Vice President of Transportation

Description

Location: Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Travel: Up to 50%

At Pet Food Experts (PFX), we believe exceptional service starts with exceptional people. As a leading distributor of pet food, treats, toys, and supplies, we serve thousands of independent pet specialty retailers across the country through a growing network of distribution centers and transportation operations.

We're looking for a Vice President of Transportation to lead the strategy, performance, and continued evolution of our national transportation network. This leader will oversee our private fleet, routing and dispatch operations, and third-party carrier partnerships while driving improvements in efficiency, safety, cost, and customer service.

This is an opportunity for an experienced, hands‑on transportation leader who knows how to turn strategy into execution. We’re looking for someone who can challenge existing processes, optimize complex delivery networks, and develop a strong team of transportation professionals.

The right leader will bring both the technical expertise to drive meaningful operational improvements and the people‑first leadership style to build engagement, accountability, and long‑term success.

As the Vice President of Transportation, you will lead transportation operations across our distribution network, balancing service excellence, operational efficiency, financial performance, and safety. You will:

• Develop and execute a national transportation strategy aligned with business growth, customer service, and financial objectives.
• Lead and optimize multi‑site private fleet operations, including transportation managers, dispatch teams, drivers, and fleet resources.
• Own route planning, optimization, and network design, identifying opportunities to improve delivery efficiency, reduce miles and costs, and maximize fleet utilization.
• Evaluate and improve daily routing and dispatch processes, creating greater consistency, efficiency, and accountability across locations.
• Oversee transportation budgets, financial performance, and key operational metrics, driving measurable improvements in cost per stop, cost per mile, and overall service levels.
• Manage fleet strategy, equipment utilization, and capital planning to support operational needs and future growth.
• Evaluate and manage third‑party transportation partnerships, including LTL, truckload, final‑mile, and inter‑DC shuttle services.
• Ensure compliance with DOT/FMCSA regulations, safety standards, and applicable food safety and temperature‑controlled transportation requirements.
• Build, coach, and develop transportation leaders, strengthening team capabilities, succession planning, and employee retention.
• Leverage transportation technology, routing systems, and performance data to identify trends, improve decision‑making, and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with Distribution Operations, Sales, Customer Service, Finance, HR, and other teams to improve execution and the overall customer experience.
• Lead transportation improvement initiatives, standardize best practices, and support the continued growth and evolution of the PFX network.

This role requires more than transportation expertise. We're looking for a leader who:

• Is equally comfortable developing long‑term strategy and getting into the details of daily transportation operations.
• Brings deep expertise in route optimization and knows how to lead complex network changes from analysis through execution.
• Is passionate about developing people, building strong leadership teams, and helping others reach their potential.
• Creates a culture of accountability, collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Challenges the status quo, identifies…