FAQs Archive - Page 2 of 15

Q: Should I take a Chief of Staff title without a pay rise?

Sometimes it is the right move. If the title comes with a real change in remit, visibility and development, and a clear point at which pay will be reviewed, it can be a sensible step into the role. If the title arrives with no change to what you actually do, it is a relabelled EA role, and you should treat it as one. Agree the scope, the review date and the measures of success in writing before you say yes.

Q: What is a Chief of Staff?

A Chief of Staff is a senior generalist who runs the office of a leader, usually a CEO, founder or executive director. They own the leader’s priorities rather than their diary: making sure decisions are made, communicated and followed through across the organisation. The role sits between the leader and the leadership team, and it is defined as much by judgement and trust as by any fixed list of tasks.

Q: What is in a Chief of Staff job description?

Most UK Chief of Staff job descriptions cover five things: running the leader’s operating rhythm (leadership meetings, planning cycles and follow-up), preparing the leader for decisions with briefings and analysis, leading cross-functional projects that have no natural owner, acting as a trusted sounding board, and representing the leader when they cannot be in the room. Salary, seniority and reporting lines vary widely, which is why we always recommend asking what the leader actually needs before accepting the title.

Q: Who delivers the Future Ready EA & PA Training Day?

The day is delivered in person by Lily Shippen, Emily Partridge and Alice Garside, an eavolve associate trainer. It runs as a small group so the three facilitators can work with each person’s actual role rather than present to a room. Dates run in London and Manchester.

Q: Is Future Ready suitable if I have never used AI?

Yes. The day is built for beginners and intermediate users and the content is tailored to the people in the room. Our first day in Holborn had attendees who used AI every day alongside attendees who were only starting, and that mix made the day stronger, because the questions and the examples came from both ends.

Q: What happens after the training day?

Every attendee receives a follow-up after the day. Part of that follow-up is the facilitators’ view on how AI could realistically help with the specific pain points that person raised on the day, written for their role rather than as a general tool list.

Q: Where can I download the EA Manager Salary Survey 2026?

The full forty-page report is free to download from this page in exchange for your name and email address. It includes the benchmark card, London and Northern cuts, bonus and equity data, and a section written for anyone who sets EA Manager pay.

Q: What is the average EA Manager salary in the UK?

The EA Manager Salary Survey 2026, run by our sister company Lily Shippen with 126 responses, puts the median base salary at £65,000 across the UK, with half of respondents earning between £55,000 and £80,000. The London median is £74,000 and the median across Manchester, Leeds and the North is £55,000, so the national figure should always be read alongside your own region.

Q: Does an EA Manager earn more than an Executive Assistant who manages a team?

Yes, and the title is the single biggest lever on pay in the data. People called EA Manager earn a median of £74,000, while people called Executive Assistant who manage a team earn £58,000. With one or two direct reports, an EA Manager earns £65,000 and an Executive Assistant with the same team earns £56,500.