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30 industry career guides
Choose the market, not only the title.
An EA role changes with the executive, operating model and sector. Compare pace, stakeholders, systems, pressure points and reward before deciding where your evidence travels best.
Every guide includes
Operating rhythm, executives supported, salary context, proof points, pressure tests, systems and alternative job titles.
01
Public, care & institutional
Formal governance, community accountability and complex stakeholder systems.
Government
Structured classifications, complex stakeholders and vacancy-specific written applications.
- Briefing quality
- Statutory context
- Merit applications
Health & hospitals
High-trust offices where patient, workforce and executive priorities intersect.
- Clinical governance
- Confidentiality
- Committee coordination
Universities & research
Strong superannuation and exposure to institutional governance and research leadership.
- Academic governance
- Council cycles
- Complex calendars
Schools, TAFE & education
Scope ranges from school administration to senior institutional executive support and must be filtered carefully.
- Community stakeholders
- Term cycles
- Student safeguards
Not-for-profit & associations
Purpose-led work where governance and stakeholder depth can offset lower headline salaries.
- Board support
- Purpose alignment
- Stakeholder breadth
Aged care
Regulated, mission-led executive support spanning quality, workforce, families and service operations.
- Care governance
- Board support
- Sensitive stakeholders
Disability services
Purpose-led support requiring respectful communication, regulatory awareness and operational follow-through.
- NDIS context
- Accessible communication
- Governance
Indigenous organisations
Executive support grounded in cultural safety, community relationships and often complex regional delivery.
- Cultural safety
- Community accountability
- Regional coordination
02
Corporate & professional
Commercial pace, client service, boards, transactions and leadership-team leverage.
Financial services
Often premium-paying, with faster rhythms, bonus structures and senior stakeholder intensity.
- Commercial judgement
- Board exposure
- High discretion
Insurance & superannuation
Regulated financial institutions combining executive, board, risk and transformation priorities.
- Regulatory judgement
- Board cycles
- Member or customer context
Accounting & audit
Partner and leadership support shaped by client work, reporting seasons and business development.
- Partner leverage
- Client confidentiality
- Deadline control
Legal services
Client-sensitive, deadline-heavy work supporting partners, managing partners and legal leadership.
- Matter confidentiality
- Partner support
- Document precision
Consulting & advisory
High-pace partner support spanning client delivery, business development and leadership operations.
- Client service
- Partner leverage
- Proposal cycles
Technology & growth
Broader EA and operations scope, often with projects, events and leadership-team coordination.
- Operating cadence
- Change tolerance
- Cross-functional work
Telecommunications
National networks, customer operations and major transformation programs create complex executive offices.
- Regulatory awareness
- Incident cadence
- Transformation support
Family offices & private wealth
Highly confidential roles that can blend business, investments, philanthropy and personal affairs.
- Absolute discretion
- Lifestyle logistics
- Principal support
03
Assets, projects & operations
Distributed sites, safety, regulation, major projects and operational continuity.
Mining & resources
Executive support with operational context, travel and listed-company governance exposure.
- Safety culture
- Travel logistics
- ASX governance
Construction & infrastructure
Executive support close to major projects, delivery milestones, bids and operational reporting.
- Project governance
- Tender deadlines
- Site coordination
Engineering & professional projects
Complex project environments where disciplined reporting and client coordination matter.
- Technical stakeholders
- Project controls
- Document systems
Energy & utilities
Regulated and asset-intensive organisations with transformation, safety and infrastructure priorities.
- Regulatory awareness
- Capital programs
- Board reporting
Manufacturing & industrial
Support that connects corporate leadership with plants, logistics, safety and commercial teams.
- Operations rhythm
- Supply chain awareness
- Site leadership
Transport, aviation & logistics
Time-critical operating environments with distributed workforces and infrastructure dependencies.
- Operational resilience
- Travel coordination
- Safety governance
Property & real estate
Commercial calendars, transactions, development milestones and investor or tenant stakeholders.
- Deal coordination
- Investor materials
- Portfolio awareness
Defence & aerospace
Secure, program-led environments spanning government, primes, suppliers and advanced technology.
- Security awareness
- Program governance
- Stakeholder discipline
Agriculture & agribusiness
Regional operations, supply chains, commodities and family or listed-company governance intersect.
- Regional logistics
- Seasonal planning
- Owner and board support
04
Consumer, brand & experience
Fast calendars shaped by customers, launches, events, talent and external visibility.
Retail, FMCG & consumer
Fast seasonal cycles, commercial reviews and high internal stakeholder volume.
- Trading cadence
- Brand sensitivity
- Leadership events
Pharmaceuticals & biotechnology
Regulated, often regional roles requiring precision across medical, commercial and compliance teams.
- Compliance
- Medical stakeholders
- Regional coordination
Media, entertainment & communications
Fluid calendars, public-facing stakeholders and rapid changes around campaigns and productions.
- Talent discretion
- Production timelines
- External relationships
Sport, events & hospitality
Visible, event-led environments with non-standard hours and complex external relationships.
- Event delivery
- Irregular calendars
- VIP stakeholders
Tourism & aviation services
Customer-facing, event-led and operationally sensitive work with frequent schedule changes.
- Disruption response
- VIP coordination
- Seasonal operations
Reading salary context
Industry ranges are comparison aids—not promises, awards or universal medians.