Senior Transport and Compliance Manager job at Lanes Group

Lanes Group is hiring: Senior Transport and Compliance Manager. Senior Transport Manager Region / Division: RWS Department: Southern Water O&M Reports to…

Company: Lanes Group · Work mode: on site · Contract: Full-time

Senior Transport Manager
Region / Division: RWS
Department: Southern Water O&M
Reports to: Head of Transport
Functional Manager: Head of Transport
About Lanes Group
Lanes Group is a leading nationwide utility services provider with c.5000 dedicated employees. Our diverse subsidiaries drive our success across various sectors, contributing to a remarkable turnover of over £700million. We are committed to excellence and innovation, ensuring we provide industry leading services to our clients and stakeholders. Join us to be part of a dynamic and growing team that values diversity and fosters professional growth.
Department
Southern Water provides essential water and wastewater services across the South East of England. As a trusted delivery partner, Lanes Group plays a key role in maintaining critical wastewater infrastructure through the Southern Water Operations & Maintenance (O&M) contract. Our teams deliver essential wastewater and drainage services, supporting safe, reliable and resilient services for customers, communities and the environment.
Purpose of the Role
The Senior Transport Manager is responsible for providing senior leadership, governance and assurance for all transport activities supporting the Southern Water O&M contract .
The role will lead, manage and develop the Transport Management team supporting the contract, ensuring transport operations are safe, compliant, efficient and capable of meeting operational requirements.
The postholder will be named on the relevant Operator Licence, where required , and work closely with the Head of Transport to ensure all applicable O-Licence requirements and undertakings are effectively managed and maintained across the Southern Water O&M contract.
A key focus of the role will be ensuring Transport Managers understand and deliver their individual responsibilities, with robust oversight of vehicle roadworthiness, fleet maintenance, driver compliance, transport safety, fleet availability, audit requirements and corrective actions.
The Senior Transport Manager will provide clear leadership, challenge and assurance, ensuring that operational demands do not compromise transport safety, legal requirements or compliance standards.
Location: Southern Water O&M operational locations, Including: Southampton, Tonbridge, Crawley and Worthing.
Job Type: Permanent, full-time
Hours: Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week
Key Responsibilities
Transport Leadership & Team Management
• Lead the Transport Management function for the Southern Water O&M contract, providing clear direction, standards and accountability.
• Lead, manage, coach and develop the team of Transport Managers, ensuring consistent standards and ways of working are maintained across the contract.
• Set clear objectives and expectations for Transport Managers and regularly review performance, compliance and delivery.
• Ensure Transport Managers understand their individual responsibilities and have the knowledge, capability and support required to fulfil them effectively.
• Hold Transport Managers accountable for compliance and transport performance within their areas, addressing gaps promptly and consistently.
• Provide senior guidance and support on complex transport, fleet and compliance matters.
• Act as a key escalation point for significant transport and compliance issues affecting the contract.
• Develop capability and resilience across the Transport Management team through coaching, development and succession planning.
• Build a strong culture of ownership, accountability, safety and continuous improvement within the transport function.
• Work closely with operational leadership to ensure transport arrangements effectively support Southern Water O&M delivery.
Operator Licence & Regulatory Compliance
• Be named on the relevant Operator Licence, where required, and actively support the effective management and maintenance of the Operator Licence applicable to the Southern Water O&M contract.
• Work closely with the Head of Transport to ensure O-Licence requirements and undertakings are understood, monitored and effectively managed.
• Lead and manage the Transport Management team in delivering the controls and standards required to support ongoing O-Licence compliance.
• Ensure Transport Managers clearly understand their individual responsibilities relating to O-Licence and wider transport compliance requirements.
• Hold Transport Managers accountable for maintaining appropriate standards within their respective operational areas.
• Maintain robust oversight of transport compliance systems, documentation, records and management controls.
• Conduct regular compliance reviews to identify weaknesses, emerging risks or areas requiring intervention.
• Ensure actual or potential compliance breaches are appropriately investigated, escalated and addressed.
• Develop and oversee corrective action plans following compliance failures, audits or identified areas of risk.
• Monitor actions through to effective completion and ensure improvements are embedded.
• Support regulatory inspections, audits and other external assurance activity where required.
• Ensure relevant changes to transport legislation or regulatory requirements are understood and appropriately implemented within the contract.
• Maintain clear escalation routes to the Head of Transport for significant or recurring transport compliance concerns.
