Job Description
Location:
Setauket, NY Schedule:
Part-time; approximately 27 hours per week. Sunday 6-9pm to prepare for the coming week, especially lunches Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 12-8pm. We are open to adjusting the schedule for the right fit and to increasing hours over time if mutually desired as you become more independent and take on more household work. Additional hours may be requested to support entertaining and hosting, subject to availability. Flexibility to support regular date nights and occasional days or overnights with the children while parents travel would be helpful, but is not required. Compensation:
$35-45 per hour, based on experience. Mileage reimbursed at the annually published federal rate. Paid on the books. Benefits:
3 weeks paid vacation plus 1 week PTO for sick days, doctor appointments, etc. Vacation details:
1 week around Christmas, 1 week coinciding with family travel, and 1 other week as requested by you and mutually agreed upon with the family. Start date:
Flexible. Can be immediate for the right person. Reports to:
Parents / homeowners Requirements Smoke-free and vape-free. Minimum 5 years of experience as a house manager or family assistant. Solid home-cooking ability and willingness to learn our family's mostly plant-based cooking style; professional chef experience is not necessary. Valid driver's license, clean driving record, and reliable transportation. Ability to lift, carry, organize, and move ordinary household items. Willingness to sign an NDA and maintain strict confidentiality. Familiarity with, or eagerness to learn, Gmail, Google Calendar, Trello, ReciMe, Slack, and shared household lists and documentation. About Our Household and the Role We are an energetic, busy family of five with three children ages 6, 4, and 1. One parent works, and the other is currently at home focused on raising the children. We are looking for a highly capable House Manager / Family Assistant to help our home run with calm, order, and ease so we can spend more time being present with each other as a family. As parents, we want our children to grow up capable and independent. While this is not primarily a nanny role, you should enjoy engaging with children in a kind, supportive way that encourages independence and helps them take ownership of age-appropriate tasks. We are looking for someone who is organized, proactive, practical, and comfortable working largely in the background. You take pride in noticing what needs to be done, creating simple systems that work, and helping the household function smoothly without making the home feel overly managed, formal, or watched. Our household is loving and high-functioning, but like many families with young children, the complexity and recurring tasks have grown over time. We are clean and organized people, and we want help running the house at the high level of practical organization that makes us feel comfortable and clear-headed. Working Style and What Success Looks Like In the beginning, we will work together to co-create the schedule, communication norms, organizational approaches, and standard operating procedures. Over time, you will take increasing ownership as you learn our preferences, rhythms, and standards. You have excellent executive function. You can prioritize, sequence tasks, drive to completion, track recurring needs, communicate clearly, and improve processes without creating unnecessary complexity. You thrive with structure, but you are flexible enough to adapt as family needs evolve. You notice the "to do" list in each room and you maintain a list of organizational or other household improvement projects you want to tackle when time allows. Success means the household feels easier to live in, not more formal. Spaces are reset and usable. Food planning is thoughtful and flexible. Laundry and wardrobes are handled with care. Recurring maintenance tasks do not fall through the cracks. The children still participate in age-appropriate independence. Communication is clear and low-friction. Our household and working relationship improve over time as we grow together. The best fit will understand the balance between structure and sensitivity. Some tasks are scheduled and checklist-driven. Others require judgment:
noticing when a room needs to be reset, when the family needs a quick dinner rather than an elaborate one, when to step in, and when to create space for private family time. Key Responsibilities 1. Meal Planning, Meal Prep, and Household Supplies Meet or coordinate by text weekly to plan meals and divide cooking responsibilities. Notice, track, and restock pantry and household supply needs, such as paper towels, laundry detergent, diapers. Translate the weekly plan and household supply needs into shopping lists for delivery and in-person shopping, as needed. Regularly remove leftovers from the fridge and discard expired items. Meal preparation could include:
Prepare or support 3-5 family dinners per week, breakfasts, weekday lunches. Batch prep, especially for breakfasts and snacks. Prepare a full meal independently, or chop, wash, marinate, and prep ingredients so the family can cook later. Heat a meal box, coordinate food delivery, or make a simple quick dinner, such as pizza or frozen veggie burgers, so food is ready after a busy activity night. Prepare children's lunches and batch-prep hearty lunch salads for the parents twice per week, or as needed. Keep the kitchen usable and orderly during meal prep so the children can still put away lunchboxes, make snacks, set the table for dinner, and practice age-appropriate independence. Ensure meals are healthy, vegetable-forward, and generally aligned with Whole Food Plant-Based principles, with normal family-life flexibility such as pizza nights or grilling burgers. Help source new recipes from time to time. Current recipe sources include Forks Over Knives magazines, the Deliciously Ella app, PlantYou cookbooks and emails, and selected trusted Instagram favorites. 