Hatchery Transport Manager

Avara Foods; Leominster; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

31 days holiday

6% pension

Private medical for self

Life assurance

Wellbeing resources

Job summary

Avara Foods is seeking a Hatchery Transport Manager to lead transport operations for day-old chicks, eggs, and hatchery supplies across UK sites. You’ll manage fleet performance, driver safety, route planning, and compliance with transport legislation while collaborating with cross-functional teams.

The role involves day-to-day leadership of hatchery transport, budget oversight, and continuous improvement across our hatchery network, with responsibilities spanning planning, scheduling, and

Qualifications

• Experience leading a transport operation and managing budgets.
• CPC qualification or equivalent required.
• Strong knowledge of transport legislation and fleet management.
• Proven leadership and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead transport operations across hatcheries to ensure safety and efficiency.
• Develop schedules, optimise routes, and monitor fleet performance.
• Ensure compliance with transport laws, maintenance, and biosecurity.
• Coordinate with external providers and internal teams to meet delivery needs.

Skills

CPC

Transport legislation

Leadership

Budget management

Planning

Stakeholder management

MS Office

Tools

Transport Management System (TMS)

Job description

Who are we, and what do we do?

You may not have heard of us, but there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed our products. Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the country’s major supermarkets and well-known restaurants.

You may not have heard of us, but there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed our products. Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the country’s major supermarkets and well-known restaurants. We own and manage our entire supply chain, from farms to factory and all the way to the customer door – meaning we have careers that cover a whole range of functions. We have major processing sites across England and Wales, and an agricultural network of over 350 farms, spanning from North Yorkshire to the South Coast and Wales.

About The Role

The Hatchery Transport Manager is responsible for leading and managing all transport operations, ensuring the safe, efficient, compliant, and cost-effective movement of day-old chicks, hatching eggs and other operational requirements. The role is accountable for fleet performance, driver management, route optimisation, legal compliance, biosecurity standards, and service delivery to both internal and external customers.

The Hatchery Transport Manager will review processes and best practice across the 5 Avara hatcheries and lead standardisation of transport practice across all UK hatcheries.

As a Hatchery Transport Manager you’ll be working Monday to Friday 07:30 - 16:00 with the flexibility to travel across sites and out of hour response to Operational issues or emergencies.

What will your key responsibilities as Hatchery Transport Manager include?

• Ensure all transport operations are conducted safely and in accordance with relevant legislation.
• Investigate accidents, incidents, and near misses, implementing corrective actions where required.
• Promote driver wellbeing and safe driving practices.
• Support company sustainability and environmental initiatives.
• Review best practice and support the implementation across the hatcheries
• Oversee daily transport activities across the hatchery.
• Develop and implement transport schedules to ensure timely delivery and collection of chicks, eggs, and hatchery supplies.
• Ensure transport resources are aligned with operational and customer requirements
• Monitor vehicle utilisation and optimise route planning to maximise efficiency and reduce costs.
• Manage transport disruptions and implement contingency plans to minimise operational impact.
• Maintain a safe, reliable, and roadworthy fleet.
• Schedule preventative maintenance, servicing, and repairs.
• Monitor fleet performance, fuel consumption, vehicle downtime, and operating costs.
• Support fleet replacement and capital investment planning.
• Work closely with external service providers and maintenance contractors.
• Ensure full compliance with transport legislation, which include:
• Operator licence obligations.
• Tachograph/driver hours compliance.
• Working Time Directive/road transport working time rules.
• Vehicle defect reporting.
• Maintenance records.
• Driver licence checks.
• Animal welfare during transport
• Maintain compliance with company policies and industry standards.
• Strict adherence to biosecurity protocols across all hatchery transport activities.
• Conduct regular audits and inspections of vehicles, equipment, and operational practice in line with the agreed Avara audit schedule.

Essential

What you’ll need to be successful:

• Previous experience managing a transport operation.
• CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) qualification or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of transport legislation and fleet management.
• Experience leading and developing operational teams and strong leadership skills.
• Proven ability to manage budgets and identify efficiency improvements.
• Excellent planning, organisational, and problem-solving skills and the ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Competent in transport management systems and Microsoft Office applications.

Desirable

• Experience within poultry, agriculture, food production, or hatchery operations.
• Knowledge of animal welfare and biosecurity requirements.
• Experience using route optimisation and fleet telematics systems.

The Benefits Of Working For Avara Foods

As Hatchery Transport Manager you will enjoy a secure, supportive and progressive working environment, where your contribution and achievements will be recognised and rewarded.

Benefits

We offer comprehensive training as well as continuous development as you build your long-term career with us. You can also look forward to benefits that amongst other things include the following:

• Competitive salary
• 31 days holiday allowance
• 6% pension
• Private medical for self
• Life assurance
• Wellbeing resources, including free online health advice & support, and wellbeing assessments.

What happens after you apply for this role?

After you’ve applied, you’ll be contacted in due course by a Resourcing Officer, to discuss your application and CV further. There’ll also be a chance for you to ask us any questions you may have about the role.

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.

INDHP #TheAvaraWay