Depot Area Manager

Wright Staff Recruitment Ltd; Tewkesbury; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Flexible base with travel between dep

22 days + bank holidays

Refer-a-friend bonus up to £500

Cycle to Work scheme

Discounted products and delivery

Aviva pension scheme

Health and wellbeing Simply Health

Leadership role in family-owned group

Job summary

Wright Staff Recruitment Ltd is seeking an experienced Depot Area Manager to lead and develop distribution depot management teams. You will strengthen operational performance, drive safety culture and help shape the continued success of the business across multiple locations.

This hands-on role requires regular travel, a strong operational understanding and the ability to adapt leadership style to different people and situations.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience within a depot, distribution, logistics or similar environment.
• Experience managing site operations or multiple depots.
• Strong coaching and people-management skills.
• Sound understanding of operational performance, budgets and resource planning.
• Knowledge of health and safety and regulatory requirements.
• Able to travel regularly between locations and lead across sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop depot management teams to build capable, accountable sites.
• Drive operational excellence and monitor performance to meet targets.
• Champion health and safety, food safety and regulatory compliance.
• Apply continuous improvement and LEAN to reduce waste and improve productivity.
• Support commercial performance by aligning depot capacity with demand.
• Develop future talent through recruitment, training and succession planning.
• Lead positive change and engage teams through periods of change.
• Maintain exceptional service and high-quality customer experience.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Operational leadership

Communication

Travel readiness

Job description

Depot Area Manager

Salary: £55,000 per annum
Car Allowance: £5,000 per annum
Location: Flexible base, with regular travel between depot locations
Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time
Hours: 40 hours per week, usually Monday to Friday, with flexibility required
Holiday: 22 days plus 8 bank holidays

Benefits

Competitive salary

22 days' holiday plus bank holidays

Additional day's holiday after 3 years' service

Refer-a-friend bonus scheme (up to £500)

Cycle to Work scheme

Discounted company products and delivery options

Aviva pension scheme (4% employee, 4.5% employer contributions)

Health and wellbeing support through Simply Health

A varied, influential leadership role within an established family-owned business.

Job description

Lead People. Drive Performance. Make a Difference.

Are you an experienced operational leader who knows that great results start with great people?

We're looking for a confident, approachable and commercially minded Area Manager to lead and develop our distribution depot management teams, strengthen operational performance and help shape the continued success of our business.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys being visible, supporting managers, improving processes and creating a positive, high-performing culture across multiple locations.

We're not simply looking for someone who can manage operations. We're looking for a leader who can inspire people, build accountability and bring out the best in their teams.

The Role

Reporting to the Commercial Manager, you'll take responsibility for the leadership and operational performance of our distribution depots (excluding our Tewkesbury site).

Working closely with Depot Managers, you'll provide the guidance, coaching and direction needed to ensure each location operates safely, efficiently and consistently, while maintaining the high standards our customers expect.

This is a hands-on, multi-site leadership role requiring regular travel, a strong operational understanding and the ability to adapt your leadership style to different people and situations.

Your key responsibilities will include:

Leading and developing people: Coach, support and challenge Depot Managers to build confident, capable and accountable teams.

Driving operational excellence: Monitor performance, identify improvement opportunities and ensure depots operate efficiently and effectively.

Creating a strong safety culture: Champion health and safety, food safety and compliance with relevant transport and environmental legislation.

Improving processes: Apply continuous improvement and LEAN principles to reduce waste, improve productivity and strengthen operational consistency.

Supporting commercial performance: Work collaboratively with Sales and other departments to ensure depot capacity, resources and operations support business demand.

Developing future talent: Support recruitment, training, performance management and succession planning across depot operations.

Leading positive change: Help Depot Managers implement new initiatives, improve working practices and engage their teams throughout periods of change.

Maintaining exceptional service: Ensure our depots consistently deliver the reliable, high-quality customer service associated with the company.

Above all, you'll lead by example, creating an environment where people understand what's expected, feel supported to succeed and take pride in their performance.

About You

We're looking for an experienced operational leader who combines strong commercial and operational judgement with genuine people-management ability.

You’ll understand that effective leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about knowing when to guide, when to challenge and when to empower others.

To succeed in this role, you'll bring:

Proven leadership experience within a depot, distribution, logistics, transport or comparable operational environment.

Previous responsibility for managing a site, depot or operational function.

Strong coaching and situational leadership skills, with the ability to engage, motivate and develop managers.

A sound understanding of operational performance, budgets, P&L reporting and resource planning.

Knowledge of relevant health and safety, transport and regulatory requirements.

Experience identifying inefficiencies, improving processes and successfully implementing operational change.

Excellent communication, organisation and problem-solving skills.

A proactive, resilient and flexible approach, with the confidence to manage competing priorities.

A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly between locations, including occasional overnight stays.

A management qualification or continuous improvement qualification would be advantageous, although practical experience and leadership capability are equally important.

Why Join the company ?

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution within an established, independent family business that values its people and takes pride in doing things properly.

You'll have the opportunity to:

Make a genuine impact on operational standards and performance across our distribution network.

Develop and mentor Depot Managers, helping shape the next generation of operational leaders.

Influence improvements and contribute to the ongoing development of our depot operations.

Work closely with the wider management team in a collaborative, supportive environment.

Become part of a business with a strong heritage, clear values and a commitment to long-term success.