Transportation Manager

We're looking for a Transportation Manager to be responsible for designing, optimizing, and managing the transportation network to ensure cost-effective, reliable, and scalable freight movement across the enterprise. This role owns the transportation strategy, TMS governance, and third-party logistics (3PL) relationships while partnering closely with Operations, Customer Care, IT, Finance, and Procurement to drive service performance, cost optimization, and continuous improvement.

This position plays a critical role in the implementation and ongoing optimization of the ERP and TMS platforms and serves as the primary liaison with external transportation partners, carriers, and international freight forwarders.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own the design, performance, and continuous optimization of domestic and international transportation network.
• Analyze freight flows, modes, lanes, and service levels to optimize cost, capacity, and transit performance.
• Utilize cost-to-serve analysis and transportation data to identify and deliver sustainable freight savings.
• Partner with Operations and Supply Chain leaders to align transportation strategy with production, inventory, and customer service objectives.
• Serve as the business owner for the Transportation Management System (TMS), including configuration, data integrity, and continuous improvement.
• Lead transportation process design and integration within the new ERP environment.
• Ensure accurate execution, reporting, and analytics across systems to enable real-time decision making.
• Partner with IT and external vendors to support system enhancements, issue resolution, and user adoption.
• Manage strategic relationships with 3PL provider(s), ensuring alignment on performance, cost, service, and continuous improvement objectives.
• Establish and manage relationships with domestic carriers and international freight forwarders.
• Develop and monitor carrier and 3PL KPIs including on-time delivery, cost performance, tender acceptance, and exception management.
• Lead quarterly business reviews (QBRs) and performance discussions with transportation partners.
• Oversee day-to-day transportation execution to ensure freight issues are identified, escalated, and resolved effectively.
• Support facilities and customer care teams by providing guidance and escalation support for shipment disruptions and capacity constraints.
• Ensure consistent transportation processes and standards across all shipping locations.
• Identify and implement transportation process improvements that reduce cost, improve service reliability, and enhance scalability.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable transportation, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Support audits and special transportation initiatives as required.
• Partner effectively with cross-functional teams (Operations, Customer Care, IT, Finance, Procurement) to drive transportation and network improvements, even when authority is indirect.
• Communicate transportation strategies, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Act as a hands-on, data-driven leader who drives accountability through KPIs, root cause analysis, and performance management.
• Influence decision making by providing fact-based recommendations aligned with business priorities and customer commitments.
• Analyze complex transportation challenges such as capacity constraints, service disruptions, cost pressures, and system limitations.
• Make balanced decisions that consider cost, service, risk, and operational impact.
• Challenge historical practices and lead change initiatives that deliver measurable business value.
• Demonstrate decisiveness in high-pressure situations to maintain service continuity and minimize customer impact.
• Support special projects, audits, and operational initiatives as assigned.

BACKGROUND PROFILE:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management or a related field required.
• 7-10 years of progressive experience in transportation, supply chain network design, or logistics operations, preferably within manufacturing or industrial environments.
• Knowledge and experience working with TMS platforms and 3PL providers.
• Strong analytical skills with proven ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Experience with ERP implementations or major system transformation ownership preferred.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.