By Gordon Kramer, COO · Last updated: August 2026
Start by deciding which role you actually need, because half of "chief of staff" searches are really senior EA searches, and vice versa. A senior EA runs your world: calendar, travel, communications, judgment calls on access. A chief of staff runs pieces of the company on your behalf: projects, meetings you don't attend, decisions made in your name. Palo Alto Staffing places both, and the hybrid between them, for founders, CEOs, and principals. The first thing we'll do is help you scope which one fits.
The two roles sit on one spectrum: execution, then judgment, then delegation. The failure mode we see most: hiring a chief of staff when the real need is a world-class senior EA (the CoS gets bored and leaves), or promoting an EA into a CoS seat without redefining the role (both sides frustrated). The fix is scoping before sourcing: what decisions will this person make in your name in month six? The answer determines the title, the comp band, and the candidate pool.
Senior EAs to founders/CEOs · chiefs of staff · EA-to-CoS hybrids · CoS for GPs and family office principals.
◆ [1–2 anonymized examples; ideally one EA-promoted-to-CoS story.]
What's the difference between a senior EA and a chief of staff?
Scope of judgment: a senior EA optimizes your time and access; a chief of staff acts in your name on projects and decisions. Comp differs accordingly.
Should my chief of staff come from banking/consulting or from an EA background?
Depends on the mandate. Ops-heavy mandates favor operators; access-and-judgment mandates favor elite EA backgrounds. We place both, and we'll be honest about fit.
What does it cost?
A percentage of first-year base salary, quoted per engagement, in writing, in the first conversation.