Performance Manager in Bolton

We are Go North West! We are proud to employ over 1000 local people and operate a fleet of over 300 buses delivering the Bee Network in Greater Manchester. We are part of the Go-Ahead Group, a leading, multinational public transport operator connecting communities through bus and rail services. Since our formation as recently as 2019, our business has tripled in size, and while we are proud of our progress to date, we are keen to develop even further. We place great importance on a collaborative style, both with our colleagues and stakeholders including Transport for Greater Manchester and across the wider family of Go-Ahead Group companies. We care about our people; we are recognised as an Investor in People and we are members of the Greater Manchester Good Employment charter.

Job Purpose

The Performance Manager is a crucial role in our company structure, providing visible leadership to our Supervisors, Team Leaders, and Roadside Supervisors from our brand new, industry leading, state-of-the-art control room at our Bolton depot which oversees our entire four depot franchised bus network. You will be adept at building and maintaining excellent stakeholder relations especially with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), and take a problem solving, analytical, and innovative approach to your work. You will collaborate across departments to find smarter ways of working to improve operational delivery.

Responsibilities

• Ensuring exceptional service performance across the network and in line with franchise performance measures, as agreed with Transport for Greater Manchester.
• Line manager to the Performance team, proactively managing and coaching the team to ensure effective utilisation of drivers and vehicles to meet internal and external performance targets.
• Building strong working relationships with colleagues across all departments to ensure that there is a consistent team approach to achieving the required performance measures.
• Proactive problem-solving including oversight of development and implementation of solutions.
• Providing expertise and support when high-profile incidents occur to ensure that the situation is handled in a proactive manner and that solutions to ensure service delivery are implemented promptly.
• Supporting the company to develop and maintain a high profile by actively managing routes to gain maximum familiarity with customer needs and to enable quick responses to changing road conditions.
• Identifying issues affecting service delivery, and advising on solutions to improve performance.
• Monitoring lost mileage, start and mid-point punctuality, and customer complaints, identifying areas of concern and identifying appropriate actions to maximise improvement.
• Reviewing and producing relevant daily, weekly and periodic management reports in a detailed and timely manner.
• Ensuring that all internal and external quality audits are completed in accordance with company and legal requirements.
• Ensuring completion audits in areas such as drivers hours checks and first use inspections.
• Undertaking team performance appraisal reviews and identifying development needs for the team to drive employee engagement and continuous improvement in line with required timescales.
• Overseeing performance-related technology, including (but not limited to) radios and ETMs.

Key Safety Requirements

• Acting in a manner as to ensure the health, safety, welfare, environment and fire safety of yourself and others in the organisation as well as any clients and visitors.
• Ensuring that you and any guests to any company premises understand emergency and evacuation arrangements.
• Ensuring your working environment is maintained in a safe and tidy condition.
• Acting proactively in identifying any unsafe practices or safety risks in the organisation and reporting these through the appropriate channels.

Person Specification

• Able to provide visible, empathetic leadership to a diverse team of supervisors and team leaders.
• Excellent understanding of all aspects of service delivery and control.
• Strong data analytical skills including ability to produce accurate, timely and relevant reports on all aspects of operational service delivery.
• Previous experience of a similar role, ideally in a franchised environment.
• Target driven with the ability to maximise team performance.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to take control and make decisions particularly in high-pressure situations.
• A team player, able to build strong, collaborative working relationships across the business.
• Ability to influence others positively, including both external and internal stakeholders.

How To Apply

Please send a copy of your CV along with a cover letter before Friday 16th January 2026.