Transport Manager

With a heritage dating back to 1757, James Latham is a business built on strong family values, specialist expertise and a commitment to exceptional service. Supplying timber and specialist materials to customers across the UK and Ireland, our strength lies in our people, their knowledge, dedication and pride in what they do. We offer colleagues the opportunity to build a lasting career, develop their skills and take on greater responsibility as the business grows.

With a heritage dating back to 1757, James Latham is a business built on strong family values, specialist expertise and a commitment to exceptional service. Supplying timber and specialist materials to customers across the UK and Ireland, our strength lies in our people, their knowledge, dedication and pride in what they do. We offer colleagues the opportunity to build a lasting career, develop their skills and take on greater responsibility as the business grows.

Our new National Distribution Centre in Chatteris marks an exciting chapter in that story. Joining us at the beginning offers a unique opportunity to help shape the operation, establish high standards and build a team whose work will support our wider business. This is your chance to make a meaningful contribution from day one and grow with us as we build for the future.

• Company pension and discretionary bonus opportunities.
• Health cash plan and life assurance.
• A confidential Employee Assistance helpline.
• Annual leave as specified in your contract, including bank holidays.
• The option to purchase up to five additional days’ leave, subject to approval.
• Training and development opportunities to support your career progression within the company.
• Discounted staff purchases and long-service recognition.

You will lead transport operations at our National Distribution Centre in Chatteris, ensuring the safe, reliable and cost effective movement of deliveries, collections and stock transfers across our depot network.

Transport will be your primary responsibility, alongside providing Warehouse Manager cover during absences. Working closely with depot teams, warehouse colleagues and external hauliers, you will maintain high operational standards and drive continuous improvement across safety, service and efficiency.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Planning and coordinating transport schedules, routes and loads to meet delivery commitments and optimise vehicle utilisation.
• Leading transport colleagues and drivers, setting clear expectations and managing relationships with external hauliers.
• Maintaining transport safety and compliance, ensuring operational records are accurate and up to date.
• Coordinating with warehouse teams to ensure orders are ready for dispatch and vehicles depart on schedule.
• Monitoring transport costs, vehicle utilisation and delivery performance, taking action to address issues and improve results.
• Managing operational disruptions, resolving problems promptly and implementing improvements to prevent recurrence.
• Providing Warehouse Manager cover, overseeing daily warehouse activities and maintaining safety, productivity and service standards.
• Supporting the NDC launch and phased depot transitions, helping establish effective processes and a reliable service across the network.

You will be an organised and accountable leader with a practical approach to managing people, priorities and operational performance. You will communicate clearly, build effective working relationships and make sound decisions in a busy distribution environment.

You will bring:

• Proven experience managing transport operations, haulier relationships and delivery performance.
• Strong working knowledge of transport compliance, safe loading practices and cost control.
• Experience supervising warehouse operations or providing warehouse management cover.
• Effective leadership skills, with the ability to motivate colleagues and maintain clear performance expectations.
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to continuous improvement.
• Confidence using operational systems, Excel and performance data to inform decisions and monitor results.

Experience in timber or panel distribution, or familiarity with Bis Track or Epicor WMS, would be advantageous.