Lead Driver

West Sussex County Council; Chichester; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

West Sussex County Council's Transport Provision team is advertising a Lead Driver role based at Drayton depot in Chichester, with travel to Clapham, Drayton or Hop Oast depots as required. The role supports safe passenger transport for children with special needs and vulnerable adults, coordinating vehicle and driver resources, and planning daily allocations to ensure statutory services are delivered.

You will drive a vehicle when needed and must understand safeguarding policies, with a

Qualifications

• Valid UK driving licence including D1 or PCV.
• Ability to drive safely in line with the Highway Code.
• Basic numeracy and literacy for effective communication with colleagues and passengers.
• Competent IT skills to enable use of Microsoft Office Applications.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and problem solve while on the road.
• Experience of working as part of a team to deliver the service.

Responsibilities

• Drive a vehicle and ensure the safe, efficient delivery of the passenger transport service.
• Support the Transport Coordinator and Area Coordinator to run the service effectively.
• Be the first point of contact for drivers regarding vehicle issues; assess roadworthiness with the Transport Coordinator.
• Undertake relief driving when required and cover planned/unplanned absence.

Skills

Driving licence (D1/PCV)

Safe driving

Numeracy & literacy

MS Office

Teamwork

Problem solving

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Salary: £26,427 to £26,847 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full time - 37 hours per week
Location: Based at Drayton but may require travel to any of the 3 main depots -Clapham, Drayton or Hop Oast (Horsham)

The Transport Provision team is currently recruiting for a Lead Driver. The team is spread across all three of our main depots in Chichester, Worthing and Horsham. This role will be based at Drayton depot in Chichester and will support the delivery of a safe passenger transport service for children with special needs and vulnerable adults in this area. This service is delivered using a variety of vehicles and drivers. The role will require you to make sure that vehicles and driver resources are available daily. You will need to support on proactively planning and allocating the resources accordingly to ensure we can deliver our statutory services.

The role will require a variety of tasks which supports the team as well as driving a vehicle yourself. To be success in the role, you will need to understand the customer need as well as be familiar with all relevant policies including safeguarding.

In this role, you make a real difference to children and families and have a strong sense of public service. This is a varied role where no two days are the same. You'll work in a collaborative and supportive working environment. If this sounds like a role that fits with your experience and knowledge, then we want to hear more from you!

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

For a full list, please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

The Opportunity

In this role, you will support the Transport Coordinator and Area Coordinator to ensure the safe and efficient running of the passenger transport service.

You will undertake relief driving when required and ensure that a professional and customer focused approach is used to do so. You will provide an efficient driving service to passengers, following instructions in a flexible manner to cover for planned and unplanned absence in the team.

You will also be the first point of contact for drivers for any vehicle related issues, and responsible for assessing the vehicles' road worthiness with the support of the Transport Coordinator.

About you

Some of the key skills, experience and knowledge required to be successful in the role include:

• Valid UK driving licence, including category D1 or PCV
• Ability to drive safely and considerately in line with the Highway Code.
• Basic numeracy and literacy to enable good communication skills and foster good working relationships with colleagues, whilst building trust with passengers.
• Competent IT skills to enable use of Microsoft Office Applications.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and problem solve whilst out on the road.
• Experience of working as part of a team to deliver the service.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About us

The Transport Provision Team is part of the Transport Co-ordination Department. The team plans and provides passenger transport solutions. These services are provided to eligible children and allows them to get to school which supports the bus network providing millions of bus journeys each year.

The Transport Provision Team provides specialist transport for people with special needs, using its own fleet of vehicles, many of which are fully accessible. The Transport Provision Team covers the whole of West Sussex and operates out of three bases in Chichester, Horsham and Worthing.

For more information on the service, please visit our dedicated webpage for all things schools transport recruitment here.

Further information

The reference number for this role is EIE01590.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion, accessibility and diversity is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all cultures, ethnicities, identities, backgrounds and lived experiences, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.