Transport Manager

The Role and Team

The appointment of a highly experienced Transport Manager at our National Distribution Centre in Portbury, Bristol is key to supporting our ambitious business growth plans. As a senior member of the NDC Management Team, the successful candidate will report to the NDC Distribution Operations Manager. With responsibility for a team of over 50 people, this is a management & leadership role requiring an individual with the gravitas, energy and demonstrable track record to deliver a first class service to our customers. The business has achieved significant growth over the past 10 years and now has a very extensive product range with over 1,000 SKU’s that are delivered to over 1400 customers accross the UK. This is achieved in-house via our own picking systems and using our own fleet of vehicles.

Who we are

 About apetito

apetito is the UK’s leading supplier of food to the health and social care sectors. Servicing over 400 hospitals, 450 care homes and thousands more through our work with Local Authorities, we produce delicious, nutritious and sustainable meals for people at home or in care. Through our food we look to ‘make a real difference’ to all our customers, up and down the country.

Our Values

Established in 1958, as a family-owned business, our values sit at the very heart of what we do. We are proud to be a business that ‘makes a real difference’, committed to producing ‘great food to be proud of’. We have developed a range of products designed to ‘enhance health and well-being’ for all our customers. We are proud supporters of British food and farming and focus on using the best ‘ethical and sustainably’ sourced produce.

We are driven by a ‘passion for service’, dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people, offering healthy and delicious meals to customers across the UK.

Ethical & Sustainable

As a business which operates within food manufacturing, we believe we have an obligation to make a positive contribution on society. With over 300 products in our range, we ensure our produce is ethically and sustainably sourced, working only with suppliers who share our commitment to making a positive impact.

We’re a proud member of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), a leading alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs, that promote respect for workers rights globally. All our new suppliers now operate under the ETI’s guidelines.

We are also a member of The UK’s Plastics Pact, an initiative looking to transform the plastic packaging industry in the UK. As part of the initiative, we have committed, along with other ambitious targets, to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic completely by 2025.

We have also made a commitment to our employees – we’re recognised as an accredited Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation. Joining an elite group of FTSE 100 companies and public sector organisations.

In addition to your salary you will receive a comprehensive training program, 33 days annual leave holiday entitlement, the ability to buy additional annual leave, retail discounts, free car parking, subsidised staff restaurant, free turkey (or voucher) at Christmas and much more !

• Ensuring that all requirements relating to safety, health, environment, quality, & compliance are being fully implemented
• Vehicle and Personal Injury Accident investigation
• Management of Drivers Tachograph Records and infringements
• Driver Licensing & Dcpc quarterly Checks
• Maintain a comprehensive training record for all Drivers
• Ensure compliance against, legal, Health and Safety procedures / checks and act on issues as necessary to ensure that any issues are identified, rectified reported and a safe and legally compliant environment is operated always whilst constantly improving the safety culture.
• Benchmark depot performance and promote best practice and continual improvements
• Develop link with manufacturer to ensure vehicle technology and new advancements are optimised
• Ownership of FTA compliance and ISO 14001/45001 Audits
• Lead, develop and motivate direct reports so that they deliver or exceed their objectives and KPI’s, identify future potential and develop in line with business needs.
• Supports and implements ways in which reduce cost and optimise performance
• On a daily, weekly and periodic basis, collate, monitor and analyse vehicle and driver Costs, vehicle utilisation, Fuel use, KPI and operational data, and make operational adjustments accordingly, to achieve overall performance targets and identify improvement opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with the Distribution Team to ensure that all Breakdowns and Delays are dealt with in a speedy manner, where appropriate liaising with and updating customer services on progress.
• Investigate and resolve customer queries / complaints in a professional and sympathetic manner recording all information and reporting to the Distribution Manager any significant issues that may impact on the business.
• Weekly Meeting to be conducted with the Distribution Manager to discuss previous weeks costs, Team performance, Service and Operations and actions taken/required.
• Supports and implements ways in which reduce cost and optimise performance 
• Continual review and maintenance of Standard operating procedures
• On call duties 1 week in every 6 dealing with out of hours calls
• Management of Bristol Transport team and operation

 Essential:

• Customer Service experience gained from a 3PL or similar background
• Previous experience of managing a driver workforce (e.g. disciplinary, absence management, driver standards)
• Transport Managers Certificate of Professional Competence
• Full understanding of Working Time Directive, Drivers Hours and Operators licensing compliance
• Experience of routing and tracking applications

 Desirable:

• Comprehensive experience within a complex network operational environment
• Experience of fast-paced customer-facing environments
• Demonstrable experience working in a change environment
• Clear evidence of managing a significant budget .
• Working knowledge of SAP or equivalent MRP systems

Personal Qualities:

• "Walks the Talk” – setting standards of housekeeping, quality and health and safety
• An analytical fact-based approach with a good understanding of reporting and recording performance statistics.
• Verbally persuasive with the gravitas to lead and influence
• Retains strategic focus within a pressurised environment
• Good problem solving skills and ability to drive for completion and delivery of large complex projects
• Highly analytical, numerate and willing to source own data for analysis
• A natural presenter with the ability to present complex information in a clear and simple format
• Strong inspirational and engaging leader – will demonstrate leadership skills that peers will aspire to imitate
• A decisive thinker who will take responsibility for decisions and actions
• Promotion of culture where all employees and stakeholders are engaged and able to raise their suggestions and ideas
• Must be able to work to tight deadlines with accuracy and precision