Associate Director- Cold Chain Transportation COE

Key Responsibilities

• Execute the global transportation strategy across all temperature-controlled lanes and modes
• Maintain GDP/GMP-compliant standards for cold chain shipments across markets
• Maintain and execute business continuity plans for transportation disruptions
• Drive IoT monitoring use and own the operational response to temperature excursions
• Oversee multi-modal transportation operations (air, ocean, ground, parcel)
• Provide operational oversight of carriers, freight forwarders, and 3PLs against SLAs and KPIs
• Serve as the COE's operational point of accountability for transportation business processes
• Triage and resolve in-flight transportation issues, escalations, and exceptions
• Run operational governance cadences (carrier reviews, lane performance, excursion reviews)
• Drive root-cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions on recurring operational issues
• Lead end-to-end project management for COE initiatives (scoping, planning, stakeholder alignment, execution, closeout)
• Manage cross-functional workstreams across Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, Trade Compliance, IT, and Commercial
• Support the Global Transportation transformation initiative, including the Regional Transportation Hubs rollout
• Partner daily with Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, Trade Compliance, and Commercial teams
• Represent the COE in cross-functional forums and operational reviews
• Champion adoption of new transportation processes, systems, and digital tools
• Coach and develop more junior team members and matrixed contributors on transportation operations and project delivery

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Engineering, Science or related field
• 5+ years in global transportation or logistics operations with direct accountability for carrier management, lane performance, and cross-border shipment execution — including 3+ years specifically in cold chain or temperature-controlled logistics in a regulated industry

Additional Preferences

• Master's degree in Supply Chain Management or MBA
• Hands-on TMS experience (SAP TM, Oracle TMS, MercuryGate, or equivalent) and IoT monitoring platforms (Sensitech, Berlinger, Controlant, or equivalent)
• Import/export operational experience: trade documentation, INCOTERMS, customs clearance across multiple jurisdictions
• Accountable project lead on cross-functional initiatives with defined scope, schedule, and stakeholder reporting from initiation through closeout
• PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent project management certification
• Leverage Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt
• Thermal packaging qualification studies (thermal, lane, or modal) experience
• GDP applied in a regulated transportation environment: authored or reviewed deviation reports, supported CAPAs, and participated in transportation audits

Core Competencies

• Technical Expertise: Cold chain transportation operations, GDP compliance, import/export, TMS, supply chain analytics
• Project Management: Structured delivery of cross-functional initiatives from scoping through closeout
• Operational Acumen: Hands-on problem-solving for in-flight transportation issues
• Collaboration: Strong cross-functional partnership across Quality, Procurement, Manufacturing, and external providers
• Communication: Clear written and verbal communication with operational and executive audiences
• Industry Knowledge: Global regulatory landscape for pharmaceuticals, biologics, or high-value temperature-sensitive goods, International trade compliance and import/export operations, Transportation Quality standards and audit/inspection readiness