Transport Manager – Whitchurch

Role Overview

We are seeking a senior,
commercially astute Transport Manager to provide strategic leadership and full
operational ownership of our Whitchurch transport function. This is a newly
created, high-impact role with the autonomy to shape long‑term transport
strategy, modernise systems and ways of working, and deliver measurable
improvements across safety, service, cost, and capability.

Reporting into the site
General Manager, with a dotted line to the European Head of Transport, you will
be accountable for building a best‑in‑class transport operation that is safe,
compliant, scalable, and commercially optimised. You will lead a large, multi‑disciplinary
transport team and play a pivotal role in transformation initiatives, including
a major Transport Management System (TMS) rollout.

This role requires a visible,
credible leader who can operate at both strategic and operational
levels—setting direction, influencing stakeholders, developing talent, and
driving sustained performance improvement.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic & Operational
Leadership

• Provide end‑to‑end leadership of the
  Whitchurch transport operation, setting clear strategic direction aligned
  to business objectives.
  
• Translate business strategy into feasible
  transport plans covering fleet, people, systems, subcontractors, and
  service delivery.
  
• Act as the senior transport authority on
  site, influencing operational, commercial, and safety decisions at
  leadership level.
  

Safety, Compliance &
Governance

• Hold full accountability for transport
  safety, legal compliance, and governance in line with UK transport
  legislation, DVSA standards, and O‑Licence obligations.
  
• Establish robust compliance frameworks,
  controls, and assurance processes, ensuring audit readiness at all times.
  
• Lead serious incident, accident, and
  insurance investigations, driving root‑cause analysis and sustainable risk
  reduction.
  

Fleet, Asset & Cost
Optimisation

• Own the strategic management of fleet and
  assets, including HGV and trailers.
  
• Ensure accurate, timely, and actionable
  fleet, compliance, and cost reporting to support data‑driven decision‑making.
  

Transport Planning &
Service Performance

• Oversee transport planning and execution
  to deliver consistent, high‑quality service to customers and internal
  stakeholders.
  
• Partner with Operations to ensure
  effective resourcing, contingency planning, and disruption management.
  
• Embed performance management disciplines,
  using KPIs and insight to continuously improve service, cost, and
  efficiency.
  

People Leadership &
Capability Building

• Lead, develop, and inspire a large
  transport workforce including planners, compliance teams, supervisors, and
  drivers.
  
• Build a high‑performance culture through
  clear accountability, coaching, succession planning, and leadership
  development.
  
• Own recruitment strategy, onboarding,
  training, engagement, and performance management for the transport
  function.
  

Commercial & Strategic
Development

• Own transport‑related commercial
  performance, contributing to P&L, budgeting, and cost control.
  
• Identify and develop new revenue
  opportunities through subcontractor strategy, external partnerships, and
  service innovation.
  

Transformation & Systems
Leadership

• Lead major change initiatives, including
  compliance improvement programmes and the implementation of a new
  Transport Management System (TMS).
  
• Drive standardisation, automation, and
  continuous improvement across transport processes.
  

Essential Experience

• Proven senior leadership experience within
  medium‑to‑large transport operations (40+ drivers).
  
• Strong expertise in transport compliance,
  fleet management, and operational governance.
  
• Demonstrated ability to lead large teams,
  manage complexity, and deliver sustained performance improvement.
  
• Strong commercial acumen with experience
  managing budgets, costs, and operational profitability.
  
•  
  

Desirable Experience

• Experience within food, retail, or
  warehouse‑integrated transport environments.
  
• Multi‑site or network transport leadership
  exposure.
  
• Hands‑on involvement in TMS implementation
  or large‑scale operational transformation.
  

Qualifications

• CPC (National & International) –
  essential
  
• NEBOSH or equivalent – desirable