Network Director in London

At HIVED, we’re steamrolling forward as one of Europe’s fastest growing startups, and our momentum shows no signs of slowing. Based in London, we are a climate and logistics start-up building the first sustainable parcel delivery network at scale, powered by a 100% electric fleet. In an ever-growing industry where unreliable service has long been the norm, HIVED has been built from the ground-up to meet the demands of modern consumers and disrupt parcel delivery.

A tech company at heart, our talent and technology is laser-focused on delivering the best possible delivery experience for end-customers and meeting the needs of our retail partners. From our drivers to our data engineers, we are constantly working to improve this customer experience that makes us deliver better. Already trusted by leading international brands such as John Lewis, Nespresso, Uniqlo, H&M brands and more, we are solidifying our position as the leaders in Europe to tackle this growing market.

Our tight-knit team is made up of ex-Revolut, Bain, HelloFresh, ASOS, Apple and Google employees, and we are backed by some of Europe’s leading investors and VCs in climate-tech, logistics and mobility including Planet A Ventures, Maersk Growth, Pale Blue Dot VC, Eka Ventures, NordicNinja VC and the British government. We’re passionate about driving innovation and redefining the future of delivery.

Role Overview

The role of Director of Network is a critical leadership position responsible for both major planning and execution functions. You will hold ultimate accountability for the seamless and compliant movement of parcels from the point of injection through to our final-mile hubs, and ensuring that our hubs have accurate plans to execute against. You must ensure that the Network is both financially efficient and operationally resilient.

As a strategic architect of the business, you will balance the "here and now" of daily operational performance with the long-term scaling required to meet high-growth targets. You will bridge the gap between commercial demand and operational reality, ensuring we deliver on our customer promises while maintaining strict control over our cost base.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Execution
  • You are the primary owner of the Operational Plan that forms the drumbeat of the operation. You will oversee its creation, ensuring it aligns with budgets and quality KPIs.
  • This includes ensuring the operational forecast (our demand) and capacity management (supply) matching process is accurate and able to respond to expected variations and fluctuations. All aspects of capacity are included here: collections, sortation and final mile capacity.
  • Optimising network design to improve parcel flows and minimise transit times.
  • Managing parcel injection strategies to ensure efficient sortation processing.
  • Ensuring the network can scale dynamically during peak periods (e.g., Black Friday/Cyber Monday).
• Transport & Network Operations
  • You will lead the departments responsible for the physical movement of goods, maintaining a focus on:
  • O-License Compliance: ensuring the business maintains the highest standards of safety and legal compliance across our fleet and operating centres.
  • Fleet cost ownership: end-to-end ownership of our fleet costs, from the middle mile network to our final mile vehicles. This includes the full cycle of acquisition, maintenance and end of life management.
  • Operational excellence and driving continuous improvement in efficiency and utilisation.
• This role carries heavy P&L accountability, specifically regarding:

• Collection & Vehicle Costs: managing one of the business's largest cost centres by optimising fleet procurement, maintenance, and utilisation whilst maintaining strong execution against budget.
• Budget Alignment: delivering network capacity and execution within the constraints of the agreed financial roadmap.

Requirements

• 8–12+ years in senior operations leadership across logistics, last-mile, or eCommerce.
• Strong command of operational cost drivers and ability to own CM3.
• Experience running both planning and execution environments, preferably within a logistics setting.
• Strong people manager with experience coaching managers and high performing teams.
• Proven track record of building SOPs and managing KPIs.
• Strong cross-functional experience with Commercial, Finance, and other Operational leaders.
• Comfortable “building the plane while flying” and driving stability during change.
• Strategic leadership style with ability to balance short-term goals with long-term aims.
• Data-driven, structured problem-solver with a continuous improvement mindset.

Nice to have

• Experience with EV fleets and charging operations.
• Scale-up or hypergrowth environment experience.
• Familiarity with UK logistics and Transport standards.

How we reward our team

• Dynamic hybrid working environment with a diverse and driven team.
• Huge opportunity for learning in a high growth environment, with progression opportunities based on success in the role.
• 25 days of holiday allowance plus public holidays.
• 1 Birthday Day Off + 2 Tenure-Based Additional Days Off.
• Subsidised Private Medical Insurance including dental, vision & mental health therapy.
• Bi-annual performance reviews and tailored development plans.
• Competitive salary + EMI options scheme.
• Annual compensation review.
• Team lunch provided once a week.
• Quarterly team socials and annual sports day (HIVED Olympics).
• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption policy as day 1 right.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Dog friendly office and depots.
• MacBook Air or Windows Laptop (depending on your preference).

Want to learn more? Meet the team in 60 seconds: Behind the scenes with HIVED. HIVED is UK StartUp of the Year 2024. Read how HIVED raised $42M to transform parcel delivery with AI and all-electric logistics network.