Shipper

Heidelberg Materials UK (formerly Hanson UK) is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of construction materials, employing over 4,000 people and operating around 300 manufacturing sites in the UK.

We are committed to building a more sustainable future and recognise that a diverse workforce is vital to our growth and advancement. We aim to promote a culture that values openness, transparency and individual achievement.

At the centre of our actions lies the responsibility for the environment. As the front runner on the path to carbon neutrality and circular economy in the building materials industry, we are working on sustainable building materials and solutions for the future. We enable new opportunities for our customers through digitalisation.

We’re looking for a proactive Shipper to play a key role in coordinating customer orders, deliveries and haulage across a cluster of plants. You’ll be at the heart of the operation, balancing customer requirements with vehicle availability and plant capacity to make sure we deliver the right product, to the right place, at the right time.

This is a varied role where no two days are the same. You’ll work closely with customers, hauliers, operational teams and commercial colleagues to keep deliveries moving efficiently while maintaining excellent customer service.

As a Shipper, you’ll take responsibility for managing the order book and work profile across a specific cluster of plants, with a strong focus on Volume, On-Time Delivery (OTD) and Vehicle Utilisation.

Your responsibilities will include:

• →Managing customer orders and workloads across your allocated plants.
• →Coordinating vehicle and haulier activity to maximise utilisation and reduce unnecessary empty mileage.
• →Proactively managing the order book and planning ahead for upcoming customer requirements.
• →Building strong relationships with key customers and understanding their future requirements.
• →Working closely with commercial and operational teams to resolve issues and maintain service levels.
• →Monitoring deliveries throughout the day and responding quickly to delays or operational challenges.
• →Redirecting vehicles and customer orders when plant breakdowns or loading delays occur.
• →Keeping customers informed of delays and offering suitable alternatives whenever possible.
• →Managing vehicle movements between plants to support changing workloads.
• →Monitoring driver and haulier activity, including vehicle availability, annual leave, servicing and breakdowns.
• →Ensuring working vehicles are correctly allocated and available for optimisation.
• →Identifying and reporting recurring operational or customer issues.
• →Handling customer and haulier enquiries professionally and efficiently.
• →Supporting the prevention and resolution of invoice queries.
• →Completing administration accurately and within required deadlines.
• →Providing support and cover across the wider team when required.

You’ll be someone who enjoys working in a busy environment where priorities can change quickly. You’ll need to be confident communicating with different people and comfortable making decisions that balance customer service with operational efficiency.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• GCSE Maths and English at Grade 4/C or above, or equivalent.
• Strong communication and customer service skills.
• Good analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• The confidence to negotiate and communicate effectively at different levels.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Good IT skills and experience using standard Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with SAP and logistics/transport planning systems such as Syncrotess would be advantageous.
• Previous experience working within a large business, logistics, transport, customer service or operational environment would be beneficial.
• A proactive approach and the ability to remain calm when plans change.

This is more than simply processing orders. You’ll have a direct impact on how efficiently our operation runs and the service our customers receive.

From coordinating vehicles and responding to plant breakdowns to finding alternative solutions for customers, you’ll be trusted to make decisions and keep things moving. If you enjoy problem solving, building relationships and working in a fast-moving logistics environment, this could be a great opportunity for you.