Director, Transportation

Transportation Strategy & Network Optimization

Own multi-mode transportation strategy and carrier alignment, including origin optimization across the manufacturing network, routing guide governance, and service recovery.

Define and govern transportation service-level commitments (delivery windows, mode-by-mode lead times, customer-tier expectations) in partnership with Sales and Customer Service; ensure commitments are achievable, measurable, and aligned with cost-to-serve.

Lead transportation risk management and business continuity planning for disruption scenarios (carrier financial distress, port and gateway disruptions, weather and climate events, geopolitical and trade-policy shifts); maintain carrier redundancy, alternate routing, and escalation playbooks to safeguard customer service.

Monitor transportation market trends and trade policy changes (tariffs, customs, import/export regulations); assess impact on total landed cost, capacity, lead times, and mode strategy; translate insights into routing guides, carrier strategies, forecasts, and contingency plans.

Support network and facility investment decisions (dedicated/private fleet, distribution-center location, cross-dock) with transportation analytics, business cases, and recommendations.

Carrier Management, Cost & Performance

Carrier Strategy & Procurement Lead carrier and 3PL strategy, contract negotiation, and ongoing performance governance across all modes; ensure services are delivered at competitive total cost while adhering to routing guides.

• Define, publish, and govern transportation KPIs on a weekly/monthly cadence (on-time pickup and delivery, cost per pound, tender acceptance, accessorial rate, claims rate, invoice accuracy), with corrective actions tracked to closure.
• Own governance for cargo claims prevention and resolution; analyze trends, recover costs, and implement corrective actions with carriers and internal partners.

Financial & Audit Governance

Develop and manage the transportation budget, freight PPV (price/plan variance), and related forecasting; deliver cost-to-serve analysis and executive-ready recommendations.

• Lead freight audit and payment governance: validate rates and contracts, enforce accessorial controls, resolve disputes, ensure accrual accuracy, and deliver spend analytics.
• Partner with Sales and Finance to govern freight terms strategy (collect, prepaid-add, prepaid, delivered) and customer-pickup policy; ensure freight-terms decisions reflect true cost-to-serve and align with commercial strategy.

Customer & Retail Compliance

Govern retailer compliance programs (OTIF, MABD, ASN accuracy, appointment scheduling); analyze chargeback trends, drive root-cause corrective actions, and lead deduction recovery efforts in partnership with Customer Service and Finance.

• Govern reverse logistics processes (customer returns, damaged-shipment recoveries, distributor stock balancing) in partnership with Customer Service and Quality; ensure cost recovery and root-cause feedback into outbound execution.
• Represent transportation in strategic customer engagements (joint scorecard reviews, EDI/ASN governance, dock-scheduling escalations) to strengthen service relationships and surface improvement opportunities.

Compliance, Systems & Continuous Improvement

Ensure shipping operations comply with DOT (including hazmat/HMR for applicable products), OSHA, and other transportation regulatory requirements; maintain carrier safety qualification (FMCSA ratings, CSA scores, insurance, accident history) and audit cadence; maintain hazmat training, shipping paper accuracy, and lane qualification.

• Select and oversee customs brokers and forwarders.
• Oversee any future trade compliance consultant engagement or hire (HTS classification, EAR/BIS, import/export policy) until a more natural organizational home is established for that function.
• Own transportation systems strategy (TMS, ERP transportation module, visibility and analytics tools); evaluate emerging technologies (AI analytics, control towers, automation) and convert proven use cases into prioritized roadmap initiatives.
• Partner with the Continuous Improvement department on transportation process improvements; track and report sustainability indicators (fuel use, load capacity, mode mix, network efficiency) to support corporate disclosures and embed sustainability criteria into carrier scorecards.

People Leadership & Cross-Functional Influence

Lead and develop the transportation team (Logistics Analyst, Specialist – Outbound, Specialist – Inbound) through hiring, coaching, performance management, and succession planning; build capability in analytics, carrier management, and compliance execution while Specialists own day-to-day execution.

• Serve as the transportation voice in the monthly IBP cycle: provide capacity, lead-time, and cost inputs to the consensus plan; flag transportation constraints affecting demand fulfillment; and translate supply commitments into shipping feasibility.
• Influence cross-functional leadership (Operations, Finance, Sales, Customer Service) by articulating trade-offs, priorities, and decision impacts; align incentives, improve order-to-delivery coordination, and minimize total cost-to-serve without compromising customer focus.
• Prepare and deliver executive-level reports (monthly business reviews, QBRs, strategic updates), translating transportation performance, risks, and cost drivers into clear, actionable business decisions.