WMJobs
Driver – Team Leader
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Directorate: Housing, Regeneration and Operations
Section: Waste Service
Location: Weighbridge Site Lodge
Grade: Level 7
Hours: 37 hours per week
This advert is open to both internal and external applicants.
The Role:
We require a waste driver/team leader to support our existing staff. The contract is subject to the candidate complete a full induction course, including health and safety in refuse collections. The successful candidates will drive our waste collection vehicles on a daily basis to ensure all waste is collected on the day. You will undertake a daily vehicle inspection prior to leaving the depot to ensure the vehicle is safe to drive, clean and re-fuel at the end of the day. During the day, you will supervise your crew and deal with any missed bins and general complaints in accordance with the duties of the post.
You must have an LGV driving licence and a minimum of 6 months experience of driving large goods vehicles. You must have good motivational skills, being fully customer focused and capable of organising teams on a daily basis, including planning waste collection routes, and be a great team player.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and coordinate daily waste collection operations, ensuring rounds are completed safely, efficiently and to required service standards.
- Supervise, support and motivate collection crews, providing guidance, resolving issues on route and maintaining high performance and conduct.
- Monitor vehicle checks, equipment use and health & safety compliance, addressing hazards promptly and promoting a safe working culture.
- Act as the first point of contact for service issues, responding to missed collections, customer concerns and on-the-day operational challenges.
- Ensure accurate reporting and documentation, including route completion, incidents, crew attendance and service performance data.
- Work collaboratively with managers and other teams, contributing to service improvements, route optimisation and problem-solving.
About You:
- Proven experience in waste collection, street services or similar operational work, with a solid understanding of routes, vehicles and service standards.
- Strong people-management and leadership skills, including the ability to motivate crews, address performance issues and maintain a positive team culture.
- Excellent knowledge of health & safety practices, including manual handling, vehicle safety checks and risk awareness in frontline environments.
- Confident decision-making and problem-solving abilities, especially when dealing with on-the-day service disruptions, customer issues or staffing challenges.
- Good communication and interpersonal skills, able to liaise professionally with staff, supervisors, residents and other council teams.
- Ability to maintain accurate records and use basic digital systems, such as route tracking, incident reporting or attendance management.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
What we offer:
- A competitive salary based on your skills, experience and talent
- Hybrid and flexible working options
- An excellent local authority benefits pension scheme
- Professional development through learning opportunities, regular training sessions and apprenticeship and management schemes
- Further information on our Rewards and Benefits can be found here
For more information on the role, please contact the Recruiting Manager, Andrew Cresswell, Andrew.Cresswell@stoke.gov.uk
About us:
We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. Working for Stoke-on-Trent City Council is more than just a job, it's about making, protecting and improving the services for the local population, reducing inequalities and improving independence for the people who live and work in the city. And that’s where you come in. We are always looking for people of the highest calibre with skills, knowledge and experience to help us deliver our compelling vision.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s diverse and talented workforce is its greatest asset and most valuable resource. The skills, knowledge and experience of our c.4,600 employees are essential to delivering our ambitions and vision for our organisation and Stoke-on-Trent. We want to be an employer that people are proud to work for, and where our staff are supported, developed and rewarded in an inclusive way that helps them to excel and to deliver the high-quality services that our residents need.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Further information on the Council and our directorates
Any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of required pre-employment checks. These may include:
- Right to Work in the UK
- Proof of address
- Satisfactory references
- Occupational Health Clearance
- Evidence of professional qualifications or registrations
- DBS check at the appropriate level (if applicable for the role)
The Council will not accept any speculative CVs from employment agencies. No agency terms and conditions accompanying any such CVs will be accepted by the Council. Any unsolicited information sent by an employment agency will be treated as the property of the Council.
Driver Assessment Requirement
Appointment to any of the above posts is subject to successfully completing a practical, road-based driver assessment. This assessment ensures the candidate can operate Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) safely and competently, in line with all legal and safety standards.
Organisation Process
Please note that if an employee who is currently at risk of redundancy within the organisation applies for this vacancy their application will receive priority. If this happens you will be advised accordingly.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
At Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we believe our strength comes from the diversity of our community, and we want our workforce to reflect that. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences. We understand that some people, especially those from underrepresented or marginalised backgrounds, may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet all the listed requirements. If this role interests you and you think you could be a good fit, we encourage you to apply. We are proud of what makes each of us unique and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels included, can be themselves, and can succeed together.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills