Procurement Manager – U.S. Ground Transportation & Warehousing

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Albemarle is seeking a Procurement Manager, U.S. Ground Transportation & Warehousing, to support Global Logistics Procurement. This hybrid role is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and requires in-office presence three days per week.

• Department:
  Global Logistics Procurement
• Reports To:
  
  Global Logistics Procurement Manager

The Procurement Manager will lead sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and commercial strategy for U.S. domestic ground transportation and warehousing services. The role will manage truck carrier and third-party warehouse providers, including flatbed, container, drayage, bulk carrier, rail, contract warehousing, overflow storage, and short-term storage solutions. This position is responsible for securing reliable capacity, competitive cost structures, effective contract terms, and strong supplier performance across Albemarle’s U.S. logistics network.

This role partners closely with Logistics, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, and Risk Management to align procurement strategies with operational needs, budget requirements, service expectations, and risk mitigation objectives.

• Lead sourcing, negotiation, and contracting activities for U.S. ground transportation, rail, and warehousing services.
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for domestic truck carriers, including flatbed, container, drayage, and bulk transportation, as well as third-party warehousing providers.
• Negotiate rates, accessorial charges, fuel surcharges, credit terms, service-level agreements, escalation clauses, performance remedies, storage rates, handling fees, and value-added service terms.
• Support budgeting, freight cost forecasting, savings pipeline development, and category planning for transportation and warehousing spend.
• Monitor carrier and warehouse performance to ensure safe, compliant, reliable, and cost-effective service delivery.
• Lead bid events, evaluate supplier proposals, manage contract workflows, coordinate legal reviews, and finalize agreements.
• Conduct regular supplier business reviews, including QBRs and MBRs, to assess performance, address issues, and drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure procurement activities and supplier contracts support applicable transportation safety, regulatory, trade, insurance, and compliance requirements.
• Collaborate with carriers, warehouse providers, and internal stakeholders to improve logistics operations, service reliability, and supplier accountability.
• Conduct market research, data analysis, and supplier benchmarking to support supply chain optimization initiatives.
• Ensure North America transportation and warehousing contracts are complete, current, and maintained in SAP Ariba or the applicable contract management system.
• Partner with Logistics, Operations, and Supply Chain teams to ensure procurement strategies support operational execution and business priorities.
• Collaborate with Logistics and Operations to understand shipment forecasts, volume trends, lane requirements, and capacity needs.
• Translate volume forecasts and network requirements into sourcing strategies, capacity plans, and supplier engagement priorities.
• Anticipate peak seasons, network changes, market constraints, and risk events that may affect carrier availability, warehouse capacity, service levels, or cost.
• Work with Legal and Risk Management to ensure supplier agreements include appropriate compliance, insurance, indemnity, liability, and risk mitigation provisions.
• Support business continuity by maintaining backup carrier options, alternate warehouse providers, and contingency sourcing strategies.
• Drive cost reduction, service improvement, and risk mitigation through data-driven decision-making, network performance analysis, and logistics market intelligence.

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of logistics or procurement experience in a multinational environment.
• Experience managing domestic transportation tenders and negotiating carrier contracts.
• Experience developing and managing RFP processes for warehousing procurement.
• Demonstrated continuous improvement experience in logistics, procurement, or supply chain operations.
• Strong data analytics skills, including experience with SAP S/4
  
  HANA or other ERP systems, advanced Excel, and Power BI.
• Experience collaborating with international or cross-cultural teams.
• Familiarity with transportation requirements for regulated and non-regulated goods across ground, rail, ocean, and air modes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

• Strong communication,…