Executive Assistant Jobs in San Jose, CA
Executive assistants in San Jose earn a metro median of about $106,000 a year, roughly $17,000 more than the California median. Tech headquarters in North San Jose, San Jose Water and San Jose State all hire for the role. Here are the current openings, then who is hiring.
Current executive assistant Openings in San Jose, CA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Executive Assistant Work in San Jose
San Jose is a headquarters town, and headquarters need executive assistants. Server maker Supermicro and the utility San Jose Water run their leadership teams from the city, software startups such as Neuron7 hire for the role here, and San Jose State University staffs its deans and vice provosts with dedicated assistants on the downtown campus. Much of the corporate work sits in North San Jose, the Golden Triangle along North First Street between I-880, US 101 and SR 237, with hybrid schedules common at tech firms. The job here leans technical: Supermicro's current posting asks for hands-on experience with AI productivity tools and automated workflows on top of calendars and travel, and global companies expect assistants to schedule across Asian and European time zones.
Top San Jose Employers Hiring Executive Assistants
These employers have posted executive assistant roles in San Jose on their own career sites:
- Supermicro - the San Jose server and data center hardware maker is hiring an executive assistant to its Chief Compliance Officer at $98,000 to $120,000 a year.
- San Jose Water - the city's water utility recruits executive assistants for its President and CEO at its San Jose headquarters, including Board and shareholder meeting support.
- San Jose State University - the downtown campus has posted executive assistant roles for a college dean and for vice provosts during 2026.
- Neuron7 - the software startup hires a hybrid executive assistant in San Jose to support leaders across US, European and Indian time zones.
- Robert Half - the staffing firm fills long-term contract executive assistant assignments in San Jose at about $38 to $44 an hour.
Executive Assistant Salaries in San Jose
- Entry level: about $36 to $44 an hour, or $75,000 to $90,000 a year, for assistants supporting a director or a small team.
- Experienced: roughly $45 to $58 an hour, or $95,000 to $120,000 a year, for vice president and C-suite support at established companies.
- Senior: $60 to $75 an hour, or $125,000 to $155,000 a year, for senior executive assistants to chief executives and boards.
These are estimates based on Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 data for the San Jose metro (10th percentile $35.98, median $51.07, 90th percentile $75.76 an hour) and current local postings such as Supermicro's $98,000 to $120,000 range. Pay moves with the seniority of the executive, the size and type of employer, and extras such as board support, SEC filing work or Mandarin fluency. Tech companies may add bonus and equity, while public employers such as San Jose State pay on published salary steps.
How to Become an Executive Assistant in San Jose
There is no license for executive assistants in California; employers judge you on experience. Most San Jose postings ask for four to five years of administrative work, often with a bachelor's degree preferred. San Jose Water lists four years of increasingly responsible office experience, a 65 words-per-minute typing speed and a valid California Class C driver's license, while Supermicro and Neuron7 ask for five or more years supporting senior executives. If you are building the base skills, Evergreen Valley College in east San Jose offers a 30-unit Business Information Systems Information Processing Specialist Certificate of Achievement covering business writing, Excel, Word and document production. The usual route in is promotion from an administrative assistant job.
What the Job Involves
Executive assistants manage an executive's time and information. Daily work includes running complex calendars, booking domestic and international travel, preparing agendas, slide decks and meeting notes, screening calls and email, processing expense reports, tracking action items after leadership meetings, and coordinating board meetings and offsites. Senior roles handle confidential legal, HR and financial material and often lead small projects for the executive.
Skills Employers Look For
- Executive calendar and travel management across time zones
- Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Zoom and Slack
- Expense reporting and basic budget tracking
- Discretion with confidential information
- Polished written communication and presentation building
- Project tools such as Asana, Jira or SharePoint
- Comfort with AI productivity and automation tools
Career Path and Advancement
Most San Jose executive assistants begin as administrative assistants or coordinators, move up to support a director, then a vice president, and finally a chief executive or board. From there the ladder runs to lead executive assistant over a team of assistants, chief of staff, or business operations and program management roles, a common move at North San Jose tech companies. Assistants at San Jose State and other public employers often move into administrative analyst and operations manager posts.
Related Careers in San Jose
If executive support interests you, these San Jose guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do executive assistants make in San Jose?
The San Jose metro median is about $51 an hour, or roughly $106,000 a year, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 data. Senior assistants in the top tenth earn about $157,000 or more, and current tech postings run $98,000 to $120,000 for officer-level support.
Do you need a license or certification to be an executive assistant in California?
No. California has no license for executive assistants. Some assistants earn voluntary professional certificates, but San Jose employers mostly hire on years of experience and references.
How much experience do San Jose employers expect?
Four to five years is typical. San Jose Water asks for four years of increasingly responsible office experience, and Supermicro and Neuron7 ask for five or more years supporting senior executives.
Are San Jose executive assistant jobs remote?
Some are hybrid, such as Neuron7's San Jose role. The job usually means running meetings, visitors and offsites in person, so expect to be in a San Jose office for at least part of the week.
What extra skills help land an executive assistant job here?
Scheduling across Asian and European time zones, board and shareholder meeting support, and fluency with AI and automation tools all stand out. Supermicro lists Mandarin Chinese as a preferred skill for its compliance executive assistant.
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