Your private chef is responsible for all aspects of meal preparation, from shopping for top-quality ingredients to preparing, serving and cleaning up, and must be attuned to the specific dietary preferences and necessities of your household.

The ideal candidate should be well-versed in the culinary arts, with a degree and/or formal training, outstanding organizational skills, dedication to cleanliness and kitchen safety, and a background that includes either private service or a history working for high-end restaurants, caterers or personal chefs.

Responsibilities

• Grocery shopping
• Meal planning and preparation
• Kitchen inventory
• Clean up and kitchen maintenance
• Budgeting and cost control
• Special events planning
• Table setting and table service

Your laundress is responsible for cleaning and caring for all of your laundry, garments and household fabrics. The ideal candidate is discreet, professional and has a background either in private service or in working for a hotel laundry, high-end dry cleaner or like.

Responsibilities

• Wash, fold and put away all garments
• Manage and inventory all dry cleaning
• Wash and press linens
• Care of fine garments
• Spot clean household fabrics
• Prep, clean and store seasonal garments
• Organize and maintain the orderliness of all closets and dressers
• Light tailoring
• Manage vendors including tailors, dry cleaner, and other garment/textile-related service providers
• Back up for housekeeper (i.e. light cleaning on housekeeper’s day off)

Your houseman handles any heavy cleaning in your home and is also responsible for the upkeep of vehicles and light maintenance. The ideal candidate has either a background in private service or experience working for a hotel or top-notch cleaning or maintenance service.

Responsibilities

• Housekeeping
• Deep floor care (steam cleaning, power washing, etc.)
• Light repairs and maintenance
• Upkeep of vehicles
• Running errands
• Overseeing vendors

Your housekeeper is responsible for keeping your property thoroughly clean and well maintained. The ideal candidate should have strong cleaning and organizational skills, particularly when it comes to handling delicate items like antiques, and a background in private service or experience working for a hotel or a high-end cleaning service.

Responsibilities

• Meticulous cleaning and disinfecting of entire house
• Polish and dust wood surfaces
• Vacuum and wax floors
• Properly clean and maintain rugs and carpets
• Gently yet thoroughly clean delicate valuables including antiques, artwork, china, crystal, etc.
• Schedule linen changes; make beds and tidy bedrooms in the morning; turn down bedding at night
• Inventory and care for linens and towels
• Do laundry, ironing and/or basic tailoring (if no laundress)
• Manage cleaning products inventory
• Track and report maintenance issues
• Care for upholstery and drapes
• Keep outdoor social areas tidy
• Help with meal service and social event prep and service as needed

Your Family Assistant is the go-to support person for family and household tasks, including shopping, running errands, scheduling, handling vendors, light household tasks and chores, childcare, light cooking and driving family members. She or he also may serve as back-up when various staff are on vacation, out sick and/or during transitional phases.
The ideal candidate should be organized, responsible, have a positive “can do” attitude, and a willingness to be flexible. This could be anyone from a homemaker reentering the workforce, a recent grad or college student, a former teacher or nanny, or anyone who enjoys working in a family context.

Responsibilities

• Running errands and shopping
• Managing vendors
• Light household tasks (i.e. housekeeping, cooking, etc.)
• Childcare and family driving, as needed
• Back-up for a variety of staff positions

Your executive housekeeper is responsible for maintaining a pristine, spotless interior of your property. He or she should also have expertise taking care of fine and valuable furnishings, antiques, crystal, china, silver, linens and artwork. Your executive housekeeper also is responsible for training and managing other household cleaning staff and vendors.
Because this is both a people- and facilities-focused position, the ideal candidate should have experience in private service or have worked for a fine hotel or premium cleaning service and be a detail-oriented, methodical, organized individual.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the training of staff
• Manage the housekeeping and laundry staff
• Manage any outside vendors
• Coordinate all behind-the-scenes staff/vendors for events
• Manage maintenance
• Maintain fine furnishing, silver, crystal, china and linens
• Ensure fine/delicate fabrics are properly laundered and pressed
• Answer phones
• Manage calendars
• Prepare light meals
• Run errands
• Oversee childcare duties
• Provide pet care

Bringing in a domestic couple can help simplify your household service needs, as they work together to oversee the smooth running of your home. Traditionally it’s a married couple that offers a full spectrum of services to ensure that all of your interior and exterior service needs are met.
The ideal candidates work in tandem — for example, one may cover all the cleaning, cooking, vendor management and laundry, while the other handles light repairs, maintenance, groundskeeping, driving and serving. Both should have a background in private service or related work, with solid work ethics, friendly dispositions and flexible schedules that support your busy life.

Responsibilities

• Cleaning and housekeeping
• Groundskeeping and gardening
• Meal prep and service
• Maintaining vehicles
• Chauffeuring
• Laundry, including ironing and light tailoring
• Manage vendors
• Child care
• Pet care

Your cook prepares for you and your family simple meals that are nutritious and cater to you and your family members’ dietary preferences and needs. The ideal candidate is well-versed in the culinary arts with extensive experience cooking and/or baking, but doesn’t necessarily have a formal degree — a background in meal planning, prep and kitchen cleanup (i.e. in private service, or as an employee of a restaurant) should suffice.

Responsibilities

• Work with Executive Chef or nannies to plan, prep and cook meals
• Grocery shopping
• Kitchen inventory
• Clean up and kitchen maintenance
• Table setting and table service

Your Household Manager is the key point person who supervises and manages a single private residence and its staff and vendors. She or he is there to facilitate your household running like clockwork, with all staff appropriately trained, all schedules set and maintained, and all household needs met in the most efficient manner possible.
Because this position entails a solid background in and understanding of effective household management, the ideal candidate should have a background in housekeeping, household maintenance and/or event planning. It’s also quite likely this person has actually worked in the very domestic staffing positions she or he manages (i.e. houseman/housekeeper, personal assistant, etc.) or has high-level or managerial experience in the hospitality industry.

Responsibilities

• Train and manage all your residence’s household staff, both interior and exterior (facilities and grounds, etc.)
• Oversee relationships with outside vendors
• Develop and enforce schedules
• Set and safeguard household standards

Your Family Office is usually headed by a Director who spearheads all financial issues for your family, up to and including budgets, substantial financial transactions, wealth management oversight, tax planning, estate planning and all insurance matters for all of your properties. This entails working hands-on with outside professionals, including wealth and financial advisors, accountants, bookkeepers, lawyers, and so on.

Additionally, the Director serves a managerial role, handing Human Resources issues for your domestic staff and personnel and, if applicable, for your family foundation. The ideal candidate should be trustworthy and discreet and must have at least a bachelor’s degree in business administration, or preferably, an MBA. He or she should also have a background in financial management, such as investment or private banking, wealth management, accounting, private equity or previous experience working as a family office professional. If you do have a family foundation, experience working in the non profit arena, including event planning, is also recommended.

If you have a family foundation, in addition to the Director you may also have a coordinator or assistant. This position would do all that is necessary to support the Director in planning and executing tasks, initiatives and, if appropriate, events. The ideal candidate should share the same attributes as the Director — trustworthy, discreet, professional — and have education and/or experience related to finances (i.e. bookkeeping, accounting), human resources, non profit and general business administration.

Responsibilities

• Manage and facilitate budgets
• Oversee professional and fiscal vendors (i.e. advisors, accountants, bookkeepers, wealth managers, lawyers, etc.)
• Tax & estate planning
• Oversight of all insurance policies (i.e. property, auto, liability, umbrella, etc.)
• Human resources for domestic staff/personnel
• Manage all aspects of family foundation (if applicable)