Executive Assistant

GrassBridge Recruiting; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

GrassBridge Recruiting's client, an early-stage AgTech startup in Santa Cruz, is seeking an Executive Assistant & Office Manager to support the CEO and executive team and to run day-to-day operations at their Santa Cruz headquarters. This is a high-impact role for someone who enjoys bringing structure to a fast-moving startup and takes pride in making things run smoothly.

You’ll be a trusted partner to the CEO and leadership team, keeping calendars, travel, and meetings on track, while also

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in executive assistance, office management, or a related role.
• Experience directly supporting senior executives, ideally a CEO or other C-suite leaders.
• Experience coordinating vendors, office operations, events, or facilities.
• Strong proficiency with Google Workspace and modern collaboration tools.
• Able to work on-site full-time in Santa Cruz, CA.
• Experience at an early-stage or high-growth startup, or in biotech or tech, is a plus.
• Familiarity with AI productivity tools or automation is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level support to the CEO and executive team, including calendars, meetings, and priorities.
• Coordinate domestic and occasional international travel.
• Prepare agendas and materials, track action items, and follow up to make sure things get done.
• Coordinate leadership offsites, company events, and visits from investors and partners.
• Own day-to-day office operations, including vendors, facilities, supplies, and visitor coordination.
• Partner with People Ops and IT on onsite setup for new hires.
• Organize team lunches, celebrations, and onsite gatherings.
• Support purchasing, invoice routing, and expense reporting.
• Handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Build scalable admin processes and documentation as the company grows.

Skills

Highly organized

Proactive

Detail-oriented

Independent

Strong communication

Problem solving

Tools

Google Workspace

Job description

Our client is an early-stage, venture-backed AgTech startup leveraging genomics, AI, and machine learning to help modernize agriculture. They’re building a category-defining company with a small, high-caliber team tackling meaningful, real-world problems.

They’re looking for an Executive Assistant & Office Manager to support the CEO and executive team and run day-to-day operations at their Santa Cruz headquarters. This is a high-impact role for someone who enjoys bringing structure to a fast-moving startup and takes pride in making things run smoothly.

You’ll be a trusted partner to the CEO and leadership team, keeping calendars, travel, and meetings on track, while also owning the office and employee experience. If you like taking ownership, anticipating needs before they come up, and building better processes from scratch, this role offers a lot of visibility and room to shape how the company operates as it grows.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level support to the CEO and executive team, including calendars, meetings, and priorities.
• Coordinate domestic and occasional international travel.
• Prepare agendas and materials, track action items, and follow up to make sure things get done.
• Coordinate leadership offsites, company events, and visits from investors and partners.
• Own day-to-day office operations, including vendors, facilities, supplies, and visitor coordination.
• Partner with People Ops and IT on onsite setup for new hires.
• Organize team lunches, celebrations, and onsite gatherings.
• Support purchasing, invoice routing, and expense reporting.
• Handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Build scalable admin processes and documentation as the company grows.

What We’re Looking For

• Highly organized, proactive, and detail-oriented.
• Thrives in fast-paced, high-ownership environments.
• Exercises sound judgment and works independently without constant direction.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Equally comfortable managing a complex executive schedule or solving an unexpected office issue.
• Passionate about startups, innovation, and making an impact.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in executive assistance, office management, or a related role.
• Experience directly supporting senior executives, ideally a CEO or other C-suite leaders.
• Experience coordinating vendors, office operations, events, or facilities.
• Strong proficiency with Google Workspace and modern collaboration tools.
• Able to work on-site full-time in Santa Cruz, CA.
• Experience at an early-stage or high-growth startup, or in biotech or tech, is a plus.
• Familiarity with AI productivity tools or automation is a plus.

If you’re excited by ownership, creating order, and helping build the foundation for a growing company, we’d love to hear from you.