Vehicle Roadworthiness & Fleet Maintenance
• Maintain senior oversight of vehicle roadworthiness and fleet maintenance arrangements supporting the Southern Water O&M contract.
• Ensure effective arrangements are in place for planned preventative maintenance, inspections, servicing and repairs.
• Ensure Transport Managers maintain appropriate oversight of vehicle inspections, defects and repairs within their operational areas.
• Monitor vehicle downtime, recurring defects and maintenance performance, challenging underlying causes where standards are not achieved.
• Ensure appropriate controls are maintained so that vehicles with unresolved safety or compliance concerns are not placed into operational service.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams and external maintenance providers to maximise fleet availability while maintaining required safety and compliance standards.
• Review maintenance performance and ensure concerns with service quality or recurring vehicle issues are appropriately escalated and addressed.
• Ensure accurate and appropriate maintenance, inspection and compliance records are maintained.
Driver Compliance & Road Safety
• Champion a strong road safety and driver compliance culture across the Southern Water O&M contract.
• Ensure Transport Managers maintain effective oversight of driver compliance and standards within their areas.
• Ensure effective arrangements are maintained for vehicle checks, defect reporting and escalation.
• Monitor relevant driver and vehicle compliance information to identify trends, recurring concerns and areas of increased risk.
• Ensure transport-related incidents, collisions and significant vehicle events are appropriately reported, reviewed and investigated.
• Ensure appropriate corrective and preventative actions are implemented following transport incidents or identified non-compliance.
• Work with Transport Managers and operational leaders to address repeated or significant driver compliance concerns.
• Ensure colleagues receive appropriate information, guidance and training to understand their responsibilities relating to vehicles and transport compliance.
• Promote an environment in which transport safety and compliance concerns are raised, challenged and addressed promptly.
Compliance Auditing & Assurance
• Establish and maintain an effective programme of transport compliance audits and management checks across the Southern Water O&M contract.
• Regularly review operational locations and transport activities against required transport and compliance standards.
• Ensure Transport Managers undertake required compliance checks, management reviews and actions consistently.
• Review audit outcomes to identify trends, systemic weaknesses and emerging areas of risk.
• Ensure audit findings have clear owners, actions and completion dates.
• Monitor corrective actions through to closure and ensure improvements are sustainable and embedded into operational practice.
• Escalate repeated, significant or unresolved compliance failures appropriately.
• Provide the Head of Transport with clear assurance regarding transport controls, compliance and areas of risk across the contract.
Fleet Performance & Operational Delivery
• Ensure the transport function delivers the fleet capability required to support effective Southern Water O&M operations.
• Monitor fleet availability, utilisation and performance and identify opportunities to improve effectiveness.
• Work proactively with operational teams to understand current and future fleet requirements.
• Balance operational requirements with safety, compliance, vehicle availability and cost considerations.
• Identify recurring causes of vehicle downtime and work with relevant stakeholders to implement sustainable improvements.
• Drive consistency in transport processes and standards across operational locations.
• Identify opportunities to improve fleet efficiency and utilisation without compromising safety, roadworthiness or compliance.
Transport Performance & KPIs
• Establish, monitor and regularly review appropriate transport KPIs for the Southern Water O&M contract.
• Ensure performance measures provide meaningful oversight of areas including transport compliance, vehicle availability, maintenance, defects, incidents, driver standards and fleet performance.
• Hold regular performance reviews with Transport Managers, ensuring underperformance is appropriately challenged and supported by clear improvement actions.
• Use management information to identify emerging risks, trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure recurring poor performance is fully understood and appropriate corrective action is implemented.
• Provide the Head of Transport and contract leadership with clear and accurate reporting on transport performance, risks and priorities.
• Ensure improvement plans have clear accountability and are monitored through to effective completion.
Stakeholder Management
• Develop strong working relationships with Southern Water O&M operational leadership and other key internal stakeholders.
• Act as a senior transport representative for the contract and participate in relevant operational and management meetings.
• Provide clear and professional transport and compliance advice to operational leaders and managers.
• Constructively challenge operational decisions or practices where these could compromise transport safety, roadworthiness or regulatory compliance.
• Work collaboratively with operational teams to identify workable transport solutions while protecting required compliance standards.
• Maintain effective relationships with relevant maintenance providers, suppliers and other external partners.
• Ensure key stakeholders are appropriately informed of significant transport risks, compliance issues and improvement activity.