2. Laundry and Wardrobe Management Manage all household laundry from start to finish. Handle delicates care, stain awareness, occasional ironing or steaming, folding, hanging, and putting away. Keep closets, drawers, and wardrobes organized. Routinely change and wash towels and wash bathroom and kitchen rugs. Manage children's clothing size transitions, including moving outgrown sizes into organized storage. Support seasonal wardrobe change-outs. 3. Tidying, Resets, and Coordination with the Weekly Cleaner We have a weekly cleaner, so this is not a deep-cleaning position. Our cleaner washes and changes bed linens. Your cleaning responsibilities are focused on resetting indoor and outdoor spaces, maintaining tidiness, and cleaning up household messes as they arise. Reset the kitchen, bathrooms, mudroom, play areas, garage, patio, and other high-use spaces. Keep spaces usable for the children and parents throughout the day. Tidy messes that naturally arise between weekly cleanings, including dishes, surfaces, occasional sweeping or vacuuming. Prepare the home for the weekly cleaner and develop a positive, respectful working relationship with her. 4. Driving and Occasional Backup Childcare This is not primarily a childcare role. However, you should be comfortable providing support with driving/pick-ups and occasional backup childcare or child-adjacent support. Handle a weekly pickup from an after-school activity while a parent prepares dinner with the other children at home. These schedules will change seasonally and will be mutually designed and coordinated. Step outside to watch the children at the pool while a parent helps one child in the bathroom or takes a call. Be the responsible adult in the room for short periods when family logistics require it. Understand and support our nearly screen-free approach to child-rearing. When you are the adult in charge, guide behavior firmly and kindly, with the expectation that the children will listen and respond with respect and kindness. 5. Household Organization, Processes, and Recurring Upkeep You will help create simple, effective systems that keep the home organized and easy to maintain. This includes both practical organization projects and the recurring household tasks that keep things running smoothly. Co-create standard ways of working, checklists, recurring task lists, and simple household workflows. Improve organization throughout the home and garage. Develop practical, maintainable storage, labeling, and rotation systems that work for a real family with full lives. Take increasing ownership of maintaining and adapting household systems over time. Manage trash, recycling, box breakdowns, and returns. Sweep and reset the garage, including toys and pool items. Blow off the patio with the air blower, keep blower batteries charged, wipe patio furniture, and cover or uncover patio furniture for use. Care for indoor plants, as needed. Handle seasonal and periodic upkeep such as replacing air filters, changing smoke detector batteries, changing light bulbs, cleaning and refilling bedroom humidifiers, emptying basement dehumidifiers, and preparing outdoor areas before or after storms. Occasionally house-sit while the family is away, including checking on the home and taking practical precautions such as securing patio furniture or bringing cushions inside before a major storm. 6. Travel, Hosting, and Entertaining Support Help pack and unpack for family trips. Develop and maintain packing lists and travel checklists. Reset household and laundry after travel. Notice and replenish items that should stay in travel bags, diaper bags, activity bags, or other recurring-use systems. Support preparation for guests, holidays, casual gatherings, and entertaining. Help with pre-event household resets, grocery and supply lists, food prep, serving setup, dish and kitchen flow, guest room or bathroom readiness, and post-event cleanup/reset. Provide extra hours for hosting or entertaining, as needed. 7. Deliveries, Vendors, Administrative, and Household Coordination Help receive, unpack, and put away deliveries. Maintain practical awareness of upcoming household logistics through shared tools and calendars. Track receipts and expenses for House Manager purchases. Occasionally coordinate or oversee contractors and vendors calmly and professionally. Communicate clearly with contractors or vendors while escalating questions to the homeowners as needed. Qualities We Are Looking For Exceptional discretion and sound judgment. High standards for organization, cleanliness, and follow-through. Excellent executive function and ability to manage multiple tasks with ease. A calm, grounded presence and positive energy. Ability to work in the background without hovering. Strong communication skills and good judgment about when to ask, when to update, and when to simply handle something. Flexibility and sensitivity to the evolving needs of a busy household. Practical problem-solving skills and strong attention to detail. Ability to notice what needs to be done without constantly needing direction. Willingness to co-create processes and organizational schemes and then maintain them consistently. Comfort with healthy cooking, meal planning, and meal prep. Comfort with children while understanding this is not primarily a nanny role. Comfort using household technology and shared digital tools. Respect for privacy, family dynamics, and confidential information. To Apply Please send:
A brief note about your relevant experience. Your resume or work history. A few sentences about how you approach household management and working in a private home. Application Process At least one phone or Zoom interview. References from prior households or similar roles. Background check. Trial period. Pay:
$35.00 - $45.00 per hour Benefits:
Paid time off Experience:
House manager / family assistant: 5 years (Required) Ability to Commute:
Setauket, NY 11733 (Required) Work Location:
In person
