Managing Director Operations

Ref: 638694

Northampton, England

£95,000

• Permanent
• Freight Forwarding Leadership
• Multi-Site Operations
• Commercial Growth

About the candidate

A senior operations leader with 30+ years’ experience across freight forwarding, logistics and supply chain environments. They have led multi-site teams, managed complex operational functions and built strong relationships with customers, suppliers and internal stakeholders.

Most recently operating at Managing Director level within a UK logistics business, they bring a hands-on, commercially focused approach with strong experience across performance improvement, team development, budget management and end-to-end service delivery.

What makes them great?

• Commercially Proven: Built a regional logistics team from the ground up, delivering around £6m turnover, £1.7m gross profit and £600k EBITDA in 2024.
• Scale Of Leadership: Has led a major logistics branch with around £40m annual turnover, managing seven direct-report managers and around 40 employees across three locations.
• Growth Mindset: Introduced training, incentive and process improvement initiatives that supported business growth, stronger client performance and improved team capability.

Areas of expertise

• Operational Leadership: Experienced in leading day-to-day logistics operations across freight forwarding, imports, exports, warehousing, customs compliance and customer service functions.
• Commercial Management: Strong background in customer tariffs, quotations, supplier negotiation, budget ownership and financial performance management.
• Team Development: Proven ability to build, mentor and develop high-performing teams, including succession planning and junior training programmes.