Executive Assistant to the CEO

About Us

At Arkenstone Defense, we empower defense tech startups with the tools, infrastructure, and compliance solutions they need to become successful prime contractors. Our mission is to remove barriers and help innovators grow - from day one to becoming a trusted prime for the U.S. Government.

We're early, we're lean, and we're building something that actually matters. The people who do well here aren't waiting to be told what to do; they see a gap and fill it.

Overview

As Executive Assistant to the CEO, you are the best steward of CEO’s time for the company. You keep his highest-leverage work moving: the strategic calendar, the sales follow-up email that keeps deals alive, the investor communications, and the conferences where he meets the people who fill the funnel.

You report to the Director of Revenue Operations & Growth, who coaches you and holds you accountable for CEO’s top-of-funnel work. Your core mandate is to make sure the CEO's time goes to the work only he can do, and that every follow-up, lead, and commitment gets an owner, a date, a known blocker, and a check-in until it closes out. You handle investor, board, and personnel matters with complete discretion.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Calendar and Time

• Be the best steward of CEO’s time for the company. Protect blocks for the work only he can do.
• Fill the strategic calendar deliberately. Roughly half of it goes underused today, and closing that gap is a priority.
• Manage direct calendar time: the meetings the CEO takes personally. Each one gets prep, an agenda, and a follow-up.
• Keep an action-item and decision log for every meeting the CEO attends: owner, due date, blockers, next check-in. Chase updates before the next meeting, not after.

Email and Sales Follow-Up

• Own sales follow-up email on CEO’s behalf. Work proactively: draft follow-ups before threads go cold, not after the CEO asks.
• Triage CEO’s inbox so he sees what needs him, and the team handles the rest.

Top of Funnel

• Own the logistics for CEO’s founder-network and prospect meetings that create opportunities.
• Track every intro and meeting in Salesforce to an opportunity or a documented close-out.
• Report weekly to the Director on CEO’s top-of-funnel output against the Founder Network target of 10 opportunities per week, shared across CEO and COO.

Investor Relations Logistics

• Align with the CEO and marketing on what goes out to investors and how often.
• Postcards go out bi-monthly. Marketing owns the content. The EA owns the logistics.
• Maintain the investor tracker, including swag sends.
• Prepare for and attend investor meetings with the CEO. Take notes and drive follow-up to close.
• Support the capital raise with the CEO and Finance: keep the investor pipeline current, manage the data room, and track diligence requests.
• Help prepare board materials and coordinate board meeting logistics with the CEO and Finance.

Conferences, Events, and Offsites

• Attend conferences with the CEO. Capture every lead and own the follow-up on each one.
• Handle registrations, travel, agendas, and attendee lists for conferences, customer events, and company offsites.

Special Projects

• Support CEO priority projects that span teams: track owners, dates, and blockers, and keep work moving to close.
• Help stand up new initiatives and hand them off cleanly once a permanent owner is in place.

Discretion

• Handle board, investor, legal, HR, and personnel matters with complete confidentiality. Share only what the recipient needs to act.

Requirements

• Experience supporting a CEO, founder, or senior executive in a fast moving company.
• Strong writing skills, including drafting email on an executive’s behalf.
• Working knowledge of Salesforce or a similar CRM.
• Experience coordinating conferences, events, and travel.
• Able to work onsite in Menlo Park four days a week and travel to conferences.

Who You Are

Injects discipline: Every open item gets a when, a known blocker, and a check-in date. CEO wants progress, so bring him the status before he has to ask.

High EQ: Reads the room, earns trust with executives and individual contributors, and stays steady when things get uncomfortable.

Curious: Learns the business fast.

Fast: Moves on requests, drafts, and decisions the same day. Speed is the default.

Bias toward action: Turns a request into a finished task without waiting for a second reminder.

Proactive: Spots the problem before it lands and brings a fix with it.

Prioritization: Knows what gets done today, what waits, and what goes back to the Director with a recommendation.

Mission Alignment

We are a Defense-focused company supporting sensitive and cleared workforces. The Executive Assistant to the CEO will embrace our commitment to operational excellence, compliance rigor, and a world-class employee experience.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Requires travel to conferences, customer events, and company offsites with the CEO.
• Ability to communicate effectively in written and verbal form.

Benefits of working with us!

We are committed to supporting our employees both professionally and personally. Our robust benefits package is designed to promote your well-being, growth, and work-life balance

• Competitive Salary: Recognizing your hard work with attractive compensation and rewarding excellence.
• Health and Wellness Programs: Including medical, dental, & vision insurance options, along with mental health support & wellness initiatives.
• Retirement Planning: Secure your future with our flexible 401(k) plan and matching company contributions.
• Paid Time Off & Holidays: Generous PTO, sick leave, and holiday pay to help you recharge and enjoy life outside of work.
• Employee Assistance Program: Confidential resources for personal and professional support.
• Professional Development: Access to training, certifications, and continuing education to foster your career growth.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

Arkenstone Defense participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm employment authorization.