Duty Ports Manager

Red Funnel Limited; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free foot passenger travel

Vehicle travel allowance

50% discounts for friends and family

5 weeks' annual leave

IOW attraction discounts

Scottish Widows pension scheme

Recognition Awards

Long Service Awards

Private medical insurance

Death in Service insurance

South Western Railway discounts

National Rail network discounts

Job summary

Red Funnel Limited in Southampton is seeking an exceptional Operational leader to join the Port Operations leadership team as a Duty Ports Manager. You will coordinate day-to-day port operations across passenger, vehicle and freight services, and act as the on-shift operational command during incidents and disruptions.

The role requires strong leadership, experience in marine, transport or logistics environments, and a proven ability to deliver safety, performance targets and KPI-driven

Qualifications

• Operational management experience within marine, transport or logistics environments.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven experience delivering operational targets and KPIs.
• Excellent crisis management and decision-making capability.
• Strong understanding of safety, compliance and operational governance.
• CMI or ILM Level 5 (or equivalent) would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Leading day-to-day port operations across passenger, vehicle and freight services.
• Acting as the operational lead during incidents, disruptions and emergencies.
• Managing vessel readiness, operational capacity and resource deployment.
• Leading port operational teams to deliver safe, efficient service.
• Monitoring operational performance and driving continuous improvement.
• Managing incidents, investigations and corrective actions.
• Building strong relationships with vessel crews, internal departments and external stakeholders.

Skills

Operational leadership

Crisis management

Stakeholder management

Decision making under pressure

Safety governance

Education

CMI/ILM Level 5

Job description

Be Part of Something Wonderfully Different

At Red Funnel, we're proud to be Wonderfully Different. As the lifeline between the Isle of Wight and the mainland, we play an important role in the lives of the people and communities we serve. We're looking for talented operational leaders who enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, making decisions that matter and helping deliver safe, reliable services every day.

This is an exciting time to join Red Funnel as we continue to invest in our fleet, ports, technology and customer experience, while strengthening the way we operate for the future. Whether your experience comes from ports, rail, aviation, logistics or another operational environment, this is an opportunity to bring your leadership skills to a role with real responsibility and purpose. You'll help lead the operation that keeps the Island moving while enjoying a supportive culture, genuine variety and a working pattern that offers a healthy work-life balance.

Help lead the operation that keeps the Island moving

Red Funnel is seeking exceptional operational leaders to join the Port Operations leadership team as a Duty Ports Manager.

This is a critical frontline leadership role responsible for the safe, legal and efficient operation of our ports. Acting as the operational command point during your shift, you'll coordinate activity between vessels, terminal teams and central functions, ensuring services remain safe, reliable and customer focused.

As one of six Duty Ports Managers, you'll lead all terminal operations across our Southampton and Isle of Wight sites, manage operational performance in real time and take command during incidents, disruptions and emergency situations.

What you'll be doing

• Leading day-to-day port operations across passenger, vehicle and freight services.
• Acting as the operational lead during incidents, disruptions and emergencies.
• Managing vessel readiness, operational capacity and resource deployment.
• Leading port operational teams to deliver safe, efficient service.
• Monitoring operational performance and driving continuous improvement.
• Managing incidents, investigations and corrective actions.
• Building strong relationships with vessel crews, internal departments and external stakeholders.

What we're looking for

You’ll be an experienced operational leader who thrives under pressure and enjoys making critical decisions in a fast-moving environment.

We're particularly interested in candidates with:

• Operational management experience within marine, transport or logistics environments.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven experience delivering operational targets and KPIs.
• Excellent crisis management and decision-making capability.
• Strong understanding of safety, compliance and operational governance.
• CMI or ILM Level 5 (or equivalent) would be advantageous.

Why Red Funnel?

We're more than a ferry operator. We connect communities, businesses and people every day. If you're looking for a leadership role where your decisions genuinely matter, we'll provide the opportunity, support and challenge to help you succeed.

In return, you'll enjoy:

Free foot passenger travel to and from the Isle of Wight, plus a generous vehicle travel allowance (as well as 50% discounts to share with friends and family!)

5 weeks' annual leave and loads of IOW attraction discounts

Scottish Widows pension scheme

Recognition Awards and Long Service Awards

Private medical insurance and Death in Service insurance

75% discount schemes on South Western Railway services and the full National Rail network

Further details about our full benefits package can be foundhere.

Lead our ports. Support our people. Keep our services moving.