Allied Bakeries are owned by Associated British Foods. ABF is a diversified international food, ingredients and retail group with sales of £20.1bn and 138,000 employees in 56 countries. It has significant businesses in Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia and Australia. Our sister companies in ABF UK Grocery produce products under many market-leading household brands, including Jordans, Ryvita, Pataks, Blue Dragon & Silver Spoon.
We are proud of our brands: we make top 10 UK grocery brand Kingsmill as well as Allinson’s, Bürgen and Sunblest. You’ll know us best through our white, wholemeal and seeded market-leading loaves, as well as Kingsmill 50/50, the nation’s favourite Healthier White, and our delicious pancakes, crumpets, hot cross buns and other bakery products.
The success of our business depends on us having the right people on the team. We are incredibly passionate about our business, but it isn’t for the faint-hearted – it’s pacey and demanding so our people need to have a positive attitude and to want to work inclusively. We take massive pride in what we do, not least in how colleagues based in our bakeries and depots have one of the best safety performance records in the industry.
Our Grocery Service Centre, based near Liverpool, is a hub for transactional activity across multiple ABF companies within the ABF Grocery division. Supporting some of our well-known brands such as Kingsmill, Pataks, Blue Dragon, Jordans, Ryvita and Silver Spoon, amongst others. We deliver Shared Service activities across a wide range of disciplines including Customer Services, Consumer Care, Finance, Payroll, HR and IS.
If you’re looking to join a business that is passionate, encourages you to be the best you can be, and values its people, we’d love to hear from you.
Overview Of Role
📍
Location: Gateshead
💰
Salary: £44,440
🕒
Shift Pattern: 4 over 7 –
Dayshift | 42 hours | 6:30am – 4:30pm
🚛
Role: Transport First Line Manager
Lead, Inspire & Drive Performance at Allied Bakeries
At Allied Bakeries, home to some of the UK’s best-loved bread brands, we’re proud of our people, our heritage, and the vital role our transport teams play in keeping the nation fed. With a 4-star Glassdoor rating and a strong culture of internal development, this is a business where your leadership truly makes a difference.
We’re now looking for a
Transport First Line Manager to join our
large, high-volume Gateshead transport operation, managing a modern fleet of
32 vehicles across 21 delivery routes.
This is a
hands-on, visible leadership role where you’ll combine people management, compliance and continuous improvement within a fast-paced, safety-critical environment.
Your Leadership Impact
You’ll have full responsibility for leading and developing a substantial operational team of:
- 8 Transport Coordinators
- 35 Drivers
- 14 Despatch colleagues (night shift) – while this is a daytime role, you’ll provide clear guidance, direction and performance management oversight for the wider 24/7 operation.
You’ll play a key role within the site leadership team, with real autonomy to improve performance, culture and engagement.
What You’ll Be Doing
🚚 Leading, motivating and developing a large multi-skilled transport team
✅ Ensuring full compliance with
Tachograph, Drivers’ Hours, Operator Licence and H&S legislation
📦 Driving efficiency and performance using
WMS & transport systems
📊 Monitoring KPIs across service, cost, safety and compliance
🌱 Recruiting, coaching and building long-term capability across your teams
🔄 Leading continuous improvement activity across transport and despatch operations
🛠️ Taking fast, decisive action to resolve operational issues and minimise risk
🤝 Working closely with Planning, Warehouse and Customer teams to deliver seamless service
What We’re Looking For
- Proven experience in Transport, Distribution or Despatch operations
- Previous people management / supervisory experience
- Strong working knowledge of Transport Legal Compliance
- Confident user of Microsoft Office and transport systems
- A calm, decisive leader with excellent communication and problem-solving skills
- ✅ National CPC – essential
