Who we are

HatHats is a specialty coffee company with ten sites across Kent, an events trailer, a coffee van, a growing e-commerce business, and a fleet of HatHats To Go vending machines. Our sites run from Reculver and Faversham to Folkestone, Herne Bay, Canterbury and Discovery Park, with a presence at Hangloose Bluewater too. We are a small team doing work that a much larger business would need twice the headcount to deliver, and we are proud of that. Our people are curious, commercially minded, and genuinely invested in what we are building.

We have recently completed a significant piece of internal work called Project Mirror, a full review of how we are structured, who owns what, and where we are headed. One of the clearest things to come out of that work was a new role: the person who will sit at the heart of how this business runs day to day. That is the role we are now hiring for.

The role

This is a PA role at the start. Within 12 to 18 months, it is designed to become a Chief of Staff function. Whether that happens depends on the person, and we will be honest with you about that from day one.

Day to day, you will be the person who makes sure nothing falls through the gaps. You will manage the founder's diary and protect his time for the things that actually need him. You will make sure every instruction that leaves the leadership team has a named owner, a deadline, and a follow-up. You will chase actions, coordinate across departments, and be the calm person at the centre of a fast-moving business.

You will also own some things outright from day one: all business insurance across every HatHats entity, booking and administration for our Events Division and Barista 999, oversight of our HatHats Hub support tickets, and day-to-day coordination of our IT and maintenance teams. You will support the build and tracking of our health and safety framework, help with new site projects, and very occasionally be available at weekends when the business needs you.

There is variety, genuine responsibility, and real room to grow. There is also a lot to get your head around, and we would rather be upfront about that than undersell it.

What you will own

• Managing the founder's diary and ensuring his time is protected for strategic priorities
• Making sure every instruction from the leadership team has a named owner, a deadline, and a route for follow-up
• Chasing and logging actions from leadership meetings and briefings
• All business insurance across HatHats entities: named owner, renewal schedule, coverage tracking
• Booking and administration for our Events Division and Barista 999
• HatHats Hub ticket oversight and chasing
• Day-to-day coordination of our IT and maintenance teams
• Research and build of a head office health and safety framework within your first 90 days
• Supporting Project Mirror implementation: tracking progress, chasing outstanding actions
• Supporting new site projects and key hires as directed
• Head office compliance certificate filing and renewal scheduling
• HatHats To Go route administration and logistics coordination with Central Operations
• Maintaining the leadership action log after every meeting and briefing, tracking what is outstanding, and chasing named owners across the business before the next meeting so actions are completed not just recorded
• Booking and scheduling head office fire alarm and security checks, and forwarding related invoices to Finance
• Very occasionally being available at weekends for out-of-hours on-call cover when the business needs it

What we are looking for

You do not need a background in coffee or hospitality. You need to be organised in a way that other people notice. You need to be the kind of person who sees something falling through a gap and closes it before being asked. You need to be comfortable talking to a founder one minute and coordinating a maintenance engineer the next.

• Experience in a PA, EA, or office coordination role
• Strong written communication and a clear, direct style
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, multi-site business where priorities shift
• Confident managing up: the kind of person who will nudge a founder when something needs chasing
• Genuinely motivated by building something, not just maintaining it
• Comfortable with very occasionally being available at weekends for out-of-hours on-call cover

What we offer

• Salary of £28,000 to £33,000, dependent on experience
• A structured review at 12 months tied to role development toward Chief of Staff
• A real seat at the table: you will know what is happening in this business because you will be the person making it happen
• Staff discount across all HatHats sites and products
• A team that is genuinely invested in getting things right
• Based at our head office in Whitstable, Kent

How to apply

Apply through our listing on Reed. Please include a short covering note with your application telling us why this role is the right next step for you. We do not want a template. We want to hear from you.