Deputy Business Unit Manager – Port Operations
Location: Sheerness
Salary: £55,000 - £60,000
Full-Time, Permanent
27 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays
Family Private Medical Insurance
Access to other Flexible Benefits including Medicash, Life Assurance, Critical Illness, Bike2Work, Car Scheme, iPad scheme etc
Our client, a leading logistics and port services provider, is seeking an experienced Deputy Business Unit Manager to join their operations team in Sheerness. This is a fantastic opportunity for a motivated leader with a background in port or large-scale industrial operations to step into a high-impact role.
This position will support the Business Unit Manager in overseeing the Paper Port Terminal – driving performance, safety, and operational excellence while ensuring first-class service delivery and team development.
What You’ll Be Doing
* Supporting the Business Unit Manager to achieve operational targets and develop workforce capability.
* Leading day-to-day operations across landside and terminal activities.
* Ensuring compliance with all EHS standards and driving a culture of Visible Felt Leadership.
* Managing labour planning, deployment, and forecasting across the Paper and RDF terminals.
* Monitoring revenue, costs, and productivity to help deliver against EBITDA and budget expectations.
* Contributing to continuous improvement, innovation, and process efficiency projects.
* Building and maintaining strong relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders, including commercial, logistics, and supply chain partners.
* Ensuring accurate reporting, billing, and customer service delivery across contracts and SLAs.
* Supporting the creation and execution of staff development and succession planning strategies.
Your Team & Responsibilities
You’ll directly manage a team of Team Leaders and have indirect oversight of Chargehands, Port Operatives, and third-party labour. You’ll also be accountable for operational equipment and assets, and play a key role in driving cost efficiency, safety, and service performance across shifts.
What We’re Looking For
* 3+ years’ experience in port operations, logistics, distribution or similarly complex operational environments.
* Strong working knowledge of safety regulations and operational compliance.
* A confident leader who can manage, mentor, and inspire multi-level teams.
* Excellent decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
* Effective communicator with strong written and verbal skills.
* Proficiency with Microsoft Office and operational systems.
* A proactive mindset with a “can-do” attitude – someone who thrives under pressure and enjoys driving change.
* Full UK driving licence required.
If you're an operational leader with experience in ports, terminals, or heavy industry, and you’re looking for a challenging and rewarding next step — we’d love to hear from you