Lead Project Manager (Contract Logistics)

Lead Project Manager
Northampton - Sustainable Distribution Centre (NN7 2FR)

The company

Yusen Logistics is working to become the world’s preferred supply chain logistics company. Our complete offer is designed to forge better connections between businesses, customers and communities – through innovative supply chain management, freight forwarding, warehousing and distribution services. As a company, we’re dedicated to a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring everyone who works with us is committed, connected and creative in making us the world’s preferred choice.


We are looking for a Lead Project Manager to join the team at Yusen Logistics.

As a Lead Project Manager, you will focus on providing a specialist professional service, delivering new business implementations and/or facility upgrade projects within agreed timescales and budgets, ensuring smooth and successful implementation and start-up, meeting client expectation. In addition, you will also be responsible for the support, guidance and management of the project team and department budgets.

The successful candidate will collaborate with various business functions as required, including operations, IT, HR, and HS&E, orchestrating activities to deliver the necessary scope while managing risks and issues.

The role will offer a salary range between £55,000 and £60,000 (Subject to experience)

This is a hybrid role based in Northampton, with the opportunity to work up to 3 days remotely per week (subject to business requirements) with some UK site-based travel required, as per project specifications.

Benefits

- Salary of £55,000 - £60,000 per annum DOE
- Car allowance of £6,000 per annum
- Bonus (up to 12%)
- Health Cash Plan
- Pension scheme – 6% matched employer contribution
- Comprehensive private family health cover
- Permanent health insurance cover (40% of salary cover)
- 25 days’ holiday (excluding bank holidays) plus five days of Volunteer Leave per year
- Opportunity for unpaid leave and up to 10 days of international remote working
- Free online fitness platform, including Pilates, yoga, mindfulness and meditation
- Employee benefits, including free eye tests, up to 25% off gym membership, and high street vouchers
- Free access to 24/7 online GP, mental health support services, life events counselling, and a care concierge service
- Tailored development and career opportunities
- Healthcare Cash Plan


Responsibilities

- Provide specialist professional support and guidance to ensure projects are correctly scoped and defined, with clear objectives, appropriate workstreams and activities
- Create project plans and resource teams, ensuring alignment between both the project activity and the wider business need
- Manage projects to cost, quality and time, exercising delegated authority for budgets while adhering to the Yusen project management methodology and implementing the agreed framework and governance into each project
- Coordinate internal workstreams/resources and third-party vendors in line with defined project deliverables
- Apply critical thinking to resolve any roadblocks that arise and participate in budget setting through analysis of current and planned performance
- Conduct rigorous assessment of project risks, taking responsibility for the acts and omissions of project staff until closure or handover
- Establish collaborative relationships and provide specialist professional advice to internal stakeholders, customers and suppliers
- Facilitate high-level project meetings and steering committees, preparing expert materials that support decisions made that impact the company for up to a year
- Ensure that the PMO & key stakeholders receive strategic updates based on a professional or academic understanding of project performance and specialist standards
- Proactively escalate issues to the Project Sponsor or steering group, taking full responsibility for the acts and omissions of the project team
- Manage and monitor performance levels through the annual PDR process, objective setting, and other appropriate mechanism (i.e.., professional or academic qualifications)
- Identify critical skills required within the project team and provide proper mentoring and support to ensure the team meet medium-term business objectives
- Ensure the team knows key business outcomes, processes, and expectations, consistently and promptly delivers all company communications, and provides appropriate feedback
- Support business investigations and disciplinary and grievance processes across the organisation
- Document and communicate “lessons learned” to promote continuous improvement, ensuring that insights contribute to the medium-term direction of the company
- Ensure all company procedures, including absence, performance, holiday, etc., are managed and adhered to
- Ensure all team members know key outcomes, business processes, and expectations
- Ensure strict compliance with company procedures and policies for self and the wider team, making decisions that impact the company for up to 1 year
- Ensuring due attention is provided to employee welfare, identifying and signposting areas of support where necessary, and ensuring functional arrangements are in place to protect the well-being of all employees
- Successfully manage customer relationships with a focus on medium-term direction, ensuring service levels meet professional standards
- Remove any obstacles, enabling the team to build and sustain a customer-focused environment that protects the service reputation of the company
- Foster a culture of cooperation and collaboration between teams and across functions, ensuring the operation and management of the department aligns with planned performance


Key requirements

- A-levels / NVQ Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification is highly desirable
- Significant proven experience in project and change management with a proven record of leading major implementations that impact the medium-term direction of the company
- Leadership experience is essential
- Extensive practical experience in managing projects to implement new business or start-up operations, with a strong focus on budget management and expenditure control
- Demonstrable experience in working across a variety of different functions, cultures and geographies, providing professional guidance while managing complex high-stakes projects
- Proven specialist and professional knowledge of the logistics/3PL experience through academic, professional qualifications or through extensive practical experience
- Excellent communication skills to enable discussion and presentation of complex issues and solutions
- Open, honest and transparent leadership style with the demonstrable ability to motivate and support others in meeting challenging deadlines
- Proficiency in developing budgets and controlling expenditure for departments, contracts or sites, ensuring financial and service reputation is maintained

Please note that applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK, as we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.

At Yusen Logistics, we understand the value of utilising AI and other technologies to support the application process. Still, we encourage candidates to use them to enhance their applications rather than replace their own effort and authenticity. Therefore, candidates should not rely on AI-generated responses during the interview process.

DISABILITY CONFIDENT
Yusen Logistics is an equal opportunities employer that encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible applicants, regardless of their personal circumstances. We make our recruiting decisions solely based on skillset and experience. Diversity allows us to create an inclusive environment where our employees can strive and grow their potential. Yusen Logistics are proud to be a ‘Disability Confident Committed’ employer.

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