Location: Hybrid - Poole, Dorset
Hours: 30 hours per week (Monday–Friday, 09:00–15:00 with the potential for additional hours in the future)
Salary: £30,000 – £45,000 pro rata (depending on experience)
Please note: this role requires occasional travel to our Hub in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire (typically no more than once per month) and annual leave is generally expected to be taken during school holiday periods.
About the Role
Kickstart Learning is a specialist tutoring, mentoring and alternative provision service supporting neurodivergent children and young people.
We are looking for a highly capable, proactive Operations Coordinator & Executive Assistant to work closely with the Director to support the day-to-day running of the business.
This is a high-trust role within a small, growing organisation. You will be relied upon to take ownership of tasks and systems; manage communication across the business; solve problems; and help ensure that everything runs smoothly and to a high standard.
This role would suit someone who enjoys creating order from complexity. There are strong foundations in place but the successful candidate will play an important role in improving systems, organising information, reducing administrative backlog and helping the business operate more efficiently as it continues to grow.
This is not a traditional corporate Executive Assistant role, nor is it a standard administration role. The role is highly varied and combines executive support, operations, project coordination, administration and problem-solving. The role is likely to suit someone who enjoys helping to build and improve systems within a growing organisation rather than working within a large, highly structured corporate environment. The successful candidate should be genuinely excited by the opportunity to contribute to a purpose-driven organisation supporting neurodivergent children and young people.
We are looking for someone who enjoys working in a small business environment, is comfortable adapting to changing priorities and is motivated by helping things run smoothly. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping and supporting the future development of the business.
Key Responsibilities
- Supporting the Director with managing workload, prioritising tasks and ensuring key actions are followed through
- Attending meetings where required and producing accurate notes, minutes and action lists to ensure key decisions and follow-up actions are captured
- Helping to structure and organise work to support effective decision-making and reduce overwhelm
- Acting as a gatekeeper where appropriate, filtering information and helping maintain focus on priorities
- Managing and prioritising emails, communications and follow-up actions
- Acting as a central point of coordination between staff, parents, schools and external professionals (e.g. accountant, HR, bookkeeper)
- Building positive working relationships whilst maintaining appropriate boundaries and expectations
- Coordinating staff schedules, sessions and key information to ensure smooth day-to-day operations
- Chasing, reviewing and organising session logs, reports and safeguarding information
- Supporting invoicing processes, tracking payments and identifying issues that require follow-up
- Maintaining highly organised systems, records and documentation (including SharePoint and QuickBooks)
- Supporting recruitment processes including advertising roles, coordinating interviews and communicating with candidates
- Identifying issues, gaps or risks early and taking proactive steps to resolve them
- Improving systems and processes to increase efficiency and reduce administrative burden
- Ensuring all work is accurate, professional, consistent and completed to a high standard
- Taking ownership of tasks and projects from start to finish, seeking guidance when needed but not waiting for instructions at every stage
Working Style & Relationship
You will be working closely with a neurodivergent Director and alongside a team that includes a number of neurodivergent staff members. This role requires someone who can:
- Adapt their communication style depending on the person and situation
- Recognise when someone is overwhelmed and respond appropriately
- Know when to take initiative, when to prompt and when to step back
- Provide calm, clear support in high-pressure situations
- Listen carefully and ensure full understanding before acting
- Build positive, trusting working relationships whilst maintaining appropriate boundaries and expectations
- Communicate clearly, directly and respectfully, even when discussing difficult topics
A key part of this role is helping the Director work effectively by bringing structure, clarity and organisation to a busy workload. However, this role is not simply about supporting one person. It also involves helping staff, parents and professionals work together effectively by ensuring communication is clear, information is organised and actions are followed through.
This role would particularly suit someone who enjoys working with people, is naturally curious about how others think and communicate, and values a neurodiversity-affirming approach.
We are looking for someone with strong emotional intelligence, good judgement, excellent communication skills and a calm, confident approach. The successful candidate will be comfortable making decisions, taking ownership of their work and trusting their professional judgement whilst also recognising when advice or support is genuinely needed.
