Director of Transportation

About the role

The Director of Transportation position is located in Memphis, TN. We are seeking a highly accomplished transportation leader to oversee the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of our end-to-end transportation network. This role is responsible for leading all transportation modes, including Less-than-Truckload (LTL), Full Truckload (FTL), Intermodal, Parcel, Ocean, and Air Freight, while optimizing service, cost, network efficiency, and customer experience. Partner closely with Distribution Operations, Supply Planning, Inventory Management, Merchandising, Customs Compliance, Finance, Customer Care, Procurement, and Technology to ensure our transportation network supports business growth while maintaining operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an enterprise transportation strategy supporting domestic and international operations.

• Optimize transportation networks across LTL, Truckload, Intermodal, Parcel, Ocean, and Air.

• Lead transportation procurement, carrier sourcing, contract negotiations, and annual bid events.

• Develop long-term network strategies that improve service, resiliency, and cost efficiency.

• Monitor transportation market conditions and proactively adjust network strategies.

• Domestic Transportation:

  • Lead Strategy and Operations for Less-than-Truckload (LTL), Full Truckload (FTL), Intermodal, Dedicated Fleet (where applicable), Retail and Distribution Center transportation, and Final Mile operations.

  • Responsibilities include capacity planning, routing optimization, carrier management, peak season readiness, transportation procurement, and performance management.

• Parcel Operations & Optimization:

  • Own the enterprise parcel strategy supporting direct-to-consumer, eCommerce, retail replenishment, and B2B shipments.

  • Develop multi-carrier parcel strategies across multiple parcel carriers, and emerging last-mile providers.

  • Lead parcel carrier negotiations and optimize transportation spend while maintaining service commitments.

  • Drive parcel optimization initiatives including zone skipping, carrier diversification, consolidation, dimensional weight reduction, packaging optimization, and routing improvements.

  • Monitor parcel KPIs including cost per package, on-time delivery, transit performance, delivery exceptions, claims, and customer experience.

  • Partner with Distribution Centers to improve carton utilization, packaging efficiency, and shipping profiles.

  • Ensure peak season parcel capacity and network resiliency.

• International Transportation:

  • Lead global transportation strategy across Ocean Freight, Air Freight, Freight Forwarders and NVOCCs, Import transportation planning, and International carrier management.

  • Partner closely with Customs Compliance and Global Sourcing teams to ensure efficient inbound transportation and regulatory compliance.

• Carrier Management:

  • Build executive relationships with transportation providers.

  • Negotiate transportation contracts and service agreements.

  • Develop carrier scorecards measuring cost, service, capacity, claims, and performance.

  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives with transportation partners.

• Financial & Operational Leadership:

  • Manage a multi-million-dollar transportation budget.

  • Lead freight forecasting, budgeting, and transportation productivity initiatives.

  • Identify opportunities to reduce freight costs while protecting service levels.

  • Utilize transportation analytics to support strategic decision making.

• Analytics & Continuous Improvement:

  • Develop transportation dashboards and executive KPI reporting.

  • Analyze transportation performance, cost-to-serve, carrier utilization, and network efficiency.

  • Lead transportation optimization projects using data and analytics.

  • Champion continuous improvement and process simplification.

• Cross-Functional Leadership:

  • Collaborate with Distribution Operations, Inventory Planning, Supply Planning, Customer Care, Merchandising, Finance, Customs Compliance, Procurement, and Information Technology.

  • Build strong partnerships across the organization and influence strategic decisions through collaboration and data.

• People Leadership:

  • Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing transportation organization by building strong leadership talent.

  • Coaching and mentoring managers and individual contributors.

  • Creating clear accountability and performance expectations.

  • Supporting succession planning and employee development.

  • Fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, Engineering, or a related field.

• At least 10+ years of progressive transportation leadership experience.

• At least 5 years leading managers and cross-functional teams.

• Experience managing domestic and international transportation networks.

• Demonstrated expertise in LTL, Full Truckload, Intermodal, Parcel Operations, Ocean Freight, Air Freight, Carrier Procurement, Transportation Management Systems (TMS), Transportation Analytics, Network Optimization, Routing Guides, Freight Audit and Payment, Transportation Procurement.

• PREFERRED: Experience with Infor, Power BI, SQL, SAP, Oracle, Manhattan, Blue Yonder, or similar transportation and analytics platforms.

• Leadership Competencies:

  • Strategic thinking with the ability to translate vision into execution.

  • Strong executive presence and communication skills.

  • Exceptional financial and analytical acumen.

  • Customer-focused decision making.

  • Collaborative leadership style that builds trust across the organization.

  • Proven ability to influence without authority.

  • Calm, decisive leadership during periods of change and operational disruption.

  • Continuous improvement mindset with a passion for innovation.

  • High integrity, accountability, and ownership.

  • Commitment to coaching, mentoring, and developing future leaders.