Head of Sortation - Nottingham

Relay is fundamentally reshaping how goods move in an online era. Backed by Europe’s largest-ever logistics Series A ($35M), led by deep-tech investors Plural (whose portfolio spans fusion energy and space exploration), Relay is scaling faster than 99.98% of venture-backed startups. We're assembling the most talent-dense team the logistics industry has ever seen

Relay’s Mission is to free commerce from friction. Today, high delivery costs act as a hidden tax on e-commerce, quietly shaping what can be sold online and limiting who can participate. We envision a world where more goods move more freely between more people, making the online shopping experience seamless and accessible to everyone.

THE TEAM
• ~90 people, more than half in engineering, product and data
• 45+ advanced degrees across computer science, mathematics and operations research
• Thousands of data points captured, calculated, analysed and predicted for every single parcel we handle
• An intellectually vibrant culture of first‑principles thinking, tight feedback loops and relentless experimentation

The Opportunity

This is not a legacy logistics job.

You won’t inherit a manual warehouse or repeat what’s been done before. You’ll lead a high‑reliability, technology-enabled sortation operation where on‑the‑floor execution, discipline, and real-time decision-making determine success.

As the Head of Sortation at our Nottingham Sort Centre, you’ll own performance, safety, people, and flow every shift. This is a hands-on operational leadership role where calmness under pressure, disciplined execution, and evidence-based problem solving define success.

You will directly manage 4 Shift Managers and work closely with central teams focused on Workforce Management and Training & Education to ensure the site runs safely, efficiently, and on time.

This role is perfect for operators from aviation, rail, manufacturing, or other high‑reliability environments who excel in fast-paced, 24/7 operations.

What You’ll Lead

• Lead Daily Operations: Own the sortation floor with a visible, on-the-ground leadership presence.

• Deliver On-Time Success: Maintain stable flow, protect throughput, and ensure parcels move on time, every time.

• Manage and Develop People: Lead Shift Managers and their teams with clarity, feedback, and accountability.

• Run a 24/7 Operation: Oversee night-shift and round‑the‑clock operations with discipline and precision.

• Solve Problems with Data: Make calm, real-time decisions using evidence, not instinct.

• Enforce Standards: Drive operational discipline, safety compliance, and repeatable processes.

• Coordinate with Central Teams: Partner with Workforce Management and Training to forecast labour, maintain competence, and lift capability.

• Maintain Site Readiness: Ensure equipment uptime, consumables availability, and operational continuity.

Who Will Thrive in This Role

• Disciplined operator with deep experience running high‑reliability, high‑tempo environments

• Calm under pressure and able to make fast, data‑driven decisions

• Strong people manager who develops leaders and holds teams accountable

• Execution‑first mindset with a focus on repeatability, structure, and on‑time delivery

• Experience managing a 24/7 operation, including night shifts

• Clear communicator who gives direct, respectful feedback

• Real-time problem solver who manages flow, labour, and queues dynamically

• Culture builder who maintains a safe, high‑trust, high‑expectation environment

• Practical thinker who values simplicity and operational clarity

• You have worked in a startup or can prove that you have worked in an environment with hyper growth and constant change

• You understand and can demonstrate the pressures of working in a 24x7 operation, where on-time success is the most critical lever

Fast and Focused Hiring Process

• Talent Acquisition Interview – 30 min

• Hiring Manager Interview – 45 min

• Director Interview – 60 min

• Relay Operating Principles & Impact – 1 hour

Decision and offer within 48 hours. Our process mirrors our pace of work.

Compensation, Benefits & Workplace

• Generous equity, richer than 99% of European startups, with annual top-ups to share Relay’s success.

• Private health & dental coverage, so comprehensive you’d need to be a partner at a Magic Circle law firm to match it.

• 25 days of holidays

• Enhanced parental leave.

• Hardware of your choice.

• Extensive perks (gym subsidies, cycle-to-work, Friday office lunch, covered Uber home and dinner for late nights, and more).

• Located in Shoreditch, our office set-up enables the kind of in-person interactions that drive impact. We work 4 days on-site, with 1 day remote.

Who Thrives at Relay?

• Aim with Precision: You define problems clearly and measure your impact meticulously.

• Play to Win: You chase bold bets, tackle the hard stuff, and view constraints as fuel, not friction.

• 1% Better Every Day: You believe that small, consistent improvements lead to exponential growth. You move quickly, deliver results, and learn from every experience.

• All In, All the Time: You show up and step up. You take ownership from start to finish and do what it takes to deliver when it counts.

• People-Powered Greatness: You invest in your teammates. You give and receive feedback with care and candour. You build trust through high standards and shared success.

• Grow the Whole Pie: You seek out win-win solutions for merchants, couriers, and our customers, because when they thrive, so do we.
  
  If these resonate, and you combine strong technical fundamentals with entrepreneurial drive, let’s connect.

Relay is an equal-opportunity employer committed to diversity, inclusion, and fostering a workplace where everyone thrives.