Personal Assistant to Founder and CEO at Respiris in Pasadena, CA

About the Role

I’m a founder building a company while undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, and I recently relocated to La Cañada Flintridge. While I’ve made progress getting settled, my home and work systems are still being organized, and my energy is more limited than it used to be.

Cancer is gnarly. There’s no pretending otherwise.

But if there is a will, there is a way and I fully believe I will beat cancer.

This role exists to help create stability and momentum: organization, follow-through, and calm. I move slower right now, but the work still needs to move forward. I’m looking for someone who can show up consistently, take direction, and help keep things running - - both at home and across my work as a founder.

This is not a task-by-task gig. I could hire help ad hoc, but I’m intentionally looking for someone who wants a steady, ongoing hourly role, is willing to roll up their sleeves, and understands that real support includes both visible and unglamorous work.

You will receive daily direction and priorities when you arrive. This role works best for someone who wants to grow personally and professionally, is comfortable being guided, and sees responsibility as a privilege—not a chore.

About Respiris

Respiris is a professional services company focused on supporting people and organizations through transitions, especially moments involving job loss, career change, and organizational disruption.

The company sits at the intersection of:

• Human Resources and People Operations
• Psychology, behavior, and identity
• Employment risk, dignity, and care systems
• Structure, accountability, and execution

Respiris works with companies to support employees with empathy and rigor, and with individuals navigating uncertainty about what comes next. The core belief is simple: how people are treated during transitions matters.

You will not be doing client-facing work in this role, but you will see—up close—how a mission-driven company is built, how priorities are set, and how values translate into daily decisions.

About Angel Cruzado

Angel Cruzado is the Founder and CEO of Respiris and has spent his career in Human Resources, recruiting, and organizational leadership across startups, private-equity-backed companies, and large enterprises.

Angel is also a single parent and is currently undergoing active cancer treatment. He is transparent about this—not for sympathy, but because honesty matters and life doesn’t pause for work.

Working directly with Angel means exposure to:

• Real leadership under constraint
• Decision-making when time and energy are finite
• How health, family, and responsibility intersect
• What it actually looks like to keep building when conditions aren’t ideal

This is a paid hourly job, not an internship.

Core Responsibilities (What You’ll Actually Do)

Household & Daily Support

• Continue organizing a recently relocated home
• Laundry, light cleaning, tidying, and resetting spaces
• Taking out trash and recycling
• Running local errands
• Receiving packages and handling simple returns
• Helping maintain a calm, functional environment

Administrative & Organizational Support

• Shredding, scanning, labeling, and filing documents
• Organizing medical, legal, and personal paperwork (physical + digital)
• Creating simple, repeatable systems for organization
• Printing, assembling, and mailing documents

Scheduling & Coordination

• Assisting with appointment scheduling and reminders
• Helping plan days and weeks to reduce reactivity
• Tracking open items and follow-ups

Founder & Work-From-Home Support

• Organizing digital folders (Google Drive, PDFs, scanned files)
• Light document formatting or data entry
• Preparing materials for meetings or calls
• Acting as a second set of eyes to keep things moving

Creative, Home Setup & Book Support

• Organizing notes, drafts, and materials for a book in progress
• Sorting handwritten notes, scanned pages, and digital files
• Creating folder structures for chapters and themes
• Assisting with light transcription or formatting
• Helping with small painting projects, hanging pictures, and light interior setup

Health-Aware Support

• Working at a pace that respects treatment and low-energy days
• Handling physical or repetitive tasks to reduce strain
• Maintaining a calm, flexible, respectful presence

Reporting & Coordination

• Coordinate cross-functionally and provide updates to my Operations Manager
• Share progress, flag blockers, and align on daily and weekly priorities
• Over-communicate when unsure—nothing important should live only in your head

How to Apply

Please send:

1. A brief introduction
2. Your current year in school
3. Your availability
4. Why this role feels like a fit

This need is immediate. Reliability, effort, and mindset matter more than a polished résumé.

Learn More

• Angel Cruzado - Professional: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelcruzado
• Angel Cruzado: - Personal: https://www.instagram.com/angel.cruzado
• Respiris: https://www.respiris.com

This role is for someone who believes that showing up, doing the work, and caring deeply still matters, even when things are hard.

If there’s a will, there’s a way.