Commercial Fleet Manager | Strategic Leadership & Transformation
Location: Milton Keynes (with UK-wide travel)
Reporting to: CFO
Package: Competitive Salary + Benefits
The Opportunity: Build, Fix, and Lead
Are you a seasoned fleet professional who thrives on turning fragmentation into order? We are currently supporting a high-growth, PE-backed (Private Equity) infrastructure leader on a journey of significant centralisation and maturity. Following a series of strategic mergers, they are seeking a transformational Commercial Fleet Manager to establish a brand new centralised function from the ground up.
This isn’t a \"business as usual\" maintenance role. The current fleet operation is fragmented and reactive. We need a visionary leader to shift the focus from \"fixing blowouts\" to \"defining a multi-million-pound fleet strategy.\" You will inherit a blank canvas in Milton Keynes, with the mandate to build your own team, restore operational trust, and future-proof a complex national fleet.
The Mandate
* Strategic Architecture: Develop and execute a comprehensive fleet strategy from scratch, including a critical review of funding models (lease vs. purchase) and a long-term replacement roadmap for 1,100 vehicles.
* Departmental Start-up: Hire, mentor, and lead a brand-new centralised team based at a new Milton Keynes hub.
* Operational Excellence: Modernise a geographically dispersed operation across 30+ depots, drastically reducing Vehicle Off Road (VOR) times and improving staff welfare.
* Compliance & Safety: Act as the primary guardian of the company’s Operator’s Licenses and lead the drive for FORS accreditations.
* Innovation: Partner with industry-leading technology providers to leverage AI-based safety systems, telematics, and green technologies for a more sustainable fleet.
The Ideal Profile
We are looking for a \"Strategic Doer\". Someone capable of presenting a 100-day plan to the Board in the morning and resolving a complex maintenance dispute in the afternoon.
Must-Haves:
* International or National Transport Manager CPC: This is a non-negotiable requirement to hold the business’s license.
* Large-Scale Fleet Experience: A proven track record of managing c. 1,000+ vehicles, specifically within high-mileage, LCV-heavy (Light Commercial Vehicle), and geographically dispersed environments.
* Change Management: Experience in \"fixing something broken.\" You must be resilient, autonomous, and capable of winning over sceptical internal stakeholders through delivery and transparency.
* Supplier Management: Strong negotiation skills with a history of managing major fleet management partners and manufacturers.
Desirable:
* FORS Practitioner qualification.
* Experience with specialist vehicles (IPVs/HPVs) or the Highways/Traffic Management sectors.
Why Join?
This is a rare chance to take full \"ownership\" of a fleet function. You will report directly to a forward-thinking CFO who views the fleet as the heartbeat of the business. While the first six months will be a \"ground-up\" build involving significant cultural and operational shifts, the reward is the opportunity to design a gold-standard fleet operation for a market leader.