Executive Partner to the CEO

Job Title: Executive Partner to the CEO

Experience: 5+ years of experience

Location: Bangalore – Work From Office (WFO)

Role Overview

The Executive Partner is a CEO proxy and strategic problem-solver who operates as an extension of the CEO's judgment and decision-making capability. This role absorbs the CEO's day-to-day problems—product escalations, client issues, cross-functional bottlenecks, and execution challenges—so the CEO can focus on vision, strategy, fundraising, and leadership. Unlike the Founders Office which addresses organizational-level problems, the Executive Partner specifically solves the CEO's personal ad-hoc problems wherever CEO involvement would otherwise be required. When a problem lands on this role, the Executive Partner either solves it independently or brings a structured recommendation—never an open-ended issue.

What This Role Does Day-to-DayCEO Proxy & Decision-Making

• Acts as an extension of the CEO's judgment—making decisions with the same intent and priorities the CEO would.
• Attends meetings on behalf of the CEO when appropriate and represents the CEO's position accurately.
• Steps into complex situations requiring senior ownership and drives them to resolution.
• Converts the CEO's ambiguity into clarity and ensures decisions translate into outcomes

Cross-Functional Problem Solving

• Works across Product, Engineering, Sales, Customer Success, and leadership teams to unblock issues.
• Owns CEO-level priorities and ensures they move forward without friction.
• Handles product roadmap conflicts and prioritization disputes requiring executive input.
• Identifies execution breakdowns across functions and drives accountability

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Handles high-stakes client escalations to reduce CEO involvement
• Manages sensitive conversations with enterprise clients on expectation mismatches
• Serves as CEO-level contact for strategic partner relationships when needed
• De-escalates situations before they require CEO attention

How the CEO Benefits

• Fewer interruptions for operational problem-solving—CEO stays focused on strategic priorities
• Fewer reactive meetings and escalations reaching the CEO's calendar
• Confidence that problems are being handled end-to-end with CEO-level judgment
• More time for strategic thinking, investor relations, and high-leverage decisions
• A trusted proxy who can represent the CEO accurately in any situation

Success Looks Like

• CEO is involved only in decisions that truly require them—all else is resolved independently
• Escalations reaching the CEO decrease by 60-80% within 6 months
• Faster resolution time on product and client issues (from weeks to days)
• Clear ownership and closure on all CEO-driven priorities
• Function leads trust the Executive Partner to represent CEO decisions accurately
• CEO gains 10+ hours/week back for strategic work

Ideal Candidate ProfileBackground & Education

• MBA from top-tier institution (IIMs, ISB, or equivalent international programs) OR equivalent demonstrated strategic capability
• 5-8 years of experience in high-performance environments: management consulting (MBB preferred), investment banking, strategy roles at fast-growing tech/SaaS companies
• Experience in enterprise SaaS or B2B technology environments strongly preferred
• Track record of operating at CEO/C-suite level in previous roles

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinking: Can see the big picture while managing details, thinks 3 steps ahead
• Judgment & decision-making: Makes high-quality decisions with incomplete information under pressure
• Cross-functional fluency: Comfortable and credible with Product, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Success
• Executive presence: Commands respect in senior meetings, can represent CEO externally with clients/partners
• Problem structuring: Breaks down complex problems into actionable components with clear recommendations
• Communication: Articulates complex ideas clearly to diverse audiences (board, clients, engineers)

Working Style

• High ownership—takes problems end-to-end without needing to be told what to do next
• Comfortable with ambiguity—thrives in undefined situations and creates structure
• Results-oriented—focused on outcomes, not activity or face-time
• Discreet and trustworthy—handles sensitive information with absolute confidentiality
• Ego-free—comfortable operating behind the scenes, gives credit to others
• Adaptable—can switch contexts rapidly from client calls to product discussions to board prep

Working Relationship with CEO

• Daily sync (15-30 min) to align on priorities and hand off problems
• Real-time access to CEO for critical escalations
• Full visibility into CEO's calendar, communications, and priorities
• Authority to act as CEO proxy in defined situations
• Weekly review of resolved issues and upcoming challenges

Skills Required
problem structuring , Strategic Thinking, Communication