Lead Distribution Manager

Royal Mail Group; Hounslow; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Family friendly support

sick pay

Funded Dental

Health Assessment

Benefits Account

Your Wellbeing

Job summary

Royal Mail Group in Hounslow is seeking an experienced Lead Distribution Manager to run a large fleet operation and ensure safe, compliant and efficient performance across up to three sites. You will lead a team of Distribution Managers and frontline staff, driving excellence in planning and service delivery.

Responsibilities include meeting Operator Licence obligations, developing teams, and maintaining strong relationships with Fleet, Operations and unions to optimise resources and performance.

Qualifications

• Experience leading large operational teams within logistics, transport or similarly complex environments.
• Strong knowledge of fleet operations, safety standards and transport compliance requirements.
• Ability to deliver operational performance through people leadership and continuous improvement.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including experience working with trade unions.
• Strategic planning, resource management and budget analysis capability.
• CPC qualification or willingness to achieve the qualification within 12 months.

Responsibilities

• Lead a safe and compliant distribution operation, ensuring all legal, safety and Operator Licence obligations are met.
• Drive operational performance through effective leadership, planning and continuous improvement activity.
• Build strong relationships with operational stakeholders, Fleet teams and customers to deliver excellent service.
• Lead and develop management teams through coaching, performance management and talent development.
• Create positive industrial and employee relations through proactive engagement with CWU and colleagues.
• Oversee local planning, resourcing and special event delivery to ensure operational readiness and service continuity.

Skills

Large team leadership

Fleet operations

Safety standards

Transport compliance

Stakeholder management

Budget analysis

Education

CPC qualification

Job description

Job reference 342587
Lead Distribution Manager
Competitive salary, £2,800 car Discount, 18% annual bonus potential, 27.5days annual leave plus bank holidays rising with service and a company pension scheme with highly competitive contribution rates
Permanent, Full time
Jubilee MC, Hounslow, TW4 5XX

We’re looking for an experienced Lead Distribution Manager to lead the safe, compliant and efficient operation of our distribution network. This is a key leadership role responsible for fleet operations, operational performance, people leadership and stakeholder management across one or more sites.

Leading both managerial and frontline teams, you’ll ensure mail and parcels move safely and efficiently between Processing Centres, Hubs, Delivery Offices and customers, while maintaining full compliance with transport legislation and Operator Licence requirements.

About the Role

As a Lead Distribution Manager, you’ll have accountability for the performance, safety and legal compliance of a significant fleet operation. You’ll lead a team of Distribution Managers and frontline colleagues, driving operational excellence through strong leadership, effective planning and continuous improvement.

You’ll work closely with Fleet, Operations and union representatives to create a high-performing environment, ensuring resources, vehicles and people are deployed effectively to deliver excellent service and operational performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a safe and compliant distribution operation, ensuring all legal, safety and Operator Licence obligations are met.
• Drive operational performance through effective leadership, planning and continuous improvement activity.
• Build strong relationships with operational stakeholders, Fleet teams and customers to deliver excellent service.
• Lead and develop management teams through coaching, performance management and talent development.
• Create positive industrial and employee relations through proactive engagement with CWU and colleagues.
• Oversee local planning, resourcing and special event delivery to ensure operational readiness and service continuity.

About You

You’re an experienced operational leader with a strong background in logistics, transport or a related industry. You enjoy leading large teams, driving operational performance and building strong stakeholder relationships. You’re comfortable balancing people leadership with compliance, safety and commercial considerations. Most importantly, you’re passionate about creating an environment where colleagues feel engaged, supported and empowered to deliver their best.

What You’ll Bring

• Experience leading large operational teams within logistics, transport or similarly complex environments.
• Strong knowledge of fleet operations, safety standards and transport compliance requirements.
• Ability to deliver operational performance through people leadership and continuous improvement.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including experience working with trade unions.
• Strategic planning, resource management and budget analysis capability.
• CPC qualification or willingness to achieve the qualification within 12 months.

Role Impact

You’ll have responsibility for fleet operations comprising approximately 20 to 550 vehicles and trailers, with leadership responsibility for between 50 and 300 managers and frontline colleagues across up to three sites. This role plays a critical part in ensuring Royal Mail’s network operates safely, efficiently and compliantly while delivering excellent service to customers.

Extra Benefits

• Family friendly support - enhanced maternity pay, paternity leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave
• sick pay
• Funded Dental - As a manager you are eligible to a level of employer funded dental insurance*
• Health Assessment - As a manager you are eligible to an employer funded health assessment every 2 years*
• Benefits Account - You will have access to your personal benefits account on our My Bundle+ platform. There are more than 800 retail offers to help you save on things like groceries, days out, holidays and your household bills as well as employer provided and voluntary benefits to suit your lifestyle.
• Your Wellbeing - you and your family have 24/7 access to services and tools to help you get the most out of life. From your physical and mental health to financial and social support and advice. It’s free, and it’s for everyone.

*Available only to permanent employees

Next Steps

The next stage of the selection process will be a face to face interview consisting of competency based and role specific questions along with a case study exercise. We plan to hold interviews on w/c 28th September at Jubilee Mail Centre.

Trust is the foundation of Royal Mail. We aim to be transparent about the qualities we seek and what a career with us entails, building trust from the start of your journey with us. Your interview is the first step, and we want you to shine. To help you prepare, we’ll provide your interview questions in advance, so you can have your best examples ready. At Royal Mail Group, we value trust and our people.

We understand that candidates may not meet all the criteria for the role. If your experience is different, but you have relevant skills we’d love to hear from you.

Royal Mail Group is committed to inclusion and representing the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals. As a proud Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, we especially encourage applications from the Armed Forces community, including cadet instructors and spouses/partners.

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process. If you require any adjustments to support you during the hiring process, please discuss these with your recruiter when contacted.

For more information on Royal Mail Group and our values please click here: https://www.internationaldistributionsservices.com/en/about-us/

Closing Date: 13th September. Please note, this advert may close early if the appropriate number of applications has been reached.