What This Mandate Requires
BUILT FOR SPEED AND SCALE.
SPEED
High-growth companies move fast. The EA must match the pace without creating drag.
AMBIGUITY
The role is not defined. The EA defines it. Comfort with uncertainty is essential.
SCALE
The company is growing. The EA must grow with it. What works at Series B must still work at IPO.
EQUITY MINDSET
These EAs are compensated with equity. They think like owners, not employees.
Context
THE FIRST EA HIRE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT.
Most Series B founders have never hired an EA before. They know they need one. They do not know what they need. The brief is often vague: someone to help me scale. That is not a brief. That is a symptom.
James will challenge the brief before accepting it. The most common mistake is hiring for the role as it exists today rather than the role as it will exist in 18 months. A Series B company is not the same company at Series C. The EA must be able to grow with it.
The second most common mistake is undercompensating. Founders who have not hired an EA before often benchmark against administrative roles. The EA they need is not an administrator. They are a strategic operator. The compensation must reflect that.
TalentSmiths has placed first EA hires for Series B founders across London, New York, and San Francisco. The pattern is consistent. The founders who invest in the right brief, the right process, and the right compensation make a hire that transforms their capacity to operate. The ones who rush it make a hire they replace within 18 months.
Equity is standard for this mandate type. The EA is joining a company that is growing. They should share in that growth. TalentSmiths will advise on equity structures during the brief and ensure the compensation package is competitive for the profile being sought.
Elevate contains EAs who have scaled with founders before. They have been through Series B to Series D. They know what the journey looks like. They are not learning on the job. They are bringing experience that the founder does not yet have.
Compensation
WHAT THE MARKET PAYS.
LONDON
£110k – £190k
Base salary. Equity standard. EMI options common at Series B stage.
NEW YORK
$140k – $220k
Base salary. Equity package expected. Total comp can exceed $260k at pre-IPO stage.
MIAMI
$130k – $200k
Growing founder market. Equity increasingly standard for first EA hires.
SAN FRANCISCO
$145k – $225k
Highly competitive. Equity essential. RSUs and options common at this stage.
AUSTIN
$125k – $195k
Fast-growing founder ecosystem. First EA hires command equity as standard.
Ready to begin
START A SERIES B SEARCH.
Further reading