Depot Manager

Sykes Seafood is a leading independent seafood business with over 160 years of heritage and expertise. We specialise in sourcing, processing and supplying high-quality frozen and chilled seafood to customers across the retail, foodservice, wholesale and manufacturing sectors. With operations across the UK and Ireland and a global supply chain, we pride ourselves on quality, reliability, sustainability and excellent customer service. Our people are at the heart of our success, and we are continuing to grow and develop our business while investing in our teams, operations and customer relationships.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and driven Depot Manager to take overall responsibility for the warehouse and transport operation at our Navan depot.

This is a key operational leadership role, responsible for ensuring the depot runs safely, efficiently and to a consistently high standard, while delivering an excellent service to our retail and wholesale customers.

You will lead and develop the depot team, oversee warehouse and transport operations, manage stock accuracy and shrinkage, and drive improvements across service, productivity, cost and operational standards.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced warehouse or transport professional who enjoys a fast-paced environment and is motivated by improving performance and developing people.

Key Responsibilities

• Take overall operational responsibility for the Navan depot, covering warehouse, transport, storage and delivery operations.
• Lead, manage and develop depot employees and drivers, including recruitment, induction, training, performance management and retention.
• Ensure the depot operates in accordance with all Health & Safety, food safety and operational standards.
• Oversee route planning and transport operations, identifying opportunities to improve workflows, efficiency and operating costs.
• Drive improvements in depot standards, including cleanliness, cold storage, food chain standards, fleet standards and general housekeeping.
• Manage overall depot stock, including internal and external storage, stock accuracy, stock shrinkage, reconciliations and periodic stocktakes.
• Monitor and improve key depot KPIs, including OTIF (On Time In Full), customer service, delivered cost per case, loading efficiency, errors and failed deliveries.
• Ensure daily and weekly workloads, route plans and depot activities are managed efficiently and productively.
• Work closely with Sales and other departments to improve customer service and operational performance.
• Deal with customer queries and complaints professionally and ensure issues are resolved promptly.
• Communicate operational issues, changes and key information effectively to employees and senior management.
• Work closely with Head Office teams on areas including purchasing, depot equipment, contracts, insurance and operational requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and procedures and encourage a culture of continuous improvement.
• Ensure employees are appropriately trained, supported and developed to achieve high standards of performance.
• Proactively identify and manage operational risks, working closely with the Operations Director and Health & Safety Manager.

About You

We are looking for an experienced operational leader with a strong background in warehouse and/or transport management.

You will ideally have:

• 5+ years' experience leading fast-moving warehouse, logistics or distribution operations.
• Proven experience managing and developing teams.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• A strong focus on customer service and operational delivery.
• Experience working with operational KPIs and performance targets.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• The ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• A proactive approach to identifying and implementing improvements.
• The confidence to communicate effectively with employees, colleagues, customers and senior management.

Essential Qualifications

The successful candidate must hold, or be willing to complete within 6 months of appointment:

• Full FLT Licence – Reach & Counterbalance
• Minimum Class 2 HGV Licence
• Level 2 First Aid

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who can take ownership, lead from the front and make a real difference to depot performance.

You will be commercially and operationally minded, comfortable making decisions and solving problems, while also being a strong people manager who can motivate and develop a team.

If you have experience managing a busy warehouse and transport operation and are looking for your next leadership opportunity, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now to join our team in Navan.

Pay: From €50,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• On-site parking

Work Location: In person