Executive Assistant, Pump Street Chocolate

Pump Street Chocolate values a diverse workforce, women, people of colour, people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community are strongly encouraged to apply.

If there is anything we can do to accommodate you to participate fully in the recruitment or interview process please let us know by email to [email protected].

Job Brief:
As our new Executive Assistant you will provide a high level of administrative assistance and project management support to the Executive Director on a one-to-one basis, and to the management team as a whole. You will act as the first point of contact with the Executive Director and you will liaise extensively with internal and external stakeholders to further the goals of the company.

Location: London office based at least two days per week with regular Suffolk work and the possibility of remote working on some days.

About Us:
Pump Street Limited is a company of Chocolate Makers and Bakers based on the beautiful heritage coast of Suffolk, England. Born out of a love of sourdough and viennoiserie, we still pride ourselves on our selection baked fresh every morning. Since our opening in 2010 we have expanded into craft chocolate, sourcing beans directly from single farms and cooperatives around the world. We then take the beans and make them into the very best single origin chocolate at our factory in Rendlesham and send it out to our direct and business customers in the UK and worldwide. Our core values are centred around being diligently ethical, setting the bar high and being uniquely forward thinking. We are about people, not just products, and are proud to be a team of passionate specialists.

A Day in the Life

Your morning begins with a talk with our Executive Director about the day ahead; updates on emails, meetings and agendas that have been set. Together you go over the results from last week’s sales, KPIs, progress on projects, and begin to put them into a weekly report for the team. You go over notes on a draft of a Q&A you have written, noting amendments to be made. Scheduling the next month of 1:1 catch ups for team members with the director is a priority. In the morning a potential collaborator comes in for a meeting with the ED and you take notes and disseminate them, creating follow up tasks. You liaise with the team at the chocolate factory to arrange for some samples to be sent out to the new contact. Before lunch you check in on Asana and thank team members for their work on an urgent launch, and work at prioritising some long term tasks related to our yearlong targets and updating progress on our goals. At lunch time, you join the Marketing Manager on a visit to a nearby customer to do a photo shoot of their new iced chocolate milk, buying some snacks for the afternoon meeting while you’re there. The management meeting has been convened to kick off our cross-departmental Christmas planning. You print agendas and relevant documents, and take minutes in the meeting, translating those into an Asana project later that afternoon with timelines and dependencies for all to see. At the end of the day, you clear out the inbox, set priorities for the next day with the Director, and head home with a test bar to to give your feedback on the next day.

Main Responsibilities
·  Frequently liaise with senior level internal and external contacts, screening and prioritising all forms of incoming communications, dealing with routine issues and coordinating more complex responses ensuring these are delivered in a timely and effective manner.
·  To project manage a range of initiatives set by the Executive Director, keeping track of jointly agreed tasks and timelines using our project management software, Asana, and providing support to all collaborators in order to ensure we are completing projects on time.
·  Manage and organise events and meetings, including the booking of venues, travel and accommodation, to ensure effective use of the Director’s time.
·  Provides a comprehensive diary management service, including the management and scheduling of key calendar appointments.
·  An effective communicator with an understanding of the Director’s role, the job holder will act as the first point of contact to the Director handling complex and confidential situations and requests.
·  Create and maintain efficient and effective paper and digital filing system, ensuring all documentation catalogued and organised using internal systems.
·  Organises and prepares complex documents to a clear brief, requiring the integration of multiple office technology and software applications using formats and standard software.
·  Responsible for coordinating team IT requests, user administration, systems access and record keeping. Working with the lead asset manager to ensure those who are joining, moving or leaving the team are equipped appropriately with the right IT.
·  To work independently, while also following the director’s lead; to manage your own time to achieve specified short term targets but also operates within a 9–12 month planning timescale.

Essential
·  A successful record at senior personal assistant level.
·  Excellent organisation, diary management, planning and project management skills.
·  A passion for ethical food production and a commitment to engaging with all aspects of running a dynamic food business – be that learning new software, responding to customers, recruitment and more,
·  Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels. Significant tact and integrity is required to manage the sensitive nature of information that the role will involve.
·  Attention to detail in all areas and excellent written language skills, with care for spelling, punctuation and grammar
·  Strong computer skills, with demonstrable experience of office software packages (i.e. Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and quick to learn others (Shopify, Asana, Slack, Dropbox, etc).
·  Ability to use own initiative, be proactive and deal with specific queries as they arise.
·  High attention to detail and significant practical experience of gathering, reviewing and collating complex and confidential information.
·  Extensive diary management experience, especially at Director or equivalent level.

Desirable
·  Food sector experience.
·  Relevant PA or Project Management qualification.
·  Previous experience of operating as a PA at Board/Director level.