Executive Assistant to the Founder

Pasban - The Gatekeeper is hiring an Executive Assistant to the Founder for our corporate office in New Delhi.

We operate a portfolio of boutique and experiential hotels — many of them in offbeat destinations — and are growing from nine properties towards thirty over the next eighteen months. The Founder's week runs across owner negotiations and new deals, property visits, the corporate leadership team, external partners and two further ventures outside the hotel business. The volume of decisions, documents and follow-ups is high and the calendar changes constantly.

The Role

The Executive Assistant to the Founder exists to make that workable. The role owns the calendar, correspondence, travel, meeting preparation, documentation and follow-through — and, just as importantly, the discipline of chasing every commitment made in a meeting until it is closed. It is an anticipatory role rather than a reactive one: the best version of this job removes work from the Founder's desk before he has to ask for it.

This role sees everything — deal terms, compensation, owner conversations, internal disagreements and personal matters. Absolute discretion is the first qualification, before any skill.

What You'll Own

• Calendar and time management — own the Founder's calendar completely; schedule and sequence meetings with an understanding of what is genuinely urgent; protect blocks for focused work; rebuild the day quickly when something moves; prevent double-booking and conflicting commitments.

• Inbox, correspondence and screening — manage the Founder's inbox and calls; triage, route and draft replies in his voice; draft and format letters, proposals, emails and notes in clear, professional English; screen and prioritise incoming requests.

• Travel, itineraries and logistics — plan and book all travel with contingency for remote destinations; build complete itineraries (timings, addresses, contacts, meeting agendas, documents); coordinate with unit teams; reconcile travel costs.

• Meeting preparation and follow-through — prepare the Founder for every significant meeting with agenda, background note, prior correspondence and relevant numbers; attend where required; record minutes; convert discussion into tracked actions with owners and dates; chase every action to closure.

• Documents, deals and contract coordination — coordinate proposals, pitch decks, term sheets, hotel management agreements, NDAs and LOIs; maintain version control, deal status tracker and signed-document archive; track signature, stamping, renewals and expiry dates.

• Information flow and reporting — collate monthly reporting packs from corporate heads; maintain trackers for leadership priorities, open decisions and pending approvals; prepare presentations and briefing notes.

• Office administration and hosting — run the Founder's office administration; visitor hosting, meeting arrangements, courier and dispatch, office supplies, vendor coordination; receive owners, partners and senior guests as they should be received.

• Expenses, records and discretion — process expense claims and reimbursements; maintain credit card and travel records; track subscriptions, memberships and renewals; coordinate across the Founder's other ventures; handle confidential information with complete discretion.

Working Rhythm

• Start of day: calendar confirmed, priorities and conflicts flagged, briefing material for the day's meetings in place

• Through the day: inbox triaged, meetings run to time, notes taken, actions logged and circulated the same day

• Weekly: week ahead planned with the Founder; open action list reviewed; travel for the coming fortnight confirmed

• Monthly: reporting pack collated; deal and document tracker reviewed; expenses reconciled

What We're Looking For

• 4–8 years supporting a founder, promoter or senior executive — proven experience running a demanding calendar and inbox independently

• Graduate in any discipline; hotel management or business education is an advantage

• Hospitality, real estate, professional services or a founder-led business is the most relevant background

• Anticipation — sees what is coming and prepares rather than waiting to be asked

• Written command — drafts a clean, professional email or letter that needs no rewriting

• Follow-through — chases politely and persistently until a matter is actually closed

• Systems fluency — strong with calendar and mail tools, Excel, presentations and document formatting

• Composure — stays calm and pleasant when the day collapses and has to be rebuilt

• Absolute discretion — holds commercial, financial and personal confidences without exception

Measures of Success

• Nothing falls through — every commitment made in a meeting is tracked and closed, or visibly flagged if it cannot be

• The calendar holds — days run to plan; conflicts caught before they happen; no meeting missed or double-booked

• Always prepared — the Founder walks into every meeting with the right document and the right context

• Documents in order — current version always known; signed agreements archived; renewals never discovered late

• Travel without friction — itineraries complete and realistic; disruptions handled without the Founder being drawn in

• Trust intact — confidential matters stay confidential, without exception and without reminder

Location: Pasban Corporate Office, New Delhi. Scope covers the Founder's office across Pasban and his other ventures. Occasional travel accompanying the Founder to meetings or properties.

Full-time. Responsiveness matters around travel days and deal deadlines; sustained late-night availability is not expected or asked for.

Compensation is commensurate with experience and benchmarked to the role.

Selection process: telephonic screening → in-person interview at the New Delhi corporate office → reference checks → offer.

Pasban is an equal opportunity employer. We select on capability, judgment and character.