply presenting problems.
Convert CEO-introduced initiatives, partnerships, ideas, or strategic priorities into documented execution plans.
Define objectives and desired outcomes, assign ownership, establish timelines and milestones, and define success metrics for new initiatives.
Determine immediate next actions and maintain visibility from project launch through completion.
Follow up proactively when deadlines slip, ownership becomes unclear, or momentum stalls.
Prepare briefing documents, gather relevant background information, identify risks and unresolved decisions, and present recommended actions before executive and leadership meetings.
Capture decisions in real time, document commitments and ownership, and record action items requiring follow-through during meetings.
Distribute action items, confirm ownership, track completion, and follow up until commitments are executed after meetings.
Resolve ambiguity immediately if decisions are made without clear owners.
Maintain a single source of truth for active initiatives, tracking deliverables, deadlines, risks, escalations, bottlenecks, and ownership.
Provide weekly executive reporting that highlights progress, risks, missed commitments, and decisions requiring executive input.
Escalate execution risks before they become operational problems.
Draft and manage leadership updates, internal communications, meeting summaries, follow-up messages, and strategic announcements.
Translate CEO direction into communication that teams can execute without requiring repeated clarification.
Maintain a CEO Decision Log, documenting every significant decision, why it was made, ownership, and execution status.
Prevent repeated discussions caused by missing documentation or unclear accountability.
Identify situations where ownership is unclear, multiple leaders believe they own the same initiative, priorities compete for the same resources, teams are overcommitted, or strategic direction is being interpreted differently across departments.
Escalate issues with recommended solutions rather than observations alone.