We are small, family owned logistics company operating out of West london, but with a nationwide delivery presence. We are seeking an operations manager to assist in the day to day running of the business, with help from the owners.
The Operations Manager owns the day-to-day running of the transport operation: planning, dispatch, pricing within the agreed matrix, subcontractor management, and compliance. The purpose of the role is to ensure the continuous, consistent operation of the business.
Key responsibilities
- Planning and dispatch. Own the daily job board in Mandata: allocate jobs to own vehicles and subcontractors, sequence routes, and keep customers informed of ETAs and changes.
- Quoting and pricing. Handle inbound enquiries and issue quotes within the agreed pricing matrix (minimum job value, day rates, the standard job surcharge, and the out-of-hours uplift). Log every enquiry, every quote and every outcome, won or lost, with reason.
- Subcontractor management. Select, instruct and performance-manage subcontract hauliers; check invoices against agreed rates; protect the margin between customer price and subcontractor cost on every subbed job. Ensure they are using the software correctly to record deliveries and collections.
- Compliance and fleet. Maintain the maintenance planner: 6-weekly inspections, MOTs, defect reporting and rectification. Keep driver licence checks, insurance documents and O-licence undertakings current and audit-ready.
- Customer service. First point of contact for day-to-day account queries from depot-level customers; escalate commercial issues to the MD with a recommendation, not just a problem.
- Reporting. Produce the weekly one-page operations summary: jobs quoted and won, revenue per vehicle, vehicles off road, incidents, and issues for the MD.
What good looks like — first 6 months
- The MD spends at least one full day per week out of the office with customers,
- Every quote is logged; the business knows its conversion rate by customer and lead source, every month, without being asked.
- Revenue per vehicle per working day at or above the agreed target
- Zero compliance failures: no missed inspections, no out-of-date documents
- Midweek utilisation (Wed/Thu) measurably improved against the June 2026 baseline.
KPIs (reviewed monthly with the MD)
- Quote conversion rate, by volume and value, against the agreed baseline.
- Revenue per vehicle per working day.
- Subcontractor margin per subbed job.
- Vehicle off-road days and compliance planner status.
- Out-of-hours uplift and job surcharge applied on every qualifying job (spot-checked against Mandata).
Person specification
- Experience running or deputising in a transport, towing, recovery, plant movement or hire operation.
- Confident user of a transport management system (Mandata or similar) and basic spreadsheets.
- Calm under pressure, especially on breakdowns and out-of-hours work; communicates plainly with drivers, depots and customers.
- Takes ownership: closes the loop without chasing, flags problems early, treats the pricing matrix and compliance planner as non-negotiable.
- Desirable: CPC (Transport Manager) qualification or willingness to obtain i; knowledge of the West London / M25 customer base.
Probation and review
- Three-month objectives agreed in writing at the start, reviewed monthly. Confirmation in role, and the performance element of pay, depend on the KPIs above, not on hours worked or effort shown.
- The role is a development path: as the group grows, the Operations Manager is the natural candidate to take on broader general management responsibility.
- Bonuses will be available linked to performance
Pay: £38,000.00-£43,500.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
