General Manager

Job Title: General Manager

Reports to: Regional General Manager

Following continued growth and organisational evolution, we are seeking a General Manager – Operations to lead a multi-depot operation.

This is a senior leadership role within the business, with full accountability for operational performance, commercial delivery, and strategic development across multiple sites.  The role will be instrumental in leading the transition of depots into a more modern, efficient, and commercially focused operating model.

The successful candidate will take ownership of trade waste, skip, RoRo, and artic operations, driving consistency, performance, and growth across all areas while embedding high standards of leadership, accountability, and customer service.

Overview:

The General Manager is accountable for the end-to-end leadership of multiple depot operations, with full responsibility for individual and combined P&L performance.

Responsible for H&S, fleet and waste compliance for area of responsibility.

The role requires a strong commercial and operational leader who can drive growth, improve profitability, and lead transformational change across the business.  This includes developing high-performing teams, optimising operational efficiency, and ensuring the business is positioned to deliver a more modern, scalable, and customer-focused service offering

Key Accountabilities:

• Full ownership of depot-level and combined P&Ls, including revenue growth, cost control, and margin improvement

• Lead and manage multi-site operations across trade waste, skip, RoRo, and artic services

• Drive commercial performance through close alignment with sales, ensuring operational capability supports business growth

• Develop and implement operational strategies to improve efficiency, utilisation, and service delivery

• Lead the transformation of depots into a more standardised, branded, and commercially focused operating model

• Ensure consistent high standards across all depots in terms of safety, compliance, service, and presentation

• Provide strong leadership to depot managers and operational teams, driving accountability and performance

• Build a high-performance culture with clear expectations, structured management, and continuous development

• Ensure full compliance with Operator Licence requirements, transport legislation, WTD, and regulatory standards

• Act as (or oversee) named Transport Manager responsibilities across relevant licences

• Oversee fleet strategy, asset utilisation, fleet demand planning against budgeted numbers

• Manage and optimise operational cost base, identifying efficiencies and driving continuous improvement

• Deliver against key KPIs across service, cost, compliance, and customer satisfaction

• Take ownership of major operational issues, escalations, and service recovery

• Collaborate with stakeholders across sales, finance, compliance, and maintenance functions

• Lead planning and mobilisation of new contracts, ensuring operational readiness and commercial viability

• Hold CPC

Areas of responsibility:

• Multi-depot operational leadership

• Combined and individual P&L performance

• Skip, RoRo, and artic transport operations

• Depot leadership teams and succession planning

• Commercial alignment with sales and contract delivery

• Fleet management, fleet demand planning, and utilisation

• Compliance, governance, and risk management

• Operational efficiency and continuous improvement

• Customer service delivery and escalation management

• Standardisation, branding, and “Panda” transformation programme rollout

• Business growth and operational scalability

Required Experiences & Skills:

• Proven experience in a senior operational leadership role within transport, logistics, or waste management

• Demonstrable experience managing multiple sites and leading through layered management structures

• Strong track record of owning and delivering against P&L targets

• Experience managing complex operations across skip, RoRo, Trade waste and artic services (highly desirable)

• Ability to lead business transformation and embed new ways of working

• Strong commercial acumen with a focus on growth, margin, and cost control

• Experience influencing and aligning cross-functional teams, particularly sales and operations

• Proven ability to lead, develop, and hold managerial teams accountable for performance

• Strong decision-making capability in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

• Experience driving operational efficiencies and large-scale improvement initiatives

• High level of resilience, ownership, and accountability

Required Qualifications and Training:

• Essential: Transport Manager CPC and willingness to be named on the company Operator’s Licence (O-Licence) (if required)

• Essential: Waste Management / Transport Industry experience

• Essential: Full UK Driving Licence

• Essential: Strong knowledge of transport legislation, WTD, and compliance requirements

• Essential: Strong understanding of Health & Safety within a transport or waste environment

• Desirable: Additional qualifications (e.g. IOSH, First Aid, ADR awareness)

We are Panda. We value waste.

We’re in the business of waste management but that doesn’t just mean collecting bins. Behind every collection is a passionate team of people finding smarter, safer, and more sustainable ways to recycle and repurpose materials that would otherwise go to waste.

Over the past 30 years, Panda has grown into a leading resource recovery business, bringing together almost 3,000 people across multiple brands, united by a shared vision and strong values. While our operations are diverse, our purpose is clear: to protect our people, support our customers, and create positive impact for the communities and environments we serve.

At Panda, people are at the heart of everything we do. We work as one team, combining different skills, experiences, and perspectives to achieve shared goals. We care for each other’s wellbeing, encourage development, and support growth because we know we’re stronger together.

We expect excellence in how we operate. High standards, bold thinking, and continuous improvement drive our passion for innovation. We challenge the ordinary, put safety first, and embrace new ideas while delivering practical, cost-effective solutions that move our business forward.

We own what we do. From day-to-day tasks to major projects, we take pride in our work and responsibility for the outcome. We don’t walk past problems we address them together. Our expertise, reliability, and care reflect who we are and the difference we make.

And above all, we act with trust and integrity. Trust is built through open communication, honesty, and accountability. It allows us to move quickly, make confident decisions, and deliver results — knowing our people are empowered to do the right thing.

Our journey depends on talented, committed people who want to make an impact.

Take the first step and join us on the journey.

Panda is committed to attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we operate and the people we serve.
(DE&I Policy Statement)