Job Description

Location: Brighouse NDC (with UK travel)

Reporting to: Operations Director

Direct Reports: NDC Drivers and Transit Site Team Leaders, and the Planning Team (London and South West)

Fleet Size: 25 Vehicles

Salary: £48-50K per annum

My client is an importer, distributor and brand builder of beers. They pride themselves on delivering exciting and high-quality beer experiences to a diverse customer base, including bars, restaurants, retailers and wholesalers across the UK.

As the business continues to grow, they are focused on strengthening their transport and logistics operations to support improved service, efficiency and scalability. This role will play a key part in ensuring consistent, high-performing transport operations across our national network.

Role Overview

Reporting to the Operations Director the Transport Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management and continuous improvement of transport operations across the National Distribution Centre (NDC) and associated transit sites.

The role oversees route planning, driver performance, legal compliance, fleet management and health & safety, ensuring safe, efficient and high-quality delivery to customers. This position combines operational leadership with continuous improvement, focusing on building a high-performing transport team and delivering a best-in-class multi-drop service.

Transport Operations & Planning

• Oversee the planning team to ensure scheduling and optimisation daily delivery routes to meet customer demand

• Plan and supervise distribution from the NDC and transit sites

• Continuously improve transport processes at the NDC and align ways of working across transit sites nationally

• Develop and maintain customer delivery profiles to improve route efficiency and service levels

• Ensure fair and effective route planning while minimising excess hours and unnecessary cost

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, motivate and develop the driver and planning team to create a professional and engaged transport function

• Support Transit Site Team Leaders in achieving transport KPIs and operational standards

• Build a culture of teamwork, accountability and continuous improvement through driver engagement

• Encourage and act upon driver feedback to improve delivery performance and consistency

• Manage recruitment of permanent drivers and coordinate agency drivers during peak periods

• Address driver concerns, complaints and delivery issues in a timely and professional manner

• Lead continuous improvement in departmental systems and processes.

Compliance & Health & Safety

• Ensure full compliance with UK transport legislation, driver hours and vehicle safety standards

• Maintain Transport Manager CPC oversight and ensure all legal obligations are met

• Deliver driver inductions and annual refresher training, including safe working practices

• Promote and maintain high standards of health & safety across all transport operations

Fleet & Maintenance Management

• Oversee vehicle maintenance, servicing schedules and defect reporting processes

• Coordinate with external maintenance providers to ensure vehicle availability and compliance

• Support fleet investment planning and continuous improvement of fleet utilisation

• Contribute to future fleet strategy, including vehicle replacement and specification

Customer Service & Operational Support

• Support the customer service team in resolving delivery-related issues and complaints

• Ensure timely and professional resolution of delivery disruptions

• Process parking fines and Notices of Intended Prosecution in line with company procedures

Cost & Performance Management

• Monitor transport costs and identify opportunities for efficiency improvements

• Ensure cost-effective use of fleet and labour resources

• Drive improvements in route optimisation, delivery performance and service reliability

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver a safe, efficient and compliant transport operation

• Maintain high levels of service performance and customer satisfaction

• Build and sustain a motivated, high-performing driver team

• Ensure consistency of transport operations across all sites

• Support business growth through scalable and efficient transport practices

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Strong knowledge of UK transport legislation and compliance requirements

• Experience in managing transport operations within a multi-drop distribution environment

• Proven ability to lead and motivate teams across multiple locations

• Strong organisational, planning and administrative skills

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills

• Experience managing fleet operations, maintenance and compliance

Desirable Qualifications

• Transport Manager CPC

Personal Attributes

• Professional, reliable and highly organised

• Strong leadership style that is caring, honest and appropriately direct

• Proactive and solution-focused approach

• Able to build strong working relationships across teams and locations

• Interest in contributing to fleet strategy and transport development

• Takes pride in building and leading a high-performing team

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• On-time-in-full (OTIF) delivery performance

• Route efficiency (e.g. drops per route, miles per drop, vehicle utilisation)

• Transport cost performance (e.g. cost per drop, cost per case delivered)

• Driver hours compliance and reduction in infringements

• Vehicle compliance and maintenance adherence (e.g. defect resolution times, service completion)

• Health & safety performance (e.g. incidents, near-miss reporting, audit outcomes)

• Customer service metrics relating to delivery performance and complaints

• Timely processing of fines, Notices of Intended Prosecution and related administration

Measures of Success

• Consistently high delivery performance with strong OTIF results

• Efficient and cost-effective transport operation with reduced waste and overtime

• Fully compliant transport function with no significant regulatory breaches

• A motivated, engaged and high-performing driver and site leadership team

• Clear and consistent operating standards across NDC and all transit sites

• Measurable improvements in route optimisation and service reliability

• Strong collaboration with customer service and other internal teams

• Effective control and continuous improvement of transport costs

• Well-maintained, compliant fleet with high levels of availability

• Positive contribution to wider logistics and fleet strategy

Hours and Conditions

This role is primarily based at the Brighouse site, with flexibility to work from home where appropriate. Working hours will typically align with business needs, with some flexibility required to engage with operational teams.

Summary

This role is ideal for an experienced transport professional who combines strong operational expertise with people leadership and a continuous improvement mindset. It offers the opportunity to play a key role in enhancing transport performance and supporting the ongoing growth of their national distribution network