What We’re Looking For
Essential
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Excellent written English including spelling, grammar and proofreading
- Highly organised with strong prioritisation skills
- Able to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally, adapting tone appropriately for different audiences
- Confident working independently and making decisions using sound judgement
- Proactive, resourceful and solutions-focused
- Warm, professional and able to build positive working relationships
- Strong IT skills and confidence in learning new systems. Applicants must be confident using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Experience with Microsoft Forms, SharePoint and Canva is desirable
Highly Desirable
- Experience in an Executive Assistant, Operations, Office Manager or similar role
- Experience within education, SEND or working with children and families
- Understanding of, or genuine interest in, neurodiversity
- Experience coordinating multiple stakeholders and competing priorities
Important
- This role requires someone who takes ownership and can be relied upon without close supervision
- You will be expected to use initiative, solve problems and make sensible decisions rather than relying on constant direction or reassurance
- Accuracy, consistency and high standards are essential
We are looking for someone who values doing things properly, takes pride in their work and enjoys helping others work effectively.
Application Process
As part of your application, please answer the screening questions on Indeed carefully.
We are looking for thoughtful, genuine responses that reflect your own experience, motivations and way of thinking. Applications that appear overly generic, AI-generated or not reflective of the applicant’s own views are unlikely to be progressed.
To demonstrate attention to detail, please include the word 'orchid' as naturally as possible within one of your screening question responses.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a short task designed to assess attention to detail, communication, judgement and problem-solving skills. Successful candidates will then be invited to interview.
Additional Information
- This is a hybrid role. The successful candidate will primarily work remotely with most communication taking place via email, WhatsApp and Zoom
- Kickstart Learning's main Hub is located in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. The successful candidate will be required to attend the Hub periodically (typically no more than once a month). These visits will usually involve an overnight stay. All hotel accommodation and travel expenses will be arranged and paid for by the company
- The Director is based in Poole, Dorset after relocating from Buckinghamshire. The successful candidate will usually meet with the Director in person within the local area. Please note that this is not an office-based role and there is currently no permanent office location in Dorset
- There may be occasional periods where additional hours are required during particularly busy times. These will be discussed and agreed in advance where possible
- Due to the nature of the business, annual leave is generally expected to be taken during school holiday periods. There will also be some periods where annual leave cannot be approved, such as when the Director is away and the successful candidate is responsible for providing operational oversight and support.
- This role would suit someone looking for a long-term position within a small, growing organisation
How to Apply
Please apply via Indeed and ensure your responses reflect your own motivations, experience and thinking.
We are looking for someone who is genuinely excited by the opportunity to contribute to a small, growing organisation supporting neurodivergent children and young people. Thoughtful, authentic applications will stand out far more than generic responses.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if a suitable candidate is identified.
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Pay: £30,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Free parking
- Work from home
Application question(s):
- If you are asked to complete a task using a system you are unfamiliar with, what would you do?
- How would you adapt your communication if you felt your manager was overwhelmed and struggling to process information?
- This role requires someone who takes ownership and can be relied upon without close supervision. Please give an example of a time you took full responsibility for something and saw it through to completion.
- This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check. Are you willing to undergo this process?
- Please confirm your current location and whether you are able to travel to Poole, Dorset for regular in-person working.
- What specifically appeals to you about working for a small, growing organisation like Kickstart Learning rather than a larger, more structured organisation?
- In a few sentences, describe how you ensure your work is accurate, well-organised and presented to a high standard.
- Please write a short email to a staff member who has not submitted their daily session logs for several days. Your email should be clear, professional and encourage them to complete this promptly.
- You start your day and the following need attention:
- A parent is unhappy and waiting for an email response
- A staff member has not submitted session logs for several days
- An invoice needs paying today
- A session tomorrow has been double-booked
How would you prioritise these tasks? Please explain your reasoning.
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Poole
