Head of Routes (Ferry Operations) – Surrey

Spinnaker are working for a well known ferry company who are looking for a commercially minded professional to own the commercial and financial performance of an assigned ferry route by coordinating activity across commercial, operational and finance functions. The role is influence-led rather than operational, focusing on performance analysis, stakeholder alignment and improvement initiatives to maximise route profitability.

Key Responsibilities

Route Performance

• Monitor and analyse route revenue, cost and contribution
• Track performance against budget and forecast
• Identify underperformance and develop corrective action plans
• Support forward planning and budgeting cycles

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Act as the central point of alignment between freight, passenger, port operations, capacity management and finance teams
• Lead regular route performance review meetings and follow up actions
• Balance commercial and operational priorities to optimise overall results

Commercial & Operational Insight

• Assess pricing, capacity utilisation and scheduling effectiveness
• Identify efficiency improvements and revenue opportunities
• Challenge existing practices and drive performance improvements
• Support development of route strategy and business initiatives

Reporting & Stakeholder Management

• Present performance updates to senior leadership and CFO
• Communicate risks, opportunities and forecasts clearly
• Coordinate KPI tracking and performance reporting
• Work closely with finance on budgeting and forecasting

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Essential

• Strong commercial and business acumen
• Financial literacy and confidence analysing performance data
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority
• Experience working across multiple departments or functions
• Strong communication and presentation skills

Desirable

• Experience within transport, logistics, freight or network-based businesses
• Exposure to budgeting, forecasting or P&L responsibility
• Performance, strategy or operational improvement experience