Transport Manager

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Transport Management, Business Administration, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field from a recognized Ugandan institution — Makerere University, Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Uganda Management Institute (UMI), Kyambogo University, or an accredited equivalent.
  
• A Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s Degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration (MBA), or Transport Management is a strong advantage at the senior management level.
  
• At least 7–10 years of progressive experience in transport, fleet management, or logistics operations — with a minimum of 3–5 years in a management or supervisory role overseeing a team and a fleet of commercial vehicles.
  
• Demonstrated experience managing a heavy goods vehicle fleet (trucks of 7.5 tons GVW and above) in Uganda or the East African region.
  
• Proven track record of managing large, diverse frontline transport teams — drivers, logistics staff, and workshop personnel.
  
• Experience managing transport operations within a food distribution, FMCG, agro-processing, coldchain logistics, or similar perishable goods environment is a strong advantage.
  

Strategic Transport Leadership & Planning

• Develop and implement an annual Transport Operations Plan aligned to the company’s business objectives — covering fleet utilization targets, route planning, driver headcount requirements, maintenance investment, fuel budgets, and logistics capability development.
  
• Provide the Operations Director with weekly transport performance reports, budget variance analyses, and strategic recommendations on fleet investment, route optimization, and operational improvement initiatives.
  
• Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives across the transport function — reducing cost per kilometer, improving fleet availability, enhancing driver safety performance, and strengthening cold-chain logistics capability.
  

Fleet Management Oversight

• Provide strategic direction and daily oversight to the Fleet Coordinator, ensuring fleet availability targets are consistently met and preventive maintenance schedules are adhered to across all vehicles.
  
• Approve vehicle maintenance priorities, major repair expenditures, and fleet replacement recommendations in consultation with the Maintenance Manager and Operations Director.
  
• Monitor fleet utilization rates, vehicle availability trends, and maintenance cost per vehicle — intervening where performance falls below target and implementing corrective actions.
  

Driver & Team Leadership

• Lead, motivate, and develop the transport team — setting clear performance expectations for the Fleet Coordinator and Logistics Administrator, conducting structured performance reviews, and ensuring the team has the skills, tools, and support required to perform at a high level.
  
• Establish and enforce driver standards covering road safety, vehicle care, load handling, coldchain compliance, fuel management, and professional conduct — personally championing a safety-first culture throughout the team.
  

Logistics Administration & Customer Delivery

• Oversee the Logistics Administrator’s function — ensuring dispatch coordination is accurate, timely, and well-communicated to drivers, customers, and the warehouse team.
  
• Review and approve transport documentation standards — waybills, delivery manifests, proof of delivery, and customer consignment notes — always ensuring documentation accuracy and traceability.
  
• Collaborate with the Sales and Commercial team to align transport capacity with order volumes, manage peak season logistics pressures, and resolve customer delivery escalations at management level.
  

Fuel, Cost & Budget Management

• Own the transport operational budget — monitoring monthly expenditure against approved budgets for fuel, maintenance, tyres, driver costs, and logistics overheads, and delivering the budget within approved limits.
  
• Implement and oversee robust fuel management controls — reviewing fuel consumption reports from the Fleet Coordinator, investigating variances flagged by the Telematics Officer, and taking decisive action on suspected pilferage, inefficiency, or fraud.
  

Safety, Compliance & Regulatory Management

• Ensure full compliance with all applicable Ugandan transport regulations — Uganda Traffic and Road Safety Act, UNRA vehicle fitness requirements, axle-load regulations, and any applicable food safety or cold-chain transport standards.
  
• Lead the organization’s road safety programme — implementing driver safety training, managing speed and behaviour compliance through telematics, investigating all accidents and near-misses, and driving a measurable reduction in road safety incidents over time.
  
• Manage all vehicle accident claims, third-party incidents, and traffic authority interactions professionally, in coordination with insurance providers and Legal/HR as required.