Barista in Whitstable

PA To Senior Team - Whitstable (Full Time)

Job Description

This is a role for someone who likes being close to how decisions are made and helping a fast-moving leadership team stay aligned.

You’ll support the senior leadership team day to day and report directly to the CEO from the outset.

Right now, a lot of knowledge, context and judgement sits in the heads of a small number of people.

One of the core purposes of this role is to help capture that thinking, communicate it clearly, and make sure it turns into action across the wider team.

That means listening carefully, joining dots, following things through, and not letting important details drift.

This isn’t a traditional PA role built around perfectly managed diaries and neat schedules.

The pace is quick, plans change, meetings run over, and ideas move fast.

You’ll need to stay calm, adapt in real time, and help absorb the impact of that pace so others can keep moving.

What the role looks like day to day

Some days you’ll be managing meetings, actions and follow-ups.

Other days you’ll be pulling together documents, chasing responses that haven’t landed, supporting new site openings, or helping senior leaders organise their thinking so it can be shared clearly with others.

Several members of the senior leadership team work part time.

A key part of this role is acting as a point of continuity making sure decisions, context and actions are clearly captured, shared and followed up so momentum isn’t lost when people aren’t in the business.

You’ll be trusted with sensitive information most days and, over time, will grow into a gatekeeper role for the CEO.

That trust is earned through discretion, consistency and sound judgement.

This role suits someone who takes initiative without trying to take over.

You’ll be expected to learn how the business works, how people think, and how decisions really get made before pushing too hard.

At the same time, this is not a role for someone who waits to be asked, leaves emails unanswered, or hesitates to act.

Who you’ll be working for

Hat Hats Coffee was founded in 2015 by Louis Hurst and his wife Lisa. Louis has built and grown multiple businesses through The Amelix Group over the last decade.

Alongside Hat Hats Coffee, Louis also owns and runs Amelix Education, which operates an entrepreneurial skills academy, an e-sports academy and is expanding into science provision.

Barista 999 whicha specialist coffee equipment and servicing business.

These businesses share senior leadership, projects and systems, and you’ll support work across all three.

Hat Hats has grown from its early days operating from a vintage Citroën van to running multiple sites across Kent and has the recent introduction of Hat Hats To Go, a new automated business..

The business continues to change and evolve, with 2026 all being about digital engagement and growth as well as expanding the core offer with a recently acquired Ovenstone Pizza brand , as this role sits close to the leadership team shaping what comes next will be par for the course.

• What you’ll be responsible for
• Providing PA and administrative support to the senior leadership team
• Working closely with the CEO to manage priorities, follow-up and flow of information
• Taking clear, accurate minutes for fortnightly leadership meetings and tracking actions
• Making sure decisions, context and next steps don’t stay trapped in meetings
• Supporting part-time senior leaders by capturing context, clarifying actions and helping them re-enter workstreams quickly
• Acting as a point of continuity across leadership working patterns, using judgement to flag what needs attention
• Supporting the opening of new Hat Hats outlets with structured admin support
• Supporting the Group Commercial Director with the rollout of a new technology stack, including basic data entry, setup support and organisation (no technical ownership required)
• Preparing documents, proposals and presentations
• Supporting projects across Hat Hats Coffee, Amelix Education and Barista 999 and other brands the founder is involved with
• Acting as a central point of coordination as new initiatives are introduced
• Helping the head office run smoothly and stepping in where support is needed

Over time, as trust and understanding build, this role is expected to take on increased responsibility in directly supporting the CEO.

• What we’re looking for
• Experience in a PA, EA or senior administrative role
• Strong, adaptable IT skills and confidence learning new systems
• Comfortable working closely with senior leaders
• Organised, practical and clear-thinking
• Able to make everyday decisions and know when to escape
• Discreet and professional with confidential information
• Willing to learn how the business and people work before pushing change
• Proactive enough to try things, not wait to be asked
• Comfortable with pace, change and unfinished edges
• Experience in hospitality, retail or multi-site businesses is helpful but not required.
• What good looks like
• After 3 months
• You’ve built a strong working rhythm with the CEO and senior team.
• You’re starting to understand how Louis works and how priorities tend to form, he openly talks about his ADHD causing him to sometimes hyper fixate on tasks.
• People trust you and feel comfortable coming to you with questions.
• You’re listening carefully, learning how the business and people operate, and joining the dots.
• You work professionally and collaboratively with others across the business.
• You handle sensitive information with care and good judgement.
• After 12 months
• You’re fully embedded in the business and seen as a safe pair of hands.
• Far fewer things get dropped or need chasing twice.
• The CEO needs fewer follow-ups and carries less mental load day to day.
• You act as a first point of contact for others, either giving the answer Louis would give or clearly escalating when his input is needed.
• Leadership meetings consistently turn into clear actions, owners and follow-through.
• Decisions and context don’t stay trapped in conversations or people’s heads.
• You confidently chase, nudge and clarify, and speak on the CEO’s behalf in limited, appropriate situations.
• Part-time senior leaders stay informed and effective without needing to chase or rework decisions.
• You protect trust through discretion, sound judgement and consistency.
• Recruitment timeline

We’re not in a rush to fill this role.

We’re looking for the right person and will take time to find the right person and motor importantly fit.

You may see this role advertised again while we keep looking.

Hat Hats Coffee Company Limited is an equal opportunities employer.
Applications are assessed based on skills and experience relevant to the role.

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