Because the term “delivery manager” can refer to a variety of jobs in different industries, defining a specific job description without considering the industry in question can be difficult. In most cases, however, the delivery manager will be in charge of supervising a team of delivery or service workers and ensuring that customers are properly and promptly served. He or she will be in charge of a delivery department’s or company’s operations, as well as all aspects of the company’s or department’s functions, including bookkeeping, employee scheduling, and payroll. Other job responsibilities will differ depending on the position.
One of the delivery manager’s main concerns is ensuring that all operations run smoothly and within a set budget. The manager may or may not have been involved in the budgeting process, but he or she will be responsible for ensuring that the department stays within its budget; if the department is running over budget, the delivery manager will need to make appropriate changes to reduce operating costs. However, such changes cannot be made at the expense of safety, and they are not recommended at the expense of efficiency. This means that in some situations, the manager’s job can be extremely difficult.
The delivery manager’s primary responsibility also includes employee management. In most cases, he or she will be in charge of creating an employee schedule, monitoring employee performance, hiring new employees, and terminating underperforming employees. The manager must build positive relationships with his or her employees and be able to spot problems among his or her coworkers. Recognizing and rewarding hardworking employees is also important for improving employee morale and productivity. Payroll responsibilities may or may not fall on the shoulders of the delivery manager; in some larger companies, such responsibilities are more likely to be handled by a dedicated payroll department.
If the delivery manager’s company offers or requires services from a variety of vendors, the manager will likely need to establish working relationships with them and maintain open lines of communication to ensure that business transactions go smoothly. This entails gaining a thorough understanding of the industry in which the manager works, as well as workflow processes that may have an impact on different vendors. Invoice management, as well as billing and fee collection, may be part of the manager’s responsibilities. The manager will essentially be the point person for any business and vendor relationships that have an impact on day-to-day operations.