Executive Personal Assistant to the Founder (Remote, UAE or Europe)

<p><strong>Location:</strong> Remote, based in the UAE or Europe. <strong>Engagement:</strong> full-time independent contractor (own visa and invoicing setup required).</p> <h3>About the role</h3> <p>You will be the right hand to a Dubai-based founder who runs a group of companies in performance marketing and consumer brands and splits his time between Dubai and Europe. Your job is to take every administrative task off his plate, business and personal, so his time goes to decisions and deals rather than logistics.</p> <p>We are looking for an A player. This is a fast-moving environment with high expectations: priorities change daily, decisions are made quickly, and the standard is that things get done properly the first time. You need to be driven, want to work hard, and take pride in running a tight operation for someone who moves fast.</p> <p>This is a hands-on, high-trust role. You will handle calendars, travel, bookings, paperwork, payments, vendors and follow-ups across several companies and several countries. You should be the kind of person who closes loops without being chased and notices problems before they land on his desk.</p> <h3>What you will own</h3> <p><strong>Business administration</strong></p> <ul> <li>Manage calendar and inbox: triage, prioritise, draft replies, schedule and reschedule across time zones</li> <li>Prepare, chase and file documents: contracts for signature, invoices, KYC and compliance requests from banks and partners, company renewals (trade licences, visas, insurance)</li> <li>Coordinate with accountants, lawyers, banks and agencies; track deadlines so nothing lapses</li> <li>Keep shared drives, access lists and company records organised and current</li> <li>Take notes in meetings when asked, track action items and follow up with the people responsible</li> </ul> <p><strong>Travel and bookings</strong></p> <ul> <li>Plan and book flights, hotels, villas, ground transport and restaurants, often on short notice and with changes mid-trip</li> <li>Manage loyalty programmes, entry requirements, visas and travel documents</li> <li>Coordinate pet travel logistics when required</li> </ul> <p><strong>Personal administration</strong></p> <ul> <li>Handle personal bills, subscriptions, insurance, vehicles and property matters in Dubai and Europe</li> <li>Manage household staff and service providers (cleaning, maintenance, vets, groomers, trainers)</li> <li>Research and arrange appointments, gifts, events and reservations</li> <li>Run errands remotely: returns, deliveries, renewals, forms</li> </ul> <h3>What success looks like</h3> <ul> <li><strong>By day 30:</strong> You own the calendar and inbox end to end, know every company entity, bank and key contact, and have a live tracker of renewals and deadlines.</li> <li><strong>By day 60:</strong> You have handled at least one full international trip solo, including changes mid-trip, and taken over all personal bills and subscriptions.</li> <li><strong>By day 90:</strong> The founder is not touching admin. You flag issues before they become urgent and propose fixes rather than questions.</li> </ul> <h3>What we are looking for</h3> <ul> <li>3+ years as an executive assistant, personal assistant or chief of staff to a founder, senior executive or private individual</li> <li>Based in the UAE or Europe, already holding the right to live and work there, and able to invoice as a freelancer or through your own company</li> <li>Fluent written and spoken English is required; any additional languages are a plus</li> <li>Proven experience booking complex international travel and handling last-minute changes calmly</li> <li>Comfortable with numbers and paperwork: expenses, invoices, bank forms, compliance requests</li> <li>Strong with Google Workspace, WhatsApp, Slack, Notion or similar, and quick to learn new tools</li> <li>Skilled with AI tools such as Claude and ChatGPT: you use them daily for drafting, research, summarising and structuring work, not as an occasional experiment</li> <li>Track record of automating your own repetitive tasks (for example with Zapier, Make, n8n, spreadsheet scripts or AI agents) without being asked to</li> <li>Discreet by default; you will see sensitive financial, legal and personal information</li> <li>Self-directed: works from a list, chases without reminders, confirms when something is done</li> <li>Calm under pressure, allergic to loose ends, direct in communication, and comfortable working mostly alone with a founder who moves fast and changes plans often</li> </ul> <h3>This role is not for you if</h3> <p>You need a fixed 9 to 5 with no interruptions, you prefer to wait for instructions rather than propose a plan, or you are uncomfortable handling someone else's money, documents and personal life with total discretion.</p> <h3>Tools we use</h3> <p>Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Drive), WhatsApp and Slack for daily communication, Notion for tasks and documentation, Claude for drafting, research and workflow automation, and standard travel and booking platforms. Experience with UAE government portals (GDRFA, DED, Dubai Now) and European banking is useful but not required.</p> <h3>Working hours and availability</h3> <ul> <li>Core hours: 09:00 to 18:00 Gulf Standard Time (UTC+4), Monday to Friday</li> <li>When the founder is in Europe, core hours shift to Central European Time</li> <li>Reachable for urgent travel or booking issues outside core hours and on weekends; this is balanced with flexible time off during quiet periods</li> <li>Occasional in-person time in Dubai or Europe (a few days per quarter) is a plus, not a requirement</li> </ul> <h3>Confidentiality and trust</h3> <p>You will have access to passports, payment cards, company accounts and private correspondence. The engagement is conditional on a signed NDA, reference checks and a background check. Access is granted step by step during the probation period.</p> <h3>Compensation and terms</h3> <ul> <li>Fee: EUR 3,500 to 5,000 per month (or AED equivalent), depending on location and experience, invoiced monthly</li> <li>Performance bonus: up to EUR 2,000 per month on top of the fee, assessed monthly against agreed targets (deadlines met, zero missed renewals or bookings, response times, issues caught before they became urgent)</li> <li>Engagement: independent contractor. You must already hold the legal right to live and work where you are based and be set up to invoice (freelance permit, sole trader, autónomo or your own company). No visa sponsorship is provided.</li> <li>Software and travel costs covered when in-person time is needed</li> <li>Three-month probation period</li> </ul> <h3>How to apply</h3> <p>Apply with your CV, your earliest start date, and short written answers (a few sentences each) to the following:</p> <ol> <li>Describe a trip you booked that went wrong and how you fixed it.</li> <li>You receive a bank compliance request with a 48-hour deadline and the founder is on a long-haul flight. What do you do?</li> <li>Have you managed personal or household matters, not just business, for a principal before? Give an example.</li> <li>Describe one repetitive task you automated for yourself or a previous principal: what the task was, which tools you used, and how much time it saved.</li> <li>What time zone are you in, and what hours are you realistically available?</li> </ol> <p>Shortlisted candidates complete a 30-minute practical task (plan a sample trip from a short brief) before a video interview.</p>