Founded over 20 years ago by three entrepreneurial women with a passion for beautiful, practical and comfortable homes, OKA is more than a furniture and homeware retailer: it is a love affair with living well. We inspire people to confidently create a home that reflects their personality, a space where nothing should be too precious or perfect to be enjoyed with family and friends. British-born, today we have 13 stores across the UK, an established Interior Design and Trade business, a mail-order service and a thriving website. ABOUT US We know the best work is done by people who enjoy their jobs, so we create a fun and nurturing environment where everyone feels valued and is able to thrive. We are looking for an agile and proactive Transport Contract Manager with a positive attitude and entrepreneurial spirit who can help us nurture this company culture. Reporting to the Interim GM – Operations, as a Transport Contract Manager you will be responsible for managing and maintaining the relationship between OKA and our third-party transport partner. This pivotal role ensures the efficient transportation, delivery, and logistics of our furniture and homewares products, while adhering to service-level agreements (SLAs). You will monitor the performance of the third-party transport partner, resolve operational challenges, and drive continuous improvements to meet OKA’s expectations and business objectives. This role is based at our office in Didcot but will require regular travel to our third-party transport partners in Lutterworth. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Performance Management: · Analyse ongoing third-party transport and delivery performance metrics, evaluating operational data to ensure that all agreed-upon KPIs are consistently met, particularly in terms of on-time delivery, customer satisfaction, and cost efficiency. · Implement root cause failure analysis and action plans to address any service failures or performance issues, with a focus on resolving issues quickly to minimise customer impact. Use insights to continuously improve transport operations on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. · Regularly audit transport-related KPIs, leveraging data to identify trends and drive operational improvements that enhance customer experience, while also ensuring alignment with OKA’s broader business goals. Operational Oversight: Collaborate closely with third-party transport and delivery leadership to ensure resources are optimised to meet business needs, proactively addressing capacity or resource gaps that could impact customer deliveries. Communicate regularly with internal stakeholders about transport operations, ensuring that planned delivery schedules align with business forecasts, and that service continuity and customer experience are prioritised. Work hand-in-hand with the Warehouse Contract Manager to ensure a unified, seamless approach to delivery and storage operations, ensuring that both customer satisfaction and business goals are effectively met. Transport & Delivery Management: Monitor all transportation logistics to ensure that deliveries meet agreed customer timelines, ensuring alignment with business forecasts and customer expectations. Oversee the validation and reconciliation of third-party transport invoices to ensure transparency, accurate billing, and alignment with the agreed operational performance. Drive improvements in transportation accuracy, focusing on reducing delays and errors that negatively impact customer satisfaction. Continuously work to ensure that deliveries arrive on time, in full, and in excellent condition. Cost Optimisation & Improvement Initiatives: Work closely with the third-party transport provider to identify cost reduction opportunities without compromising the quality of service, ensuring that transportation costs per delivery remain competitive while maintaining a high standard of customer experience. Implement ongoing process improvements and cost-saving initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, reduce waste, and deliver better service to customers at a lower cost. Regularly review transport service contracts, identifying opportunities to renegotiate or improve terms to reduce overall costs while maintaining, or ideally improving, service levels for customers. Compliance & Documentation: Ensure that all third-party transport service reporting is timely, transparent, and aligned with SLAs, providing accurate data to senior management for decision-making. Regularly audit third-party transport Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure compliance with OKA's operational standards, identifying inefficiencies or gaps that may negatively impact delivery quality and customer satisfaction. Lead and support any IT developments related to transport, ensuring that systems integration between OKA and the transport partner optimises operational efficiency and enhances the customer experience. Collaboration & Relationship Management: Foster a strong, proactive, and collaborative relationship with the third-party transport provider, focusing on clear communication, alignment of goals, and prompt escalation of issues to senior management to minimise customer impact. Coordinate with internal teams, including Retail, Trade, IDS and Customer Service, to ensure smooth transport operations and the timely delivery of goods to customers. Act as the main point of contact for all transport-related issues, ensuring prompt resolution of any operational or service-related concerns and maintaining a positive experience for customers. Risk Management: Identify potential transport-related risks that may negatively impact customer deliveries, such as delays, inventory discrepancies, or logistical bottlenecks, and develop proactive strategies to mitigate these risks. Conduct regular risk assessments to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, taking immediate corrective actions where necessary to maintain a safe working environment and minimise disruptions to customer service. Reporting & Analysis: Provide senior management with regular updates on third-party transport performance, delivery success rates, and customer feedback, ensuring transparency and alignment on key metrics. Analyse transport operational trends and data to identify areas for improvement, particularly those that impact the customer experience, and recommend actionable strategies to optimise service levels and cost efficiency. ABOUT YOU · Proven track record in managing third-party transport and distribution contracts, ensuring adherence to SLAs, performance metrics, and cost efficiency while optimising service delivery. · Strong relationship management skills, building effective, strategic partnerships with external transport providers to align goals, resolve issues, and improve operational performance. · In-depth knowledge of transport and distribution management, including route optimisation, fleet management, and compliance with regulations to meet service and cost objectives. · Commitment to continuous learning and development in transport and logistics management. · Strong analytical skills, using data to optimise operations, reduce costs, and improve service delivery. · Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate data insights into actionable strategies for both internal teams and external partners. · Hands-on approach to day-to-day transport operations and proactive problem-solving. · Deep understanding of transport networks and how they align with business objectives and customer demands. · A creative, problem-solving spirit · Passion for the OKA brand OUR BENEFITS PACKAGE · 33 days holiday (including bank holiday entitlement), plus Length of Service increases · Day off for your birthday · Health Cash Plan · Generous staff discount · Enhanced Maternity Pay · Employee Assistance Programme · Eligibility for a discretionary company Bonus Scheme · Plus a suite of additional employee benefits including Company pension scheme, life assurance cover, free eye tests, cycle to work scheme, interest free travel loans, social events, online wellbeing centre and more. If successful you will become part of the OKA family, a fast-paced and dynamic business. If you would like to apply for this position, please send your CV and details of your salary expectations, notice period and right to work information via the link provided.