Senior Manager (Depot Operations) - Area 4

DPD Group UK; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vitality At Work

Holiday trading

Enhanced maternity and paternity

Free life assurance of 4 x salary on p

Free onsite parking

Discounted shopping from retailers

Milestone Days off

Free eye tests

Job summary

DPD UK is seeking a Senior Manager (Depot Operations) to lead day-to-day depot performance across multiple sites. You will drive service targets, oversee safety standards, and manage costs while coordinating with hub operations and senior management.

You will develop teams, optimize routing, and implement improvement plans. Strong leadership and hands-on experience in parcel/transport operations are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Strong background in hands-on parcel management or transport operations.
• Proficiency and understanding in using live routing systems (e.g. Quantum).
• Demonstrated experience in managing live operational teams across a multi-site portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Deliver day-to-day execution of plans across all depots to meet service targets.
• Ensure depots maintain high quality and safety standards at all times.
• Control costs to budget and monitor expenditure.
• Lead site managers to achieve performance targets and report to senior management.
• Develop direct reports to meet KPIs and DNA standards.
• Coordinate setup of new depots or moves as needed by plans.
• Analyse depot routes and improve efficiency where needed.
• Provide feedback to Heads of Network to refine processes.

Skills

Leadership

Transport operations

KPI management

Stakeholder engagement

People development

Route planning

Analytical thinking

Tools

Quantum

Job description

Senior Manager (Depot Operations) - Area 4

• Full-time
• Job Title: Senior Manager (Depots)
• Function: Mid Management
• Vacancy Type: Permanent - Full Time

DPD UK is a member of Geopost who are a market leader in parcel delivery and e-commerce solutions, providing a broad range of delivery and innovative services for customers worldwide. DPD UK has a turnover of over £2 billion and our aim is to be the most sustainable delivery company in the UK. At DPD UK we also aim to deliver the best service, use the best technology and recruit and retain the best people in the industry.

DPD is a Valuable 500 company and a Disability Confident Employer.

Role Purpose

The Senior Manager role is responsible for the critical, day-to-day execution and continuous monitoring of network flow within and between DPD's Depots and central Hub operations. This role focuses on ensuring the management of performance, quality, and cost standards needed to deliver the agreed operational plan set by the business, acting as the primary link between Senior management and on-site Depot operations.

Key Role Accountabilities

Deliver day-to-day execution of the plans across all depots, ensuring daily performance targets for service are achieved

Ensure all depots within each area maintain the highest Quality and Health & Safety Standards at all times.

Ensure cost control is managed to budget

Working closely with the wider hub operations team and providing regular feedback/solutions

Develop all direct reports to ensure they deliver the highest standards of performance as required by business KPI’s and DNA.

Provide "on-the-ground" feedback to the Heads of Network to refine network processes

Coordinate the physical setup of new Depots and/or depot moves as required by the business plans

Monitor depot performance against capacity limits and **escalate** any service and cost issues.

Operational Performance & Efficiency

Conduct regular reviews using business systems and dashboards of each site to measure performance against all KPIs and implement improvement plans where required with site management teams.

Identify immediate operational risks (e.g., weather, road closures) and ensure sites implement contingency plans as expected.

Analyse depot route planning to identify and fix localised inefficiencies.

Ensure all depots have plans for volume uplift periods at Bank Holidays and Peak to maintain service and cost metrics.

Authorise and monitor operational expenditure with your area as required by company processes.

Regularly review the use of Quantum and Route Planning at Depot level.

Conduct regular audits of route plans to ensure they are being executed as intended.

Work with transport leads to ensure daily fleet availability at the depots meets the depot requirements.

Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

Lead a team of Site managers to deliver the business performance targets as required by senior management.

Act as the primary point of contact for all Depot Managers regarding daily network issues.

Identify talent with your area to ensure we plan for future growth and give opportunity for people to progress inline with campaign strategy.

Develop relations with all support functions impacting your area to ensure all policy, procedures and Legal compliance is maintained in all sites

Responsible for presenting operational performance of your sites back to senior management in a concise and clear manner.

Responsibility to support Sales and CRM in achieving company revenue growth plans.

Identify immediate "low-hanging fruit" for efficiency gains (e.g., better AM Time in Depot).

Ensure depot teams are using all digital tools and routing best practices for maximum gain.

Support site-level pilots of new operational processes.

Sustainability & Compliance

Monitor daily driver compliance with hours and safety regulations.

Ensure Depot-level adherence to environmental policies (e.g., engine idling and route compliance).

Record and report sustainability data (e.g., EV utilisation rates) at the Depot level.

Key Relationships

Internal: Head of Region (Reporting line), Depot Managers, Shift Managers, Transport Operations Teams, Hub Operations Teams.

External: 3PL drivers, Multi route Partners, External courier suppliers, regulatory auditors.

Experience & Capability

Strong background in hands-on parcel management or transport operations.

Proficiency and understanding in using live routing systems (e.g. Quantum)

Demonstrated experience in managing live operational teams across a multi-site portfolio.

Good understanding of UK transport regulations and safety compliance.

Personal Attributes

Results-driven with a focus on accountability and daily targets.

Computer literate with excellent prioritisation and organisational skills

Excellent commercial and communication skills for managing "blue-collar" and management stakeholders.

Demonstrate the Company DNA and have an ability to inspire excellence in others.

Adaptable and decisive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.

Strong ability to mentor and performance manage a team.

Good analytical skills.

About our benefits

Alongside an excellent basic salary, we recognise that our people are at the heart of our business, without them we wouldn’t be able to deliver our award-winning service to all our customers.

• Vitality At Work
• Holiday trading
• Enhanced maternity and paternity package
• Free life assurance of 4 x salary on joining the pension scheme
• Free onsite parking for all employees
• Discounted shopping from 100’s of retailers including up to 5% off your weekly supermarket shop
• Milestone Days off to celebrate with your family and friends
• Free eye tests and support with the cost of glasses

Joining DPD can lead to not just a stable job but also a career. DPD prides itself on recognising and developing talent alongside a desire to promote from within. As a continually growing and evolving organisation, we are proud to offer a great number of development and promotion opportunities.