Project Director in Southampton

Freightliner is a leading UK intermodal logistics provider, offering rail, road and terminal solutions that connect ports, inland terminals and customer destinations across the UK.

Through innovation, safety and sustainability, Freightliner delivers reliable, efficient and lower-carbon supply chain solutions for its customers.

In the UK the Freightliner Group operates under a number of legal entities including, Freightliner Ltd, Pentalver Transport Ltd, and Pentalver Cannock Ltd.

Purpose of the role

The Project Director will be responsible for leading and delivering a portfolio of projects across Freightliner

Limited, with particular focus on Commercial, Operational, Technology Enhancements and Continuous

Improvement initiatives. The role requires a combination of strong project management disciplines, practical operational understanding, and the ability to work closely with stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of business outcomes. In addition, the role will manage the Continuous Improvement team (three direct reports), driving a culture of continuous improvement and supporting the identification, implementation and delivery of efficiency and performance enhancement initiatives.

The role will support in driving and delivering projects that result in measurable and genuine improvements to operational performance, customer service, efficiency and business processes, whilst ensuring successful change adoption and the long-term embedding of new ways of working across Freightliner.

Key role and responsibilities

• Lead and deliver projects across Commercial, Operations, Technology Enhancements, Engineering and Support Functions in line with agreed objectives, timescales and budgets;
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, ensuring clear milestones, dependencies, resource requirements and critical paths are identified and managed;
• Coordinate and manage project resources, working with functional leaders to secure appropriate expertise and support within the confines of the operational business;
• Monitor project progress, proactively identifying risks, issues and barriers to delivery, and working with the business to implement effective mitigation plans;
• Provide regular project reporting and updates to sponsors, senior management and key stakeholders;
• Facilitate project governance activities, including steering groups, project boards and status reviews, as appropriate for the scale and impact of the various projects;
• Ensure all projects deliver clear and measurable business benefits and support Freightliner's strategic objectives;
• Work closely with operational and commercial teams to understand project requirements, challenge assumptions and priorities, and translate business needs into practical, deliverable solutions;
• Assess potential initiatives to ensure they provide clear business value, align with overall business strategy, support resource justification and have clear and tangible outcomes, recommending against projects where benefits are unclear or unlikely to be realised;
• Lead change management activities to support successful implementation and adoption of project deliverables;
• Drive collaboration between departments to deliver key initiatives, ensuring alignment and engagement across multiple business functions;
• Manage relationships with external suppliers, consultants and technology partners/third party vendors where applicable for successful project delivery;
• Ensure compliance with company policies, safety standards and regulatory and compliance requirements throughout the project lifecycle;
• Support post-implementation reviews to evaluate project success, capture lessons learned and embed continuous improvement opportunities;
• Lead, develop and motivate the Continuous Improvement team (three direct reports), fostering a culture of excellence, accountability and innovation while ensuring the successful delivery of continuous improvement initiatives across the business;
• Provide coaching, guidance and professional development to team members, building capability and ensuring continuous improvement methodologies and best practices are embedded throughout the Freightliner organisation;
• Collaborate with operational and functional leaders to drive sustainable change, monitor benefits realisation and support the achievement of strategic business objectives;
• Identify opportunities to improve business processes, operational efficiency and customer outcomes, translating improvement initiatives into practical, deliverable projects with clear objectives, resource requirements, timelines and measurable business benefits;
• Facilitate workshops and stakeholder discussions to challenge existing ways of working, identify opportunities for improvement and develop practical, value-added solutions.

Lead and manage the implementation of approved initiatives, ensuring delivery to agreed objectives, timescales and business outcomes;

• Apply continuous improvement methodologies to identify and deliver sustainable operational and commercial benefits, supporting teams in implementing process improvements, embedding best practice, and ensuring anticipated benefits are realised through measurable business outcomes.

Key Skills and Experience Required

• Demonstrable experience of managing complex projects from initiation through to implementation and benefits realisation;
• Strong project planning and organisational skills, including experience using project management tools and methodologies;
• Practical, hands-on approach with the ability to balance project governance requirements with operational realities;
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and competing priorities;
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the confidence to engage at all levels of the organisation;
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of operational business environments;
• Ability to challenge constructively, influence stakeholders and drive decisions to maintain project momentum;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on delivering pragmatic solutions;
• Experience of delivering business change, process improvement and technology-related projects;
• Excellent communication, presentation and facilitation skills;
• Knowledge of the rail, logistics, transport or heavy operational sectors would be advantageous.

Success Measures

• Projects delivered safely, on time, within budget and to agreed scope;
• Achievement of targeted business benefits and return on investment;
• High levels of stakeholder satisfaction and engagement;
• Effective management of project risks and dependencies;
• Demonstrable improvements in operational performance, customer service, efficiency and business processes;
• Successful adoption and embedding of change across the organisation.

Behavioural Competencies

• Strong corporate affiliation and always puts the needs of the business first;
• Attacks goals and objectives with drive, energy and enthusiasm with a passion for excellence;
• Embraces new challenges, is hands on as required, and gets things done;
• Sets high standards of work for self, and team, and consistently achieves these;
• High level of integrity and openness, combined with commitment to good governance;
• Leads by example and provides honest and clear leadership that helps drive results;
• Listens attentively to others’ perspectives and provides constructive feedback and coaching;
• Exhibits and lives the Group’s core values.

Our commitment to you, once you join our team, is to foster growth and provide developmental opportunities to ensure you reach your utmost potential.

We are looking for the most committed and reliable individuals who possess the knowledge, skills and experience needed for their roles.

In return we can offer competitive pay, excellent benefits, a competitive pension scheme and a rewarding career in an award-winning team.

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