CEO Executive AssistantMany consulting executives instinctively want to hire an EA who is physically nearby. Before investing in a local search, it is worth examining whether physical proximity is genuinely required for your EA role, or whether the assumption of “near me” is limiting your options without adding proportional value.
When Physical Proximity Actually Matters
There are consulting firm EA roles where physical presence is genuinely important:
Office management integration: If the EA is also responsible for managing a physical office, coordinating in-person reception, and handling physical materials (mail, printing, conference room setup), being on-site is practically necessary.
In-person meeting support: If the EA attends and manages in-person meetings, sets up conference rooms, or coordinates in-office events, physical presence at those events is required.
Executive presence and personal errands: Some consulting CEOs delegate tasks that require the EA to be physically present: picking up dry cleaning, managing a home office, handling personal errands. These functions require proximity.
High-touch client reception: If the firm receives senior clients in a physical office where the EA manages the reception and first impression, in-person presence is important.
If any of these apply to your consulting firm, a local EA search is justified. But for most consulting firms in 2026, the majority of the EA role is digital: calendar management, email, travel booking, CRM, document management, and video-based coordination. Physical proximity adds limited value to these functions.
When You Think You Need “Near Me” But Don’t
The assumption that EAs must be local often stems from prior experience with in-office administrative arrangements. If your consulting firm has always had an in-office EA, the template feels natural.
But consider: for the specific functions you need an EA to perform, does physical presence meaningfully improve the quality of the output? A remote EA with full calendar access manages your schedule as effectively as one sitting in your office. A remote EA drafting client email produces quality determined by their writing capability, not their geography.
Before committing to a local-only search, list the specific EA functions you need and mark which of them actually require physical presence. Most consulting executives discover that fewer than 20 percent of their EA needs genuinely require proximity.
Finding a Local EA for Your Consulting Firm
If you have confirmed that physical proximity is important for your specific EA role, here is how to find qualified local candidates:
EA Staffing Agencies in Your Market
EA staffing agencies operate in most major metropolitan markets and specialize in placing executive administrative professionals in local professional services firms. They maintain pools of local candidates who have been assessed for EA-specific competencies and can place candidates in weeks rather than months.
For consulting-specific local placement:
- Brief the agency explicitly on the consulting environment and what it requires
- Ask about their experience placing EAs in consulting or professional services firms in your market
- Consider temp-to-perm arrangements that allow evaluation before permanent commitment
LinkedIn Local Search
Use LinkedIn’s geographic filters combined with EA role experience and industry criteria to identify local EA candidates. Professional services, financial services, and strategy consulting filters can narrow to candidates with relevant backgrounds in your market.
Professional Referrals in Your Market
Your network of other consulting firm principals in your market is an excellent source of EA referrals. Consulting firms that are scaling sometimes release excellent EAs; firms that are restructuring may have EA talent looking for new engagements. Active networking in your local consulting community surfaces these opportunities.
Local University and Professional Programs
Some cities have professional EA training programs or administrative professional networks. Local chapters of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) can be a sourcing channel for candidates with professional commitment to the EA role.
Local EA Compensation in Major Consulting Markets
Salaries for experienced consulting firm EAs vary significantly by geography. Understanding local market rates is essential for making competitive offers.
New York, San Francisco: Senior consulting EA: $90,000 to $130,000 annually (all-in cost: $120,000 to $175,000)
Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles: Senior consulting EA: $80,000 to $115,000 annually (all-in cost: $105,000 to $155,000)
Austin, Atlanta, Dallas: Senior consulting EA: $65,000 to $95,000 annually (all-in cost: $85,000 to $130,000)
Mid-market cities: Senior consulting EA: $55,000 to $80,000 annually
These are base salaries. All-in employment costs (benefits, taxes, recruiting) add 35 to 50 percent.
The Alternative: A High-Quality Remote EA vs. a Local Hire
If your analysis reveals that physical proximity is not genuinely required for most of your EA functions, compare a local hire to a high-quality remote option:
Local senior consulting EA (all-in): $120,000 to $175,000 per year
US-based remote managed platform (full-time equivalent): $54,000 to $90,000 per year
Near-shore managed platform (full-time equivalent): $24,000 to $48,000 per year
The cost differential is substantial. For the functions that do not require physical presence, which is most of what a consulting CEO needs an EA for, a high-quality remote EA delivers equivalent results at significantly lower cost.
For a full cost comparison across all service models, see our guide on executive assistant pricing comparison for consulting and professional services industry.
For guidance on making a remote EA arrangement work as effectively as an in-person one, see our guide on remote executive assistant tips for consulting executives.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, remote and hybrid work arrangements for executive administrative assistants have expanded significantly since 2020, with many consulting and professional services firms successfully operating EA relationships across geographic distances.
Hybrid Approaches
Some consulting CEOs find that a hybrid arrangement, a primarily remote EA who is occasionally available in person, meets their needs better than either a fully local hire or a fully remote arrangement.
This can be structured as:
- A local remote EA who comes to the office 1 to 2 days per week for intensive in-person coordination
- A primarily remote EA who is on-site for specific events (client visits, team offsites, annual planning)
- A remote EA for day-to-day operations combined with occasional on-demand local support for specific in-person needs
For consulting firms with genuinely mixed physical and digital needs, the hybrid approach may be the most practical and cost-efficient solution.
Conclusion
Hiring an executive assistant “near me” for a consulting firm is the right choice when the role genuinely requires physical presence for a significant portion of its functions. When that condition is met, local sourcing through EA staffing agencies, LinkedIn geographic search, and professional referrals provides access to qualified candidates.
When physical presence is not a genuine requirement, the assumption of “near me” limits your talent pool and increases your cost without proportional benefit. Evaluate honestly which functions require proximity, and make the model decision based on that assessment rather than on default assumptions about what an EA arrangement must look like.
Related Reading
For further context, explore How to Hire an Executive Assistant: The Complete Guide for Business Leaders and Hire Executive Assistant for Automotive.