Supplier & Cost Management
• Maintain appropriate oversight of external providers delivering vehicle maintenance and other transport-related services.
• Monitor supplier performance, service quality, responsiveness and value for money.
• Challenge unnecessary expenditure and identify opportunities to improve cost effectiveness.
• Ensure commercial considerations do not compromise vehicle safety, roadworthiness or compliance.
• Support effective fleet planning and vehicle replacement decisions using operational and performance information.
• Work collaboratively with suppliers and internal stakeholders to resolve recurring fleet and maintenance concerns.
Team Capability & Development
• Develop the capability of the Transport Management team to ensure the Southern Water O&M contract has a strong and sustainable transport management structure.
• Coach and support Transport Managers and provide regular, constructive feedback on performance and compliance standards.
• Identify individual and team development requirements and ensure appropriate development is implemented.
• Promote knowledge sharing and consistent ways of working across the Transport Management team.
• Address capability or performance concerns promptly and appropriately.
• Support succession planning and develop resilience within the transport function.
Reporting, Risk & Continuous Improvement
• Maintain effective oversight of transport risks affecting the Southern Water O&M contract.
• Produce clear, accurate and timely management information covering compliance, fleet performance, incidents, risks and improvement activity.
• Ensure significant transport risks or compliance concerns are promptly escalated to the Head of Transport and relevant contract leadership.
• Track improvement activity and ensure agreed actions are delivered and embedded.
• Use audit findings, performance data, incident information and operational feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Drive continuous improvement across transport processes, systems, standards and management capability.
Key Requirements
Skills & Experience
• Significant experience within transport, fleet or logistics management , ideally within a complex, multi-site operational environment.
• Demonstrable experience of leading and developing Transport Managers or transport teams .
• Strong working knowledge of UK road transport legislation and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of Operator Licence compliance and the management controls required to support O-Licence obligations and undertakings .
• Proven experience of managing or overseeing vehicle maintenance, fleet compliance, roadworthiness, driver standards and transport risk.
• Experience of conducting or overseeing transport compliance audits and ensuring effective corrective actions are implemented.
• Ability to identify compliance and operational risks and implement practical and sustainable solutions.
• Strong leadership skills with the confidence to appropriately challenge, influence and hold managers accountable.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to work effectively with transport, operational and senior leadership teams.
• Good commercial awareness with experience of managing fleet performance, suppliers and costs.
• Ability to interpret transport performance information and use data to identify trends, risks and improvement opportunities.
• Excellent communication, organisational and decision-making skills.
• Full UK driving licence.
Desirable
• Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) or other relevant transport qualification.
• Previous experience of being named on or supporting the management of an Operator Licence.
• Experience working within utilities, wastewater, infrastructure, environmental services or another safety-critical operational environment .
• Experience managing transport across a geographically dispersed, multi-site operation.
• Relevant health and safety or fleet management qualification.
• Experience supporting regulatory, Operator Licence or external compliance audits.
Living the Company Values
By embedding our company values and purpose into each role, we ensure that every employee understands how their individual contribution supports our purpose of ‘improving today for a better tomorrow’.
As a senior manager, the role holder will be expected to demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Leading: Provides visible leadership, sets clear standards and creates accountability for transport performance and compliance.
• Agile: Responds effectively to changing operational requirements while maintaining safety, compliance and service delivery.
• Nurturing: Develops Transport Managers and their teams through coaching, feedback and clear expectations.
• Engaging: Builds strong relationships across transport and operations, communicating openly, constructively and credibly.
• Safe & Secure: Champions a strong safety and compliance culture, ensuring risks are identified, challenged and addressed.
Your Contribution to the Company
• Lead positively and constructively, setting the standard for others.
• Take ownership and accountability for transport performance within the Southern Water O&M contract.
• Maintain high standards of safety, compliance and professional integrity.
• Adhere to all relevant company policies and procedures.
• Communicate openly and address issues directly and constructively.
• Deliver on commitments and ensure agreed actions are followed through.
• Challenge practices that could compromise safety, compliance or operational performance.
• Support and develop colleagues to strengthen capability across the transport function.
• Identify and progress opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency, systems and ways of working.
• Work collaboratively across the business, recognising that by working together in unity we are ‘Stronger Together’ .
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
At Lanes Group, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone is treated fairly, with dignity and respect, and has the opportunity to succeed.
We value the different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives our colleagues bring and are committed to providing equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment and employment practices. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and believe our differences make us stronger.