Gruber Logistics - Driver Operations Manager

About the Company

GRUBER Logistics is a family-owned international logistics company with almost 90 years of history. Founded in South Tyrol, Italy, the company has grown into one of Europe's established logistics groups, with operations across Europe and Asia and expertise spanning road transport, heavy and special transport, air and sea freight, logistics services and industrial relocations.

GRUBER Logistics established its Lithuanian operation in 2018. Today, the Vilnius-based trucking division operates approximately 180 trucks with close to 300 professional drivers and is supported by a local team across Transport, Driver Administration and Finance.

As the Lithuanian operation continues to develop, we are looking for a Driver Operations Manager who can take ownership of the driver organization and help ensure a reliable, well-managed and fully staffed fleet.

About the Role

As Driver Operations Manager, your primary responsibility will be simple to define but critical to the business: make sure the trucks have the drivers they need to operate.

You will take ownership of the driver lifecycle, from recruitment coordination and onboarding through driver rotations, administration, communication, performance matters and retention.

You will lead the team responsible for driver administration and exchanges, work closely with external recruitment partners, and act as the senior point of contact when driver-related issues require escalation.

This is not a traditional HR or recruitment position. It is a hands-on operational leadership role for someone who takes responsibility, solves problems and is comfortable working closely with both drivers and transport operations.

The position reports directly to senior management and offers the opportunity, depending on performance and experience, to gradually take broader responsibility for the Lithuanian operation.

Responsibilities

• Ensure sufficient driver availability across the Lithuanian fleet and minimize truck standstill caused by driver shortages.

• Plan and supervise driver rotations and exchanges, ensuring that outgoing drivers are replaced according to operational requirements.

• Lead and coordinate the Driver Administration team responsible for driver exchanges, employment documentation and migration procedures.

• Manage the end-to-end driver hiring process together with external recruitment agencies, including agency communication, candidate coordination and interviews.

• Oversee the onboarding of new drivers and ensure they understand company procedures, expectations and working standards.

• Act as a senior point of contact for drivers throughout their employment with GRUBER Logistics.

• Handle escalated driver-related issues together with Transport Managers and support the resolution of operational, behavioural or communication challenges.

• Maintain regular communication with drivers and contribute to driver satisfaction and retention.

• Ensure driver documentation, employment and migration processes are completed accurately and on time.

• Monitor driver headcount, hiring, departures, driver-to-truck ratios and other relevant operational KPIs.

• Prepare regular reports for management on driver availability, recruitment activity and operational performance.

• Cooperate closely with Transport, Finance and other internal teams in Lithuania and across the wider GRUBER Logistics organization.

• Identify operational issues proactively, take ownership of solutions and help improve driver-related processes as the business develops.

Requirements

• Experience in transport, logistics, fleet operations, driver management or another relevant operational environment.

• Previous experience working directly with professional drivers is a strong advantage, but not an absolute requirement.

• Experience leading people, coordinating a team or taking ownership of an operational function.

• A hands-on mentality and willingness to take responsibility beyond a narrowly defined job description.

• Strong problem-solving skills and a solution-oriented approach - when something goes wrong, your first instinct is to resolve it.

• Positive and pragmatic attitude, with the ability to remain constructive in a fast-moving transport environment.

• Strong sense of ownership, reliability and personal responsibility.

• Ability to communicate confidently with drivers, colleagues, recruitment partners and senior management.

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to coordinate multiple operational priorities simultaneously.

• Good understanding of driver recruitment, employment documentation or migration procedures would be an advantage.

• Fluent Lithuanian and good English are required.

• Russian language skills are a strong advantage due to the international driver workforce.

• Comfortable working primarily from the Vilnius office and being a visible leader for the local team and drivers.

What We Offer

• A responsible management position with direct influence on the performance of GRUBER Logistics' Lithuanian trucking operation.

• Ownership of a critical business function supporting approximately 180 trucks and close to 300 professional drivers.

• A well-established driver operation where the focus is on maintaining performance, developing the team and continuously improving processes.

• The opportunity to work within an international, family-owned logistics group with almost 90 years of history.

• Direct cooperation with experienced international logistics management.

• The opportunity to gradually take broader responsibility within the Lithuanian organization, with potential progression toward branch-level management.

• Company car.

• Comprehensive private health insurance.

• A stable, primarily office-based position in Vilnius.

• Compensation aligned with the candidate's experience, capabilities and the value they can bring to the role.