Senior Personal Assistant/Family Manager Part Time, Remote

We are a family of four in Los Altos looking for a senior Personal Assistant/Family Manager to own the behind-the-scenes operating system of our household.

We already have a nanny/family assistant who helps handle what needs doing in person. What we are missing is the person who thinks two steps ahead: who holds the calendar, plans the trips, sources and manages the vendors, and notices what needs handling before anyone asks.

The right person arrives and tells us what they will take off our plate, rather than waiting to be told. 

Hours and structure

15-20 hours per week, primarily remote, with a preference for one afternoon per week in person at our home in Los Altos (negotiable and flexible). Occasionally we may ask for additional on-site time when something genuinely requires presence, for example, a vendor walkthrough, a contractor bid. These are scheduled in advance and are the exception rather than the pattern. Start date as soon as possible.

What you'll own

Calendar and scheduling

• Household and personal calendaring across two working parents and two school-age children. One parent has an executive assistant, so this role focuses mainly on the other parent and the two children
• Coordinating activities, appointments, tutoring, lessons, and the logistics that connect them
• Protecting blocks of focused time and acting as a gatekeeper on incoming requests for that parent

Planning and travel

• Family travel planning end to end — research, booking, itineraries, contingencies
• Event and birthday planning
• Anticipating what's coming and getting ahead of it, including household upkeep

Vendors and household oversight

• Sourcing, vetting, and hiring vendors on trusted judgment; getting and comparing bids
• Managing contracts, scheduling, and follow-through with landscapers, cleaners, contractors, and design/renovation trades
• Holding the standing state of the household — noticing drift without being told
• Directing our on-site family assistant (who handles afternoon task execution) and other staff, largely remotely

Administrative

• Mail and inbox triage
• Some bill payment and check writing (we have a finance professional)
• Building and maintaining the systems that make all of the above repeatable

What we're after is someone who owns the system. The goal throughout is to take mental load off us.

What this role is not

• Not a childcare position
• Not a cleaning or tidying role

Who we're looking for

• 3+ years of someone who has supported a principal, a private family, or a family office — owning calendars, vendors, and the systems behind them. managing properties or buildings, hotel and hospitality operations, or hands-on housekeeping are not a fit for this role
• Multi-year tenures that show trust earned over time
• Systems thinker who enjoys building household manuals or digital organization tools
• Comfortable directing on-site people and vendors from a distance and ensuring the work meets standard
• Self-sufficient, discreet, and straightforward about constraints
• Bay Area / Peninsula based, able to be here one day a week to see firsthand what needs doing
• Warm and respectful with our family and with the people you'll be directing
• Discretion is essential. A background check will be part of the process