Sr Manager, North America Transportation & Logistics

About the role

The Senior Manager, North America Logistics & Transportation at Gates is responsible for leading the transportation strategy, execution, and freight spend management across North America. This role oversees the design, governance, procurement, and continuous improvement of transportation operations supporting manufacturing plants, distribution centers, suppliers, and customers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the North America transportation strategy aligned with Gates' supply chain and business objectives.
• Evaluate and implement transportation models that improve service, reduce costs, and increase network flexibility.
• Lead transportation network optimization initiatives across inbound, intercompany, and outbound freight flows.
• Own and manage the North America transportation budget and freight spend, ensuring achievement of annual cost reduction targets.
• Establish transportation cost governance, forecasting processes, and performance reporting.
• Analyze freight spend trends and develop corrective actions to mitigate cost inflation and capacity risks.
• Drive transportation support for acquisitions, network changes, new distribution facilities, and customer growth initiatives.
• Lead strategic relationships with parcel, LTL, truckload, intermodal, ocean, air freight, and brokerage providers.
• Leverage transportation management systems (TMS), ERP platforms, and business intelligence tools to improve visibility and decision-making.
• Develop transportation dashboards and executive reporting for KPIs, savings initiatives, service performance, and risk management.
• Ensure compliance with all transportation regulations, customs requirements, trade compliance standards, and company policies.
• Promote a culture of safety throughout transportation operations and among logistics partners.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business, Engineering, Operations Management, or related field required.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive transportation, logistics, and supply chain leadership experience.
• 5+ years leading regional or multi-site transportation operations within manufacturing, industrial, automotive, or distribution environments.
• Experience managing transportation budgets and freight spend exceeding $50M+ annually.
• Demonstrated success leading carrier negotiations, RFQs, contract administration, and transportation procurement.
• Experience with parcel, LTL, truckload, intermodal, ocean, and air freight transportation.
• Experience leading transportation network optimization and cost-reduction initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of transportation management systems (TMS), ERP platforms, and transportation analytics.

Preferred Skills

• Experience operating across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
• Experience supporting manufacturing plants and distribution center networks.
• Knowledge of customs, cross-border transportation, and international trade requirements.
• Lean, Six Sigma, APICS/ASCM, CSCMP, or equivalent certifications preferred.