Transport, Fleet & Operations Director

Excel Recruitment; Liverpool; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Business mileage covered

Travel expenses covered

Senior leadership package

Job summary

Excel Recruitment is supporting a rapidly expanding, multi-site services group to appoint a Transport, Fleet & Operations Director. Based in the North West or Midlands, you will shape a national operating model, integrate acquisitions and drive efficiency, profitability and service standards across depots.

With extensive experience in transport, fleet routing and large-scale deployments, you will lead cross-functional teams, set KPI frameworks, and partner with finance and IT to implement

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in transport/logistics across multiple sites.
• Proven track record of integration post-acquisition.
• Strong routing, scheduling and fleet management knowledge.
• Experience building national operating models and KPI frameworks.
• Experience managing P&L and budgeting in a growth environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a consistent national operating model across the UK operation.
• Lead the operational integration of newly acquired businesses, including teams, processes, systems and working practices.
• Establish common operating standards, processes, reporting structures and performance measures across the depot network.
• Take strategic responsibility for transport, fleet, routing and operational planning.
• Optimize national service routes, driver and technician deployment, scheduling and capacity planning.
• Drive operational efficiency to improve service standards, productivity and profitability.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Operations management

Transport & logistics

Multi-site management

M&A integration

Budgeting & P&L

Stakeholder management

Tools

ERP systems

CRM systems

Fleet management software

Job description

Negotiable Transport and Logistics England, North England

Transport, Fleet & Operations Director

Location: North West / Midlands, ideally Liverpool, Manchester or Birmingham | UK-wide travel

Excel Recruitment is seeking an experienced Transport, Fleet & Operations Director to join a rapidly expanding multi-site service business undergoing significant growth and transformation across the UK. This is a pivotal senior leadership appointment for an accomplished operations professional with a strong background in transport, fleet, routing, multi-site operations and acquisition integration who wants to build and scale an operation rather than simply maintain an established one. The successful candidate will play a central role in developing the operational structure required to support ambitious national expansion, integrating acquisitions and driving greater efficiency, consistency and commercial performance. You will also be comfortable working autonomously and travelling regularly throughout the UK.

Company Overview

Our client is an established multi-site service organisation operating across the UK and Ireland. Following significant acquisitive growth, the business is investing heavily in its people, systems and operational infrastructure as it develops a more integrated national operating model.

With an existing network of six UK depots and further expansion planned, this is an opportunity to join the organisation at a particularly exciting stage of its development. The objective is to create a scalable national operation capable of successfully integrating future acquisitions while improving service delivery, productivity and profitability.

Salary & Benefits

• Competitive senior leadership remuneration package based on experience
• Senior UK-wide leadership position with significant influence over business strategy
• Ideally based in the North West or Midlands
• Approximately three days per week UK-wide travel
• Business mileage and appropriate travel expenses covered
• Opportunity to join a rapidly expanding and acquisitive organisation
• Significant scope to shape the future operational structure of the UK business
• Opportunity to build and develop teams as the organisation continues to scale

Key Duties

• Develop and implement a consistent national operating model across the UK operation
• Lead the operational integration of newly acquired businesses, including teams, processes, systems, fleets and working practices
• Establish common operating standards, processes, reporting structures and performance measures across the depot network
• Take strategic responsibility for transport, fleet, routing and operational planning
• Optimise national service routes, driver and technician deployment, scheduling, capacity planning and geographical coverage
• Improve route density and workforce productivity while reducing duplicated journeys, unnecessary mileage and unproductive time
• Take ownership of fleet strategy, utilisation, procurement, replacement planning, maintenance and compliance
• Drive operational efficiency and identify opportunities to improve service standards, productivity and profitability
• Develop the management structure required to support continued geographical and workforce expansion
• Lead and develop geographically dispersed operational teams across multiple depot locations
• Work closely with senior leadership to successfully integrate future acquisitions
• Support the implementation and adoption of ERP, CRM, service management and fleet management technology
• Drive greater use of automation, mobile workforce solutions, electronic job management and real-time operational reporting
• Take responsibility for key operating costs, including labour, vehicles, fuel, maintenance, premises, consumables and subcontracted services
• Work closely with finance and senior management to improve operational profitability and financial accountability
• Lead organisational change, restructuring and the removal of operational duplication where required
• Ensure the operational infrastructure is scalable and capable of supporting continued organic and acquisitive growth

Requirements

• Proven senior operational leadership experience within a transport, logistics, multi-site, field-service, route-based or service-led organisation
• Previous M&A, acquisition integration or post-acquisition operational integration experience
• Strong transport, fleet and routing management experience
• Demonstrable experience managing multi-site or geographically dispersed operations
• Strong understanding of depot management and regional or national operating structures
• Experience managing large operational, driver, technician or frontline workforces
• Proven experience improving scheduling, routing, capacity, utilisation and operational efficiency
• Strong commercial and financial understanding, including P&L management, budgeting, forecasting and cost control
• Experience leading operational transformation and organisational change
• Strong people management and HR capability
• Ability to build appropriate management structures, processes and KPIs within a growing organisation
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Commercial mindset with the confidence to challenge existing practices and make difficult operational decisions
• Resilient, adaptable and comfortable working within a fast-paced and evolving business
• Willingness to travel extensively throughout the UK, approximately three days per week
• Experience within hygiene services, facilities management, consumables, washroom services or a comparable route-based service environment
• Experience of ERP, CRM, service management or fleet management system implementation
• Supply chain management experience
• Experience scaling an operational workforce through significant growth
• Experience opening, integrating or consolidating depot locations
• Experience moving regional businesses towards a common national operating model
• Experience working within an acquisitive or private-equity-style growth environment
• Experience working as part of a senior leadership team

This role offers valuable experience within a rapidly growing, acquisitive and multi-site organisation, providing the successful Transport, Fleet & Operations Director with the opportunity to directly influence its national operating model, integration strategy and future growth. This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially minded operations leader who is passionate about transport, fleet management, operational transformation and business integration and wants to play a key role in building the infrastructure, people and processes needed to support substantial UK expansion.