HN432 - Chief of Staff/Estate Manager - Manhattan

Overview

A Manhattan based family is seeking a Chief of Staff/Estate Manager to serve as the single senior point person for the household and the principal's personal operations. This is a combined role: it owns both the day-to-day leadership of the residence and staff and the higher-level coordination, budgeting, and financial administration of the principal's personal life. This role is full-time, based in NYC with occasional travel.

 

The family splits its time between a primary residence in New York City and a seasonal winter residence in Miami. The role is based in New York and remains responsible for both residences year-round, including running the Miami household remotely during the winter season.

 

This is the most senior seat on the household team. All on-site staff and a remote personal assistant report to this person, and this person reports directly to the principals.

What this role is:The right person operates as an owner, not a task-taker. They make decisions independently, tell the principal when he is wrong, and measure their success by how little friction reaches him — protecting his time and lowering his anxiety rather than adding to it. They build the systems, playbooks, and staffing structures that let the household run smoothly without every issue routing back to them personally, while remaining fully capable of stepping in hands-on when something requires it.

 

The household runs to a five-star hotel standard, and the person in this seat owns that standard. On-site household staff and a remote personal assistant report to this role. This role reports directly to the principals.

Responsibilities

Core responsibilities:

Household & staff leadership

• Direct management of all on-site domestic staff (housekeepers, nannies, and seasonal or temporary contractors), including scheduling, performance standards, and day-to-day supervision.
• Recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training staff as needed, ensuring continuity of service through any staffing changes and stepping in personally to cover short-term gaps.
• Oversight of a remote personal assistant who handles reservations, calls, and remote administrative tasks.
• Ensuring the entire team delivers consistent, high-standard service and hospitality.
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Budget & financial administration

• Owning the annual household budget and keeping operations within it.Interfacing directly with bookkeepers and accountants on personal and household financial matters.
• Accounts payable, invoice and contract review, initiating wires and payments, and oversight of household accounts.
• Reviewing and reconciling credit card statements and expenses across categories and properties.
• Proactively flagging and resolving budget and spending issues before they become problems.
• Note: investment management is handled separately by the family's financial advisor and is not part of this role.

Property & operations

• Owning the standard, upkeep, and vendor relationships across both the New York and Miami residences.
• Managing and coordinating vendors and contractors at all residences.
• Overseeing residential maintenance and renovation projects in collaboration with vendors and staff.
• Building and maintaining the systems that keep both residences consistent — including running the Miami residence remotely during the winter season and managing the seasonal transition between homes.

Coordination & systems

• Serving as the primary point person ensuring a smooth, seamless experience for the family across every part of their household and personal operations.
• Maintaining well-organized files, records, and household documentation (Google Workspace).
• Building repeatable systems and protocols rather than relying on institutional memory, including an after-hours coverage protocol so requests are reliably handled without the principals becoming the fallback.
• Using AI and automation tools to reduce repetitive manual work (invoice capture, expense categorization, scheduling, reporting) where a person is not required.
• Research, reporting, and event support alongside staff as needed.

Qualifications

Who you are

• Highly intelligent, sharp, and dedicated, able to work autonomously and to lead others.
• An owner-operator: decisive under ambiguity, willing to disagree and hold a position, and focused on removing work from the principal's plate rather than routing it back.
• Discreet above all. Confidentiality is the single most important attribute of this role.
• Proactive and anticipatory — prioritizing, initiating, and following through to completion.
• Calm and focused under pressure in an environment of shifting priorities.
• A genuine systems-builder with strong instincts for automation and tooling; very tech-savvy across Mac OS, iOS, MS Office, and Google Workspace.
• Resourceful, self-driven, and a true problem solver who is equally comfortable building a system and personally fixing what is in front of them.

Requirements

• Significant experience in senior private-service, family-office, or chief-of-staff roles for a private principal or family (private-side experience required; corporate-only backgrounds are not a fit).
• Demonstrated ownership of a household or personal budget and direct work with bookkeepers/accountants.
• Demonstrated experience hiring, managing, and leading domestic or household staff.
• Based in New York City or willing to relocate; comfortable being the primary on-site presence.
• Flexible and available outside normal business hours as needed, including occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Willing and able to manage a second residence remotely and travel occasionally, including to Miami during the winter season.
• Valid driver's license and passport; authorized to work in the U.S.

Salary and Benefits

• $225,000–$300,000 annually depending on experience