Do you thrive on making things happen today—not tomorrow? As a Depot Manager, you'll be the driving force behind our Basildon Depot's success. Your mission is to deliver outstanding operational performance while empowering your team to make the right decisions—even when they're not the easy ones. You will set the standard for excellence by ensuring compliance with operational policies, transport legislation, health and safety, and people management. Your leadership will create a productive, positive environment where your team can excel.
Working closely with our District and Depot Management teams, you will play a key role in shaping a strong, sustainable future for our operations.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead a motivated and engaged workforce, ensuring a positive working environment that drives success across all teams.
* Foster a fun and supportive culture, ensuring the wellbeing and development of all direct reports through coaching, support and encouragement.
* Manage self‑employed drivers, addressing challenges, managing expectations, and working closely with the Driver Account Manager.
* Execute HR procedures such as investigations, disciplinary meetings and performance management with fairness and consistency.
* Monitor and manage depot performance against agreed key performance indicators to ensure continuous improvement.
* Manage the depot’s budget, including cost management and ensuring cost‑effective delivery.
* Ensure the depot remains fully compliant with transport legislation and operational requirements.
* Maintain high operational efficiency through effective people management, setting clear performance expectations and ensuring the smooth execution of daily tasks.
* Provide daily and weekly reports to the District Manager.
What We’re Looking For
* Inspirational leadership that motivates the team to achieve operational targets and performance goals.
* Strong focus on coaching and development, ensuring team members receive feedback and growth opportunities.
* Ability to make quick, sound decisions under pressure and stay focused on delivering customer service excellence.
* Strategic mindset to challenge existing processes, identify inefficiencies and implement improvements.
* Fair and consistent approach to people management, keeping calm and composed in stressful situations.
* Critical thinking skills that benefit both the team and the business.
* Accountability for maintaining operational efficiency and achieving or exceeding depot KPIs.
* Comfortable working in a fast‑paced environment, managing priorities and staying on top of tasks.
* Deep understanding of logistics, transport legislation, and operational best practices.
* Strong knowledge of health and safety legislation.
* Analytical skills to interpret data, assess performance, and produce accurate reports that inform decision‑making.
* Business ownership mindset and problem‑solving capability.
* Prior experience in a depot or logistics environment (CPC is desirable but not essential).
* Leadership and teamwork skills, with experience of managing a diverse workforce.
Benefits
* 33 days holiday (including bank holidays)
* At least 5 % pension scheme contribution
* Healthcare cashback scheme
* Exclusive staff discount
* Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption packages
* Expression of wish service
* Two fully paid charity days a year (make a difference days)
* Share‑save scheme and surname scheme (optional)
We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer
AO is proud to be an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe that our people should reflect the diversity of our customers, and we aim to create a welcoming environment that respects all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders, ages, religions, abilities and sexual orientations. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment, regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
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