Class 2 HGV Driver

Class 2 HGV Driver, Leicester, LE18

Salary: £32,531.40 per annum

Location: Leicester, LE18

Contract: Rolling 3 Month Contract

Hours: Full-Time: 45 hours/week minus a 30 minute daily unpaid break  

Benefits: 25 days holiday, 5% Employer Pension Contribution including Life Cover, Occupational Sick Pay Benefits & Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Paternity Leave and Pay, plus more

Reporting to: Transport Manager

About FareShare Midlands

FareShare Midlands is the region’s largest food redistribution charity. We take good-to-eat surplus food from the food industry and get it to our Members - frontline charities and community groups all over the Midlands. We turn an environmental problem into a social solution.

Last year we redistributed almost 5,794 tonnes of food from our warehouses in Birmingham, Leicester and Nottingham. It is sorted and stored by our dedicated teams of staff and volunteers, and then redistributed to around 800 Members including food pantries and cafes, homeless shelters and drop-in centers. These local organisations turn the food into food parcels, affordable shopping and delicious meals for people of all ages. As well as food, our Members provide vital support to families and the elderly, many of whom are facing challenging circumstances and living in poverty.

Last year our food reached more than 83,000 vulnerable people every week, providing 13 million meals. At the same time, we are growing our Employability Programmes to help people gain work experience, skills and jobs.

Hunger is a growing issue in the UK and while there is surplus food that is otherwise going to waste, we believe that this food should be used to feed people first.

The Role

We are looking for a Class 2 HGV Driver to make daily collections from our food partners and deliver to warehouses across the West and East Midlands. This role is most suited to individuals with an aptitude for driving, who have excellent customer service skills combined with a professional attitude as you will be dealing directly with our customers as a representative of FareShare Midlands.

Main Responsibilities

The successful candidate will work with the Supply Chain Team to collect surplus food from partners and deliver to the right regional centre.

• Provide excellent customer service to food partners in person and by phone, offering a highly professional impression of the charity in a friendly manner.
• Adhere to all laws and working time regulations.
• Support the Supply Chain Team by collecting stock offered from the food industry and delivering it to Regional Centres in a timely fashion, communicating ETAs and delays.
• Maintain records of collections and allocations e.g. provide paperwork and temperature readings to the Regional Centres on delivery.
• Identify any barriers or opportunities and feedback any developments or challenges e.g. delays, maintenance concerns, instruction errors, etc.
• Ensure deliveries follow the assigned order, the routes are planned appropriately in the given timescale and all delivery windows are met safely.
• Highlight and respond quickly to any anticipated delays or difficulties, using problem solving skills to mitigate any unforeseen circumstances e.g. taking breaks while queueing or changing the order of collections subject to permission from the Supply Chain Team.
• Ensure the quality of the product delivered is accurate against notes, making detailed visual inspections and flagging any concerns or discrepancies before the vehicle is loaded.
• Strengthen existing relationships by providing a reliable and friendly service.
• Adhere to all health and safety and operational requirements at all times.
• Ensure the vehicle is properly maintained, serviced and cleaned to a high standard.

This position will involve handballing and lifting with the provision of lifting equipment. You may be required to complete other duties as requested to suit the needs of the charity. Some work on Saturdays with notice will be required.  

Person Specification

Essential

• Class 2 UK Driving License
• A valid CPC and digital tachograph card
• Required to undertake heavy lifting
• Health and Safety awareness
• Customer service and communication skills
• Positive and professional attitude
• Able to use a Smart Phone including apps such as What’s App, Sat Nav and E-mail.
• Good Midlands geographic knowledge

Preferred

• Clean License
• Accredited forklift truck permit (counterbalance)
• Experience delivering chilled or frozen food

 How to Apply: 

If you would like to apply for this role, please send a copy of your CV.

We are looking to get the right candidates started as soon as possible.  The vacancy will continue remain open until both roles are filled.

We continue to strive to ensure that the profile of our staff and volunteers reflects the diverse communities we serve across the Midlands. As such we encourage and welcome applications from all our communities. We particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse backgrounds as they are currently under-represented within FareShare Midlands. 

Closing date: Open, ongoing recruitment

Interviews: TBC