Virtual Assistant for Contact Research, Outreach Tracking, and Contact Follow-up

Virtual Assistant — Business Development & Outreach Coordination Part-time | 10–15 hours/week | $1,000/month flat rate About the Role I'm a leadership development practitioner building a practice focused on developing emerging talent (ages 25–40) inside growing companies. I work with CEOs and business owners who want to retain and develop their best people before they leave. I'm looking for a highly organized, self-directed virtual assistant to help me manage outreach, research, and coordination across three active channels: a list of 500+ target businesses, 100+ speaking opportunities with business organizations in the greater Philadelphia area, and podcast guest outreach targeting 100+ shows. This is not a sales role. My philosophy is relationship-first. The goal of every touch is a conversation, not a conversion. You'll need to understand and protect that approach in everything you do. What You Bring Research & organization — you build systems, not just lists; nothing falls through the cracks Written communication — you can draft outreach that sounds exactly like my voice, not templated and not AI generated Self-direction — you figure things out, flag problems early, and don't need hand-holding Attention to detail — you catch the things I'd catch if I were doing it myself Relationship awareness — you understand that the goal of every touch is a conversation, not a conversion What You'll Own 1) Outreach Research & List Management Filter and prioritize a 500-company target list (Washington DC–Baltimore–Philadelphia–NYC corridor) by company size, industry, and talent-related signals. Identify the right contact at each company and verify via LinkedIn Flag companies with recent job postings in HR, talent, or people operations. These are warm signals. Conduct research on each contact to find ways for me to connect with them: common contacts, common interests, relevant news about their company, etc. Track all outreach activity in a shared Google Sheet 2) Speaking Opportunity Coordination Research and prioritize 100 chambers of commerce and business organizations in greater Philadelphia Identify upcoming events and the booking contact for each Draft templated outreach for my review before sending Track submission status and follow-up dates 3) Podcast Guest Outreach Research and identify 100+ podcasts aligned to business owners, HR leaders, general leadership, and talent development Pull guest submission requirements and contact info Draft a templated pitch for my review Track submission status, responses, and scheduled appearances 4) Follow-Up & Calendar Support Flag contacts that haven't received a follow-up within 7 days Help manage scheduling for discovery calls Keep the pipeline clean — nothing falls through the cracks How We Work Communication: Async by default. I don't need daily check-ins; I need weekly updates that tell me what got done, what's next, and what you need from me. Check-ins: One short weekly touchpoint (written or video message) covering the week's output and any blockers. Approvals: Nothing goes out under my name without my review first. Drafts come to me; I approve before anything is sent. Expectations: You manage your own schedule. What matters is hitting weekly targets, keeping the tracker current, and flagging anything that's off. Growth: This starts as a defined scope. If the work is good, the role grows with the practice. Tools Google Sheets · LinkedIn · Email · Google Calendar No complex software. If you're organized and can work a spreadsheet well, you have what you need. Compensation $1,000/month flat rate 10–15 hours/week Flexible schedule — results matter more than when you work Part-time contractor to start, with potential to grow How to Apply Answer two questions (not a template — I'll know): 1) Describe a time you managed a research or outreach tracking project. What did the system look like and what did you learn? 2) What does "relationship-first outreach" mean to you, and how would it change the way you approach this work? Applications without both answers will not be considered.