Carrier Manager

Winsupply•Moraine, OH

About The Position

The Carrier Manager provides strategic oversight and day-to-day management of Carrier Relations Specialists, scaling carrier management across the Winsupply network. The role is accountable for carrier portfolio performance, direct-report development, and ongoing improvements to cost, compliance, and service outcomes for Winsupply distribution centers and local companies. It focuses on high-level strategy, contract negotiations, and network-wide service improvements while empowering the team to manage carrier relationships. The Carrier Manager leads carrier agreements, sourcing events, routing-guide governance, compliance, TMS stewardship, analytics, and high-level service escalations across LTL, truckload, parcel, and 3PL providers. The position works with distribution center leaders and local company owners to align transportation strategy with business needs. It requires availability after normal business hours for issue resolution and occasional travel to local companies, regional offices, or to support solution implementation.

Requirements

At least 5 years of carrier management experience in logistics and transportation.
Deep experience managing LTL and truckload.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
Experience managing a high-volume TMS environment.
Thorough understanding of DOT regulations, carrier contracting, accessorial governance, and claims fundamentals.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Solid understanding of supply chain transportation, including truckload, LTL, rail, air, ocean, and parcel.
Strong analytical and creative problem-solving abilities.
Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines.
Ability to manage multiple communications at once, including calls, emails, and/or texts, while staying organized.

Nice To Haves

Parcel and 3PL management experience.
Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, or Business.
Prior leadership experience.
Proficiency in Power BI or similar BI tools.
Customer-facing and carrier-facing logistics sales experience.
Multilingual ability.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop Carrier Relations Specialists.
Set team KPIs for carrier performance, routing guide compliance, and issue resolution.
Audit and improve team SOPs to support consistent carrier management across the WSS network.
Lead carrier agreement lifecycle management, including rate files, fuel programs, and SLAs.
Design and execute large-scale sourcing events and annual bid cycles for LTL, truckload, and parcel.
Identify and implement network-wide cost-saving initiatives through mode optimization and carrier alignment.
Serve as the final escalation point for complex negotiations, freight classification disputes (NMFC), and FAK structures.
Oversee development and enforcement of routing guides, balancing cost, service, and operational capacity.
Ensure carrier partners meet compliance standards for safety, insurance, and operating authority.
Coordinate with WSS distribution center leadership and local company owners to align transportation strategy with business needs.
Serve as functional lead for the TMS (MercuryGate/Infios), maintaining data integrity and effective EDI/API connectivity.
Use Excel and Power BI to turn transportation data into executive-level insights.
Manage critical service failures and systemic performance issues requiring executive-level intervention with carrier partners.
Be available after normal business hours for issue resolution.
Travel occasionally to local companies, regional offices, and/or to support implementation of solutions.