Private Office Operations Manager
Greater Vancouver | Remote-First | Full-Time
Salary: 80,000$ - 100,000$
We are seeking a highly capable Private Office Operations Manager to become the first key operating hire within a developing private office supporting a Principal and, where appropriate, family and personal business interests.
This is not a traditional Executive Assistant or Personal Assistant position. While executive and personal support form part of the role, the primary focus is operations, project management, problem solving, coordination, and systems building. In the first year, the role is expected to be approximately 70% Office/Project Management, 20% Executive/Personal Assistant work, and 10% Chief-of-Staff-type responsibilities.
The successful candidate will take fragmented matters and turn them into organized projects, identify what needs to happen next, coordinate the appropriate people and resources, solve problems, and progressively assume greater responsibility as trust develops.
The long-term opportunity is to grow into a highly trusted senior operator capable of independently managing much of the Private Office.
What You Will Do
You will manage a broad and evolving portfolio of business, personal, household, and administrative matters. Responsibilities may include:
Managing multiple projects from objective through completion, including priorities, timelines, dependencies, risks, follow-up, and reporting.
Coordinating lawyers, accountants, banks, physicians, consultants, contractors, vendors, property professionals, and other external specialists.
Researching unfamiliar issues, evaluating alternatives, validating information, and presenting practical recommendations.
Building repeatable systems, processes, SOPs, tracking mechanisms, vendor records, and information-management practices.
Supporting personal and household projects such as property matters, furnishing, repairs, service-provider management, purchasing, insurance, and related coordination.
Supporting selected business and investment projects through research, documentation, meeting coordination, due-diligence organization, and project follow-up.
Managing calendar, scheduling, communications, travel arrangements, correspondence, and unresolved follow-ups where required.
Helping organize digital information and ensuring effective use of Microsoft 365 and related systems in coordination with existing information-management support.
Using AI tools effectively for research, communication, planning, organization, and execution.
Protecting the Principal's time and proactively identifying issues, risks, opportunities, and priorities rather than waiting for detailed instructions.
The role is intended to move progressively from coordination toward greater delegated authority as capability and trust are demonstrated.
The Person We Are Looking For
We are looking for an operator rather than simply a task executor.
You should be comfortable receiving an objective that is not yet fully structured, determining what information is needed, developing a plan, coordinating the necessary people, and driving the matter through to completion.
The strongest candidates will demonstrate significant capability in project management, operational coordination, research, problem solving, vendor/professional-services management, and systems building. Research and practical AI capability are particularly important.
You should also be willing to challenge assumptions respectfully, raise problems early, propose alternatives, and exercise independent judgment rather than simply agreeing with the Principal.
Experience & Qualifications
Candidates should generally have:
8+ years of total professional experience, including at least 3+ years of directly relevant experience, with meaningful exposure to supporting a Founder, CEO, senior executive, UHNW individual, Family Office, Private Office, or similarly complex environment.
Strong project-management experience is essential, along with demonstrated experience coordinating people, vendors, professional advisers, budgets, quotations, timelines, and follow-through.
People-management experience and basic financial-administration capability - including Excel, budgets, invoices, expense tracking, and quotation comparison - are also expected.
Professional-level written and spoken English is required. Mandarin Chinese is strongly preferred but is not mandatory for an otherwise exceptional candidate. Candidates must also be comfortable working in an environment where AI-supported Chinese-English translation may be used.
Working Style & Personal Qualities
Integrity, discretion, reliability, ownership, communication, and adaptability are fundamental to this position.
We are particularly interested in someone who:
takes ownership of outcomes; acts without requiring constant direction; communicates clearly; documents important matters; surfaces bad news rather than hiding it; proposes solutions instead of simply identifying problems; works systematically; and looks for ways to turn recurring work into reliable processes.
The ideal relationship is not purely transactional. We are looking for someone who takes pride in reducing complexity, solving problems, learning continuously, and helping build a Private Office that becomes increasingly effective over time. In return, exceptional responsibility and contribution should create opportunities for increased authority, compensation, and professional growth.
Location & Working Model
This is a remote-first position based in Greater Vancouver.
Most work can be performed remotely. A dedicated workspace near the UBC area can be made available if preferred.
Physical presence will be required occasionally when operationally useful - for example, meeting a service provider, inspecting work, overseeing a project, or handling a matter involving a residence or physical asset. Routine daily attendance at a residence is not expected.
Candidates must hold a valid driver's licence and be able to travel conveniently within the Greater Vancouver area.
There is no regular travel requirement. Occasional travel may arise where a specific matter genuinely requires it and is currently expected to represent less than approximately 5% of the role.
Compensation & Benefits
Compensation will be competitive with the Vancouver market and commensurate with the candidate's experience, capability, and expected level of responsibility.
The final package may include base salary, performance-based compensation, benefits or a flexible benefits allowance, and additional longer-term incentives where appropriate.
The intention is to establish a compensation structure that rewards both strong market-level performance and exceptional contribution.
Selection Process
The selection process will place substantial emphasis on demonstrated capability rather than interview performance alone.
Finalists should expect a short paid practical assessment, likely involving approximately 5–20 hours of representative work over roughly one week. Exercises may assess research, judgment, organization, communication, project management, systems thinking, discretion, and practical use of AI.
The purpose is to allow both sides to evaluate the working relationship through realistic work before making a long-term commitment. The successful candidate would then be expected to transition directly into full-time employment.
