Depot Operations Manager

PETIT FORESTIER UK; West of England; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Petit Forestier Group in the West of England is seeking a Commercial & Customer Management Support and Depot Operations Support to help achieve revenue targets, build strong customer relationships, and oversee daily depot and fleet activities.

You will work with sales and operations to maximise rental opportunities, negotiate rates within authority, manage vehicle allocation, ensure safety, and support continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Experience in depot, transport, fleet, workshop, or vehicle rental operations.
• Strong commercial awareness and customer service skills.
• Experience managing operational priorities within a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capability.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with customers and key stakeholders.
• Visit existing and prospective customers to maximise rental and contract opportunities.
• Support negotiation of rental rates and commercial agreements within delegated authority limits.
• Resolve customer issues, operational concerns, and service queries professionally.
• Ensure adherence to customer visit procedures and documentation standards.
• Support reduction of operational errors, damage costs, and unnecessary credit note generation.
• Oversee depot operations, vehicle allocation, and fleet activities.
• Coordinate driver resources and ensure regulatory compliance and safety standards.

Skills

Commercial awareness

Customer service

Operations management

Verbal and written communication

Problem solving

Multitasking

Job description

Commercial & Customer Management Support

achievement of depot revenue and profitability targets in line with company budgets. Build and maintain strong customer relationships through excellent service delivery and account management. Visit existing and prospective customers to maximise rental and contract opportunities. Support negotiation of rental rates and commercial agreements within delegated authority limits. Resolve customer issues, operational concerns, and service queries professionally and efficiently. Ensure adherence to company customer visit procedures and documentation standards. Support reduction of operational errors, damage costs, and unnecessary credit note generation.

Depot Operations Support

the day-to-day management of depot operations, rental fleet activities, and transport operations. Manage vehicle allocation, utilisation, collections, deliveries, and customer fleet requirements. Minimise vehicle off-road (VOR) time through effective monitoring and daily EDJ management. Ensure maximum fleet availability and operational efficiency. Coordinate breakdown response and vehicle recovery activities. Support management of driver resources on a daily basis, ensuring all legal and operational requirements are met. Ensure adherence to Operator Licence (O Licence) regulations and transport compliance standards. Provide out-of-hours operational support on a rota basis where required. Oversee depot incident management processes and ensure incidents are appropriately investigated and recorded.

Compliance, Health & Safety

Promote and maintain a safe working environment across all depot and workshop activities. Ensure compliance with DVSA regulations, Operator Licence requirements, health & safety legislation, and company procedures. Ensure servicing, inspections, MOTs, refrigeration maintenance, and compliance activities are completed within required timescales. Conduct depot checks, audits, and operational inspections. Ensure all accidents, incidents, near misses, and defects are reported and investigated appropriately. Promote a culture of operational discipline, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Customer Service & Account Management

Build and maintain strong relationships with customers and key stakeholders. Deliver high levels of customer satisfaction and service performance. Support customer retention and growth through proactive account management. Ensure achievement of targets set in relation to customer visit programmes. Resolve customer concerns and operational issues quickly and professionally. Work collaboratively with sales and operational teams to support business growth.

Leadership & People Management

Support the leadership, motivation, and development of depot and workshop teams. Assist with appraisals, absence management, performance reviews, coaching, and target setting. Communicate effectively with operational, workshop, transport, and commercial teams. Promote accountability, teamwork, and high performance standards. Support training and development initiatives to improve operational capability and customer service standards. Lead by example with professionalism, integrity, and a customer-focused approach.

Measures of Success

• Achievement of depot revenue and operational targets
• Reduction in vehicle off-road (VOR) time
• Workshop productivity and repair quality
• MOT pass rates
• Vehicle inspection and servicing compliance
• Customer satisfaction and retention
• Employee engagement and team performance
• Internal audit and compliance results
• Health & safety performance
• Adherence to customer visit procedures and KPI targets
• Fleet availability
• Compliance audit score

Essential Experience within depot, transport, fleet, workshop, or vehicle rental operations.

• Good understanding of commercial vehicle operation, maintenance, and compliance.
• Strong commercial awareness and customer service skills.
• Experience managing operational priorities within a fast-paced environment.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capability.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.
• Organised, self-motivated, and adaptable approach.
• Experience of transport compliance and Operator Licence requirements.
• Current UK Driving Licence.

Desirable Experience within refrigerated vehicle rental or temperature-controlled transport operations.

• Knowledge of refrigeration systems and refrigerated fleet maintenance.
• Supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Knowledge of transportation and logistics industry.
• Strong PC literacy and operational systems experience.
• CPC qualification.
• IOSH or other health & safety qualification.
• Experience of goods vehicle operation and maintenance.

Personal Attributes

• Hands-on and proactive approach
• Strong operational focus
• Customer-centred mindset
• High attention to detail
• Reliable and dependable
• Strong work ethic and positive attitude
• Able to balance operational demands with commercial priorities
• Calm and professional under pressure
• Driven by operational excellence and continual improvement

Key Leadership Behaviours

• Planning and organisational capability
• Strong communication and influencing skills
• Accountability for operational results
• Commercial awareness
• Customer-focused mindset
• Problem-solving and decision-making capability
• Positive and motivational leadership style
• Adaptable and resilient under pressure
• Professional and solutions-focused approach
• Commitment to continuous improvement
• Strong personal standards and integrity.

The Petit Forestier Group, a family-run business for nearly 120 years, brings together 5,900 talented employees across more than 22 countries, united by a shared mission: ‘Improving life through cold chain expertise’. By preserving food, medical products and other sensitive goods that are essential to our lives, we offer everyone a meaningful career.