Transportation Director

Supply Chain Overview

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. leads its industry through responsible resource management, caring for associates, and uniting around core values. Recognized for sustainability efforts, the company is honored by Barron's, Forbes, Newsweek, and USA Today.

• Over 4,000 Full-Time Associates across the Supply Chain.
• 14.5M square feet of domestic US distribution space.
• 700 associates in Sourcing offices globally.
• Transportation Department for various modes including ocean, air, trucking, and rail.

Responsibilities

This role oversees the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of the end-to-end transportation network, supporting both domestic and international operations.

• Develop and execute an enterprise transportation strategy.
• Optimize transportation networks across various modes.
• Lead transportation procurement, carrier sourcing, contract negotiations, and annual bid events.
• Build long-term network strategies improving service, resiliency, and cost efficiency.
• Monitor transportation market conditions and proactively adjust network strategies.
• Manage capacity planning, routing optimization, carrier management, peak season readiness, transportation procurement, and performance management.
• Own the enterprise parcel strategy supporting direct-to-consumer, eCommerce, retail replenishment, and B2B shipments.
• Drive parcel optimization initiatives including zone skipping, carrier diversification, consolidation, dimensional weight reduction, packaging optimization, and routing improvements.
• Partner with Distribution Centers to improve carton utilization, packaging efficiency, and shipping profiles.
• Ensure peak season parcel capacity and network resiliency.
• 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, Information Technology.
• Build strong partnerships across the organization.
• Influence strategic decisions through collaboration and data.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing transportation organization.
• Support succession planning and employee development.
• Foster 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.

Benefits

• Generous discount on all Williams-Sonoma, Inc. brand products.
• 401(k) plan and other investment opportunities.
• Paid vacations, Employee Assistance Programs, Time Off to Volunteer, Matching Gifts Community Service Program, and Holidays (in some locations).
• Health benefits, dental and vision insurance, including same-sex domestic partner benefits.
• Legal and Identity Protection Plans and Pet Insurance.