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Salary: Competitive plus benefits
Location: Crick Depot, Northampton, NN6 7SL
Contract type: Secondment
Business area: Logistics
Closing date: 18 September 2025
Requisition ID: 400013971

We believe in providing meaningful work and achieving a real work/life balance. Here, you'll find both. Our Supply Chain team is the engine room for getting thousands of products from farms and factories to our millions of customers every day. We leverage insight and data to anticipate customer needs, ensuring they get what they want, when they need it. You'll be part of a team that is data-driven and judgement-focused, always the first to identify and address any issues or ambiguities. A culture of collaboration, customer obsession, and continuous improvement drives us to deliver market-leading product availability and operational excellence, and fuels our innovation. Our Supply Chain team calls for people who champion change, are customer-obsessed, data-driven, and excel at collaborating and communicating effectively - because those people can go a very long way.

Job Title: Transport First Line Manager - 6 month fixed term contract

As a Transport First Line Manager, you will be responsible for the execution of the operational plan, providing a cost effective professional service, and maintaining a smooth and effective transport operation.

 

Key duties and accountabilities: 

Includes but not limited

· Identify and escalate (where necessary) all potential operational risks (Cost, Service, People and Safety)

· Communicate effectively to internal and external stakeholders

· Achieve customers KPI’s in line with the business budget

· Supply accurate information on operational status as and when required including shift handover

· Utilise efficiencies to ensure drivers comply with legislation and company policies

· Prioritise workflow in line with business needs across all colleagues within the transport department

· Ensure Health and Safety is part of our daily activities

· Deputise for the Shift Manager in their absence

 

Qualifications, Key skills and experience required:

· Previous experience of working in a transport / warehouse environment

· Previous working knowledge of Transport Management systems

· Effective communication skills at all levels

· Knowledge Drivers hours and working time directive

· Computer literate, competent user of all Microsoft Office applications.

· Experience in working to Health and Safety requirements

 

Core Responsibilities

· Lead the shift transport team, allocate duties during the shift and direct team members to ensure that the shift is completed efficiently and depot KPIs are achieved

· Proactively identify any operational risks and ensure that the escalation procedures are followed

· Ensure all drivers receive a full brief of their working schedule prior to departing depot inc any specific requirements relating to safety and temperature control

· Communicate clearly and concisely with team members during the shift to ensure that the operation runs efficiently and effectively to meet depot KPIs, through task allocation

· Provide updates to the Shift Management on progress against daily plan, operational issues and progress to resolve operational issues

· Liaise with agency to ensure that they fulfil in line with plan and operational requirement and escalate if requirements are not met

 

Completion of investigations and disciplinary meetings in line with the company’s dispute resolution policy

· Monitor, record, and report against agency fulfilment

· Contribute to and support the induction of new team members (Drivers)

· Identify training requirements for the transport team and implement where needed

· Ensure that induction training has been received by all drivers (Sainsburys and agency) prior to them leaving depot

· Lead the PDR process providing constructive feedback on performance and implementing training plans for team members

· Involvement in discipline, grievance and attendance management

· Review the operational plan to ensure that it is achievable with the current depot status · Identify, communicate and implement improvements in the daily transport plan

· Take action each shift to ensure that operational KPIs are consistently achieved.

· Identify working practice improvements that would support the consistent and effective achievement of operational KPIs and make recommendations to Shift Manager

· Identify options and make recommendations to the Shift Manager to resolve operational issues and risks

· Ensure that team remain focussed on the operational plan during the shift

· Ensure that colleagues support one another with workload during pinch points on shift

· Take a proactive role in developing a culture where Health and safety is at the core of everything we do on

· Ensure that the team operate in line with site rules on Personal Mobile Phone usage etc

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