As General Manager, you will provide strategic leadership and operational direction for the Wardle operation, overseeing all warehousing processes and customer interactions on site. You will lead a large, diverse workforce of c250 colleagues and ensure that the site’s operational structures, culture, and performance consistently meet business and customer expectations. Working closely with key stakeholders across Transport, Commercial, Procurement, and Finance, you will shape and deliver the site strategy, ensuring seamless end‑to‑end service and strong commercial and operational outcomes.
Why Boughey?
Boughey Distribution is dedicated to delivering efficient food logistics while supporting our people, communities, and the planet. With a rich 60‑year heritage, we operate over 1.5 million square feet of warehouse space, 160 trucks, and 365 trailers, and we are committed to continuing investment in our facilities, vehicles, systems, and teams.
Benefits
- Competitive salary plus bonus
- Car allowance
- Monday to Friday 8am to 4.30pm
- 33 days holiday, including bank holidays, with option to buy more
- Extensive progression opportunities across the wider group
- Extensive training opportunities with funded accredited courses
- Discounts across shopping, groceries, travel, entertainment, dining, days out, health & beauty and more
- Medicash
- Long term service awards
- Company pension, life assurance, cycle to work scheme, employee assistance programme, free refreshments, free on‑site parking
Day to Day Responsibilities
- Demonstrate a personal leadership commitment to place safety first, ensuring colleagues comply with H&S policies, legislation and guidance.
- Champion a culture of operational excellence, focused on customer service, accuracy and right‑first‑time performance.
- Build and sustain high levels of colleague engagement, empowering shift managers and coordinators across all shifts.
- Develop and implement site‑wide operational strategies to enhance efficiency, reduce cost and strengthen service delivery.
- Translate strategic objectives into clear, actionable plans for all departments, ensuring alignment and accountability.
- Oversee all day‑to‑day operational activity across the site, including warehousing, inventory management, transport interface and site services.
- Lead the management, procurement and maintenance of site equipment and assets, balancing operational needs and sustainability.
- Own the site budget, ensuring effective cost control, accurate forecasting and delivery of financial targets.
- Identify, analyse and resolve operational and logistical challenges using data‑driven insight.
- Ensure full compliance with all legal, regulatory and BRCGS requirements, especially health and safety, food safety and supply chain risk management.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers, suppliers, contractors and partners.
- Monitor, track and report key operational metrics to drive continuous improvement.
- Promote and embed technology and digital tools that improve visibility and decision‑making.
- Lead the recruitment, development and performance management of colleagues, ensuring capability and leadership strength.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration or a related field is desirable.
- Substantial experience in warehouse management or operations.
- Proven senior operational leadership experience within warehousing, logistics, FMCG, manufacturing or a similar high‑volume environment.
- Strong track record of leading large teams (typically 200+ colleagues) across multi‑shift or 24/7 operations.
- Demonstrable experience in budget ownership, cost control and delivering against commercial targets.
- Comprehensive understanding of Health & Safety legislation, risk management and safe systems of work.
- Experience implementing operational improvement initiatives, including LEAN, continuous improvement or process optimisation.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, working cross‑functionally with Transport, Commercial, Finance and Procurement.
- Proficiency with warehouse management systems (WMS) and operational technology, using data to drive decisions.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into operational reality.
- Exceptional leadership presence, inspiring, influencing and engaging colleagues at all levels.
- Strong commercial acumen, understanding how operational decisions impact cost, service and profitability.
- Resilience and adaptability, thriving in a fast‑paced, high‑pressure, deadline‑driven environment.
- Data‑driven decision‑maker, comfortable with KPIs, dashboards and performance analytics.
- Excellent communication skills, able to represent the site internally and externally.
- Continuous improvement mindset, always seeking better, safer, more efficient ways of working.
- Customer‑focused, with a commitment to delivering high service levels.
About Boughey Distribution
NWF Group comprises three key businesses: NWF Fuels, NWF Agriculture and Boughey Distribution. Employing over 1,400 colleagues, we empower our people to progress and move fluidly through the group, meaning the sky really is the limit when you join us!
We are an equal‑opportunity employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.
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