Executive Assistant / PA
Karen Rhodes Catering | Lake District
£28,000 to £35,000 depending on experience | 4 to 5 days per week
We are not looking for just anyone. We are looking for the right person.
Karen Rhodes Catering is a premium Lake District catering company with a reputation built on exceptional food, outstanding events and a team that genuinely cares about what it does. We work with some of the most beautiful venues in the country and our clients trust us to deliver at the highest level, every time.
As we grow, our Managing Director needs a right hand. Someone who can take the pace of a fast moving business and bring structure, clarity and calm to it. Someone who thinks ahead, closes loops and makes things happen without being asked twice.
This is not a traditional PA role. It sits at the heart of how our leadership team works.
What you will actually be doing
You will own the MD's diary with real authority, protecting her time and ensuring the right things get her attention at the right moment. You will sit in on key conversations, capture priorities and turn them into clear, structured plans for the operations team to execute against. You will manage inbound communications intelligently, draft correspondence, track outstanding actions and ensure nothing falls through the gaps. You will be the connective tissue between strategic thinking and operational delivery.
What we are looking for
You are exceptionally organised and detail focused, not in theory but in practice. You have a system, you trust it and you improve it. You have direct experience managing your own time effectively and owning the diary of a senior leader, and you understand the difference between maintaining a diary and genuinely protecting someone's time.
You are comfortable working closely with a driven, fast-moving MD and you know how to manage upward with confidence and warmth. You can say no on someone else's behalf and mean it. You are discreet, dependable and you take real pride in doing things properly. The standard of your written communication reflects the standard you hold yourself to in everything else.
You will have experience supporting a senior leader in a fast-paced environment, ideally within a small or growing business where you have had to be adaptable and self-sufficient. You do not need to be told what to do twice and you do not wait to be asked before you act.
Please do not apply if
You are looking for a role where someone will tell you what to do each day. You prefer to work reactively rather than planning ahead. You find it difficult to say no or to hold a boundary on someone else's behalf. You are most comfortable when things are predictable and the pace is steady. You are looking for a role where you can keep your head down and avoid difficult conversations. You want a traditional administrative position with a clear and unchanging task list.
We would simply rather be honest about what this role is and is not before you invest your time in applying.
What we offer
A genuinely varied and interesting role at the heart of a business that is going places. A collaborative, close knit team. Real responsibility from day one. A salary of £28,000 to £35,000 depending on experience, with hours of four to five days per week considered for the right candidate.
We are based in the Lake District and this role will be primarily office based, working alongside our MD and Operations Manager.
The interview process
We keep our process straightforward but intentional. There are three stages.
Stage one is a PRISM Brain Map. If you are shortlisted from your application, we will ask you to complete a short online behavioural questionnaire before we meet. This is not a test and there are no right or wrong answers. It helps us understand how you are naturally wired and whether this role is genuinely a strong fit for you as much as for us. We will share your results with you and talk through them together. Candidates whose profile is a strong match for the role will be invited to stage two.
Stage two is a conversation with our MD. We want to understand how you think, how you work and what you are genuinely looking for. We will also ask you to walk us through a specific example of how you have supported a senior leader under pressure.
Stage three is a chance to come and meet the team. We think it is important that you get a proper feel for who we are and how we work before either of us makes a decision. This is as much for your benefit as ours.
We review applications on a rolling basis and reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right person. If that sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.
Please send your CV and a short covering note telling us why this role is the right fit for you to [email protected]
Pay: £28,000.00-£35,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
