Transport Operations Team Manager

Leicestershire County Council; England; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the UK is seeking a Transport Operations Team Manager to oversee Home to School and Social Care transport services. The role involves managing a budget of approximately £30 million per year, ensuring compliance with transport legislation, and improving service efficiency. Candidates should have extensive experience in managing transport services and excellent communication skills. This position is hybrid, with a salary range of £55,443 - £61,116 per annum.

Qualifications

• Experience of successfully managing a transport service.
• Track record at a senior level in policy and procedures development.
• In-depth knowledge of Transport legislation.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage day-to-day operation of Home to School Transport.
• Lead strategic development of the school transport network.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding obligations.

Skills

Experience managing transport services

Strategy and policy development

Communication skills

Ability to manage complex budgets

Understanding of Transport legislation

Team management

Job description

Overview

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester, LE3 8RA

Worker Category: Hybrid Worker

Salary: £55,443 - £61,116 per annum (Pro rata for part time)

Working Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 3rd October 2025

Interview Dates: 16th and 17th October 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Transport Operations Team Manager within the Assisted Transport Team in the Environment and Transport Department. We are looking for someone to oversee the day-to-day operational delivery of Home to School Transport and Social Care Transport.

About the Role

The postholder will oversee and manage the day-to-day operation of around 9,000 passenger journeys per day, ensuring they are efficient, meet legislative requirements, and comply with procurement legislation and the council’s procurement processes. This role will lead the strategic development of the school transport network, driving efficiencies, reducing costs, and improving customer experience through continuous improvement. In light of growth, the postholder will help ensure the on-going sustainability of the service and maximise technological opportunities.

This role includes ensuring safeguarding obligations are met, supporting and deputising for the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO). The postholder will ensure that all customer enquiries and complaints are dealt with in a timely and professional manner.

The postholder will be responsible for managing a budget expenditure totaling approximately £30 million per year, including all financial transactions, and for forecasting the transport operations team budget.

A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.

About You

To apply for this post, you must have:

• Experience of successfully managing a transport service or a service where directing, coordinating, planning and overseeing tasks and operations involving transportation is paramount.
• Track record of working and managing successfully at a senior level, including strategy, policy and procedures development and implementation, managing complex budgets, resourcing, motivating and developing teams, managing change and performance improvement.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of the requirements of Transport legislation and associated Education and Transport legislation.
• Excellent communication skills - written, presentational, in negotiations and in conversational; able to manage emotive customer contact.
• Able to establish effective and productive working relationships with elected Members, commissioned services, transport operators and other key stakeholders.

You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.

In addition, we expect you to share our commitment to our values and will be asked to evidence this as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.

This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) and therefore the ability to speak fluent English is an essential requirement for this role.

Flexible Working

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances while still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss possible flexible working options, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.

Every role within the Council has a defined working style. The worker category applicable to this post is detailed in the above advert. More information about our worker categories is available on our career site.

Contact information

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Chris Pettifer, Head of Assisted Transport

Phone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

How to Apply

Please apply by sending your CV and a supporting statement detailing how you meet the requirements of the post. The supporting statement should not be longer than 500 words. Leicestershire County Council is an inclusive organisation that seeks to embed equality, diversity and inclusion at every level. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the About You section will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.

To apply, click the apply button and upload your supporting statement explaining how you meet the criteria listed in the About You section. See the How to Apply section on our career site for more information.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications. Please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when applying or need an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre at 0300 3030222 (option 2) or raise a ticket via our online portal: emss.org.uk/support.

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.