Transport & Distribution Manager

This is the senior operational role at Drophex. You will own the transport and distribution side of the business end to end: the fleet, the drivers and crews, the routes, the compliance file and the numbers underneath all of it. Removals work, same-day courier runs and pallet distribution each pull on the same vehicles and the same people, and the job is to make that work every day without anything slipping.

We are a growing operator rather than a large network, so this is a hands-on management role. You will be onsite in London with the team, not managing it from a distance, and you will have genuine authority over how the operation is run and where it invests next.

Running the operation

• Owning the daily transport plan across removals, courier and pallet distribution, and making the call when jobs compete for the same vehicle or crew
• Planning capacity ahead of peak periods, so spring and summer demand is covered by vehicles and people booked in advance rather than scrambled for
• Route and load planning that keeps vehicle fill high and empty running low
• Managing collections and deliveries through our pallet network partners, and holding subcontractors to the standards we promise our own customers
• Being the escalation point when a job goes wrong, and owning the fix and the conversation with the customer

Fleet and compliance

• Holding the operation to its Operator Licence undertakings, and keeping the compliance file audit-ready at all times
• Monitoring drivers' hours, Working Time Directive limits and tachograph records, and dealing with infringements properly rather than letting them accumulate
• Running the daily walkaround check and defect reporting process, and making sure defects are actually closed out
• Scheduling preventative maintenance inspections, servicing, MOTs and tyre management, and keeping the records to prove it
• Managing breakdowns, vehicle downtime, insurance claims and accident investigations
• Keeping the fleet compliant with ULEZ, LEZ, congestion charging and the Direct Vision Standard, and planning ahead for changes to them
• Owning health and safety in the operation: risk assessments, manual handling, PPE, toolbox talks and incident reporting

People and performance

• Recruiting, inducting and training drivers, porters and crew leaders, and building the rota around the work
• Line-managing the team day to day, including one-to-ones, performance conversations and disciplinary matters where they arise
• Driver licence and CPC checking, and keeping qualification records current
• Tracking the numbers that matter: on-time delivery, cost per drop, fuel and MPG, damage and claims rates, and complaint volumes
• Owning the transport budget, including fuel, maintenance and subcontractor spend, and negotiating rates with carriers and suppliers
• Reporting to the directors on performance, risks and what the operation needs next

What we are looking for

• Proven experience managing a transport or distribution operation, including direct responsibility for drivers and vehicles
• A Transport Manager CPC (National). We will consider a strong candidate who is actively working towards it
• Working knowledge of Operator Licence compliance, drivers' hours, WTD and tachograph analysis that goes beyond the theory
• Real people-management experience, including the difficult conversations
• Confidence with numbers: budgets, cost per drop, fuel spend and supplier rates
• Good working knowledge of London geography and its traffic and emissions schemes
• A full UK driving licence, and the right to work in the UK
• Willingness to be onsite in London five days a week

Helpful, but not essential

• Removals industry experience, or time spent inside a pallet network
• FORS accreditation experience, at any level
• IOSH or NEBOSH certification
• Experience introducing transport management, telematics or route optimisation software
• A C or C1 licence, useful for covering at short notice

What we offer

• A 37.5 hour week, Monday to Friday, in a trade where that is not a given
• Competitive salary, paid holiday and a workplace pension
• Funded CPC refresher training and continuing professional development
• Direct access to the directors, and decisions made in days rather than quarters
• The chance to shape how the operation grows rather than inherit someone else's system